by Marietta McEvilly
As an undergraduate I studied International Affairs and Conflict Resolution. I spent countless hours reading about globalization and its effects. Though I regularly considered the political ramifications of globalization, I barely registered the fact that every choice we make about our diet is affected by our incredible “shrinking” planet. At this point in time, most of us don’t even blink when we hear that the pineapple we’re eating in January has been imported from Costa Rica and the apples that we’re eating have traveled all the way from Chile. Before our world became so small, people ate seasonally because they had no other option. Copious amounts of greens were consumed in the spring, fruit was enjoyed all summer and hearty root vegetables sated strong appetites in the fall and winter.
With this said, I dare you to try and pry a huge piece of watermelon out of my extremely cold hands in the fall or the winter. This is where I struggle. Though I enjoy the heartier, heavier vegetables of the fall and winter, I have an ongoing love affair with melon and tropical fruit. I can assure you that when I see one of my beloved melons in the winter I first try to convince myself that generally, fruits and vegetables that are out of season taste nothing like their in-season counterparts (recall the pale, mealy tomatoes you found lurking in your salad last winter). I then check in with my body and see how I’m feeling physically. Quite often when we eat fruits and vegetables that are out of season our bodies are left feeling unbalanced. Though I’m the first to admit that I’m sorely tempted to eat melon all year long, the aforementioned piece of watermelon in the winter leaves me thoroughly chilled and I find that it takes me hours and multiple layers of clothing to warm up.
Instead of shocking your body with foods that aren’t really appropriate for the current season why not spend the fall and winter experimenting with the produce that is seasonal and won’t cause your body to rebel. Some of the wonderful fruits and veggies that are in season in the autumn are as follows: winter squash varieties (acorn, butternut, delicata and hubbard for starters), apples, beets, endive, Brussels sprouts, cranberries, escarole, grapes, mushrooms, parsnips, pears, pomegranates, pumpkins, quince, sweet potatoes and swiss chard. As we transition into winter begin to experiment with grapefruits, kale, leeks, lemons, oranges and tangerines, radicchio, radishes, rutabagas and turnips. Though it may not be your first instinct to eat some of these fruits and vegetables, you may find that there are ways that you enjoy these foods. Challenge yourself to incorporate some of these foods into your diet in creative ways this season!
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