Benefits of consuming seasonal produce

Everybody loves having mangoes in summers and "Gajar ka Halwa" in winters. These are hated by none and consumed in their respective seasons.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables have much higher nutritional value. It is always beneficial to consume seasonal produce rather than the off seasonal one. By having seasonal produce, people can save them from many health risks as well as infections.

Now let us look at the benefits that seasonal fruits and vegetables provides us in detail :-

• Since they are freshly harvested in the consuming period, they have higher proportion of vitamins and antioxidants in them. Off seasonal produce is usually stored in cold storage to extend its shelf life and hence the  effectiveness of antioxidants rapidly decreases with the amount of time they are being refrigerated. Hence, it's more nutritious to consume seasonal fruits.
• Consuming seasonal fruits and  vegetables is an environment friendly option too. If people start consuming more seasonal produce, then the need for refrigerating and  transporting it will eventually decrease which will further decrease the amount of gases that are being released in the environment because of the use of cold storages excessively.
• Seasonal produce is way cheaper than the off seasonal one. If there is a demand of off seasonal produce, then the storage and transportation costs comes along which is later passed on to the consumer. But the case is different with the seasonal produce because it is locally available abundantly.  So seasonal produce is always less heavy on the pocket.
• Moreover, seasonal produce always tastes better because it is less exposed to the harmful gases that are being used in the cold storage which also helps in keeping it's nutritional value intact.

So always try to consume seasonal fruits and vegetables. By incorporating them in your diet, you can provide a good profit deal to your body. Seasonal produce is not only beneficial for our health but for the environment too which can further contribute to the sustainability.