more veggies please…in season this March!

Since the beginning of the year I have been trying to heavily increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables in my diet. With a heavier emphasis on vegetables because I already eat a lot of fruit. This has led me to find new and fantastic vegetables I had never eaten (Kale *smiles*) or cooked with before and thus a slew of new recipes as well. So I thought now that Ihave increased the consumption of those things (it is a continual challenge for me), why not now try,  for diet and health reasons along with sustainability and eco reasons, to focus on eating more local and in season fruits and vegetables.

The short list for March:
Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, collards, celeriac, garlic, kale, leeks, mandarins, oranges, parsnip, pears, potatoes, rhubarb, rutabaga, spinach, tangerine, turnip, watercress,
Best this month: Spring Green Cabbage

This is a great guide to when what fruits and veggies are in season and what to look for when you are selecting them! (In Season)

An a little inspiration to eat more plants from Michael Pollan’s book “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual”:

“Rule 22: Eat mostly plants, especially leaves…

Scientists may disagree on what’s so good about plants – the antioxidants? the fiber? the omega-3 fatty acids? – but they do agree that they’re probably really good for you and certainly can’t hurt. There are scores of studies demonstrating that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits reduces the risk of dying from all the Western diseases; in country where people eat a pound or more vegetables and fruits a day, the rate of cancer is half what it is int he United States. Also, by eating a diet that is primarily plant based, you’ll be consuming far fewer calories, since plant foods – with the exception of seeds, including grains and nuts – are typically less “energy dense” than other things you eat. Vegetarians are notably healthier than carnivores, and they live longer.”

While I am not a vegetarian nor am I promoting that lifestyle, I support the notion that we as Americans need to increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables, especially vegetables. It has been found that “flexitarians” – people who eat meat a couple times a week (in contrast to multiple times a day) – are just as healthy as vegetarians. Reducing the number of meals a day we eat with meat and increasing our consumption of vegetables can help us not only lose weight but become more holistically healthier.