By Laila Freeman, Epigram Food Editor

As the temperature drops and autumn begins to set in, Food Editor, Laila Freeman, weighs up the reasons for choosing to eat seasonally.

What is seasonal eating?

Whilst it is easy to dismiss the seemingly constant new diet ‘trends’ in recent years, seasonal eating is not about eradicating or restricting any particular foods or food groups. Instead, seasonal eating simply involves focusing on consuming foods that are ‘in season’ at the time. This is something that earlier societies would never have thought twice about, as it is all that would have been available, but technological advances have meant that, for us in Britain, most food is now available all year round. This is, of course, a luxury that we should not overlook, however nor should we overlook the benefits of being aware of when certain foods are in season, and subsequently in incorporating this knowledge into our diets.

Health benefits of seasonal eating

Simply, seasonal eating involves eating food when it is at its optimum nutrition levels. Fresh fruit and vegetables are allowed to fully grow and develop and are given more exposure to the sun, which increases antioxidants which are thought to prevent cell damage. Furthermore, they are less likely to be sprayed with all the pesticides that are required to grow fruit and vegetables to full size quickly or out of season. In addition to the amount of ‘goodness’ in fresh produce, or the lack of chemicals, seasonal eating is also thought to benefit our body by equipping our bodies with what they need to conquer specific seasons. For example, the consumption of water based fruits such as cucumbers and melon in the summer, help fight dehydration, whereas hearty root vegetables are perfect in autumn.

Photo by Debby Hudson / Unsplash

Financial benefits of seasonal eating

If the health benefits of seasonal eating are not compelling enough for you - after all, all diets are going to claim to hold health benefits - then the financial savings that eating seasonally can bring should be enough to entice each and every student. Indeed, when foods are in season, they tend to be priced more cheaply than foods that are out of season, which makes sense considering that when farmers in Britain are easily producing in season foods in large qualities. However, when foods are out of season, they are often exported from further afield, and these transport costs will, in turn, raise the cost of the produce itself, as will the use of chemicals and fertilisers, which are used to keep the foods fresh.

Environmental benefits of seasonal eating

Seasonal eating mostly involves eating foods that are being produced at the time in your country of residence. Whilst our ability to import food may often seem necessary, or at least desirable, it is important not to disregard the fact that this happens at a considerable environmental cost. The idea of reducing ‘food miles’ - which is how far your food has travelled from where it was produced - has gained considerable weight recently, and seasonal eating generally tends to reduce these miles. By reducing the distance travelled, the consumption of finite resources required to transport foods is also reduced, as is the massive amounts of pollution that food transpiration causes.

Seasonal eating in autumn

Convinced by the benefits of seasonal eating but not sure how to get started? Here are some seasonal eats for September to November. The obvious one is root vegetables and the typical ‘autumn’ flavours - think pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, turnips and potatoes. In addition to this, fruits such as apples and blackberries, and green vegetables like sprouts, cabbage, kale and spinach are also perfect for this season.

Feature image: Unsplash/Mark Duffel

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