seasonal eating: an overview
written by Jasmine Irven
In today’s world of fad diets and quick fixes for living a healthy lifestyle, I’m really here to share a different perspective. To encourage you to lean into what feels good. What feels intuitive. What feels natural.
My belief is that going back to the basics is really what will have the most transformational impact on our health and wellbeing. Shifting our focus to a few things: mindfulness in our daily lives, giving ourselves space and time to just be and breath, self-care that feels good to us, and intuitive, seasonal eating.
Seasonal eating means a few things, all of which we’ll dive into here. And p.s. if you’re looking for the benefits of seasonal eating and why you might want to incorporate it more into your day, be sure to check out this post.
eating with the seasons
In the most basic sense what it means is eating foods that were harvested that same season.
Crops require different soil conditions, temperatures, amounts of sunlight, etc., so fruits and vegetables only grow naturally at certain times of the year. In the past, when looking at our ancestors, they had no other choice than to grow their own food and eat the crops when they reached peak harvest.
Today however, there’s a huge disconnect. Industrial agriculture, our constant worldwide shipping processes, and commercialization, means that you might see certain fruits like berries (only in-season here in Ontario in the summer), in our grocery stores year round. However they’re being shipped from different countries, they aren’t grown here naturally.
Eating with the seasons means looking at the foods that are being harvested in your area that month, and consuming those rather than relying on foods that have been shipped halfway across the world.
eating locally grown foods whenever possible
The second element of seasonal eating as I like to explain it really means looking at what local farmers in your area are growing and supporting them, rather than going to big chain grocery stores.
Of course, this isn’t always possible - I know it’s more convenient and sometimes accessible to shop at big grocery stores, however, when you can, checking out your local farmer’s market or smaller scale grocery store can really help you connect more with what’s in season as well as support local business owners.
Even if you do go to the bigger chain grocery stores, a lot of them are thankfully starting to recognize that people want local produce, and so a lot of times there will be stickers on foods saying grown locally or signs saying grown in Ontario - so just being intentional and looking for those.
leaning into what you’re craving: looking at what your body feels it wants and needs as the season changes
This concept really plays into intuitive eating. Taking some time to go inward, connect with your body and really ask yourself what you’re craving, what foods you want.
I think a lot of people feel like if they start eating more intuitively they’ll just be eating junk food all the time - but that’s really not the case once you get to know your body a little bit better. When you’re able to really be honest with yourself about how different foods make you feel, you’re able to be more intentional with your choices.
Sidebar (for an example) — if you asked me a year or two ago if I thought that I could go without cheese I think my answer would probably have been no. But after I became more in touch with my body - I actually was able to see how crappy I felt after I ate cheese. Symptoms like bloating were part of my daily life, so I didn’t really think that there was a life for me without it. But when I started to cut it out I felt a lot better and now, I rarely have cravings for cheese - because I know how it makes me feel.
Applying that concept to seasonal eating this describes the idea that your body generally knows what it wants and needs.
As the weather gets colder for example, it’s really unlikely that you’ll be wanting ice cream or iced drinks as much as you did in the summer. Instead, your body more likely will be craving warm drinks and foods - teas, lattes, soups. And as I discuss in this post - this is exactly what your body needs in the cooler months: in the summer our bodies are looking to be hydrated and we need refreshing foods because we’re out in the sun so often, whereas in the winter our bodies are looking for warm, comforting foods that will help keep us warm.
So, to lean into this point - get in touch with what you’re craving! Ask yourself what foods you’re excited about for the upcoming season, and start consuming more of those. Chances are it’s exactly what your body needs.
being kind to yourself and giving yourself grace always being kind to yourself
I like to include this point whenever I’m talking about making a lifestyle shift. Reminding you that it’s not about perfection. It’s about doing what you can, knowing that you’ll make mistakes, and that days will look different from one another.
If you are really craving berries and they’re not in season, it’s okay to eat them. Be mindful of course, but really this isn’t meant to be restrictive, it’s not meant to make you feel deprived.
It’s about doing what you can, doing your best, and making choices that make you feel good.
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
