13/03/2025
The Power of Seasonal Eating: A Simple Shift for Better Health & Sustainability
With produce available year-round, it’s easy to overlook the benefits of eating seasonally. But making this simple shift can have a profound impact, not just on your health, but also on your wallet and the planet.
✅ Fresher & More Nutrient-Dense – Seasonal produce is harvested at its peak, ensuring superior flavour and higher nutritional value. Studies have shown that nutrient levels, like vitamin C, are higher in freshly harvested foods compared to those stored for long periods.
🌍 Eco-Friendly & Sustainable – Reduces the carbon footprint of food transportation while supporting biodiversity. Plus, seasonal crops often require fewer artificial interventions like excessive water use or chemical treatments.
💰 Supports Local Farmers & Economies – Buying local keeps money within the community, strengthens food security, and encourages regenerative agriculture.
👩🍳 Inspires Culinary Creativity – Eating seasonally invites variety into meals and introduces new, nutrient-rich ingredients throughout the year.
🍂 What’s in Season this Autumn in Australia?
As the weather cools, it’s the perfect time to enjoy nutrient-dense, comforting produce that naturally supports immunity, detoxification and energy levels.
Here’s what’s fresh and at its best right now:
🍏 Fruits: Apples (Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Fuji, Red Delicious & more), mandarins (Imperial), oranges (Navel, Valencia), pears (Packham, Beurre Bosc, Red Sensation), persimmons, figs, blackberries, raspberries, pomegranates, custard apples, feijoas, guavas, kiwis, passionfruit, rhubarb. (Note: Mangoes are typically a summer fruit, though late-season varieties may still be available early in autumn.)
🥦 Vegetables: Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, mushrooms (field, pine, slippery jack), Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, capsicum, eggplant, celery, turnips, leeks, fennel, onions, parsnips, silverbeet, spinach, and watercress.
🌿 Herbs & Spices: Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, parsley, chives, and mint thrive in autumn. While some herbs like basil and coriander are more common in warmer months, they are still widely available.
Cooking Methods that can support the cooler months include those that nourish, warm, and hydrate the system, they include; slow cooking & braising, steaming & poaching, roasting & baking, fermentation & pickling.
These seasonal foods and methods naturally align with the body's needs, offering warmth, immune support, aiding detoxification, and providing sustained energy as temperatures drop. As we transition into cooler months, which tend to be quieter than the social festivities of spring and summer.
If you would like to learn more about this topic
🔗 Read the full article here: https://exuberanthealthonline.com/seasonal-eating/