A Guide to Winter Food [Infographic]

Eating Seasonally:  A Guide to Winter Food 

Infographic from HealthCentral.com

The health and wellness experts agree:
eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season, and that are locally and organically grown, is one of the best strategies for increasing your health, including managing your weight and reducing the risk for a variety of chronic diseases.

Probably the biggest health benefit of eating seasonally and locally is freshness.  Freshly picked produce that is not transported over long distances retains more of its important micronutrients (the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytochemicals).

Another benefit is cost savings: generally, fruits and vegetables are less expensive when they are in season.  Many real good deals can be found at the local farmer's market as well as regular grocery stores.

Finally, fresh, in-season produce that is locally sourced tends to be much more flavorful.  That's why picky chefs and upscale restaurants insist on using only the freshest ingredients!

Produce grown organically in rich soil has been shown to be more nutritious than produce that is conventionally grown in mineral depleted, poor soil. Organic farming does not utilize industrial chemical fertilizers and pesticides - many of which are thought to be toxic to human health.  By definition, "organic" means non-GMO.

So, what's in season during the winter months?

This infographic from Health Central, entitled Guide to Winter Food, illustrates 10 winter fruits and vegetables.  The infographic includes a summary of the health benefits (vitamin and mineral content) and diet tips for each fruit and vegetable:

✿ Bananas
✿ Blood Oranges
✿ Cabbage
✿ Rhubarb
✿ Mango
✿ Artichokes
✿ Bok Choy
✿ Brussels Sprouts
✿ Turnips
✿ Watercress

Of course, the actual fruits, veggies and herbs that are in season, locally grown and available depend on your location.

If you want to know exactly which produce is in season in your particular location, check out Sustainable Table.

Sustainable Table allows you to search its Seasonal Food Guide by state, month and optionally by produce (including some types of beans and pseudo-grains like Amaranth and Quinoa.

Infographic source and more information on diet and exercise, please visit:  A Guide to Winter Food (Infographic) - Health Central.

Related:

The Benefits of Going Green
Low Calorie, High Fiber Summer Fruits and Veggies
A Guide to Summer Food










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Is Your Diet Toxic? [Infographic]

Is Your Diet Toxic? [Infographic]
from TimetoCleanse.com

Toxins and Body Weight

The top functional medicine physicians and holistic health experts agree:  toxicity is a major contributing factor in weight gain, as well as the inability to lose weight.   The general advise is to detox on a regular basis by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber - all of which are thought to block the absorption of and/or help remove various harmful environmental toxins from the body.

Conventionally Grown Produce and GMOs

Unfortunately, many nutrition experts believe that conventionally grown produce is part of the problem, not the solution.

Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are generally grown in soil that is depleted in naturally occurring minerals and are laden with a toxic cocktail of chemicals - herbicides, insecticides, pesticides and industrial fertilizers.

Consequently, conventionally grown produce is not only significantly less nutritious but often contains relatively large amounts of chemicals and toxins, many of which have been shown to be allergenic, carcinogenic and otherwise harmful to human health.  Long term exposure (even in very low doses) to some of these toxins has been linked to nerve damage, cancer and birth defects.

Additionally, it is suspected that genetically modified crops (GMOs) are not safe for human consumption and yet it is estimated that up to 75% of foods sold in typical U.S. grocery markets contain GMO ingredients.

In view of these facts, it is easy to see how eating lots of conventionally grown produce can be harmful to one's health.

In a detox protocol calling for consumption of mostly fruits and vegetables, such as a juice cleanse, ingesting lots of conventionally grown produce can mean ingesting lots nutritionally bankrupt food and plenty of pesticides  - this, of course, defeats the entire purpose of a cleanse which is to rid the body of toxins, regain health and lose some weight and excess fat!

Infographic

As this very excellent infographic entitled "Is Your Diet Toxic?" points out, there are a number of things you can do to obtain the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, to safeguard your detox or cleanse efforts and to otherwise protect yourself.

Tips for Detoxing and Cleansing

The first step is to become an informed consumer.   Be aware of how food is grown and processed both here at home and in other countries that import food to the U.S.

Understand the difference between conventionally grown and organically grown.  Choose locally grown, organic produce that is currently in season whenever possible - especially when it comes to the so-called "dirty dozen" (peaches, celery, strawberries, sweet bell pepper, spinach, nectarines, cherries, lettuce, apples, pears, imported grapes and potatoes).

Learn to read labels and avoid packaged (including packaged salad), processed, canned and frozen foods, many of which often contain hidden GMOs.  Be aware that the term "all natural" is virtually meaningless.

Look for the specific country of origin of the food (i.e., where it was grown or processed) and be weary of labels that say "packed by", "distributed by", "manufactured for" - labels like these give no indication of where the food really came from.

Related:

How to Remove Toxic Apple Wax
Clean Food Labels

Infographic Source and more information at Time to Cleanse - Is Your Diet Toxic?