Eating seasonally is the way forward

We are lucky enough in today’s society to be able to eat pretty much anything whenever we want. We simply pop to shops, buy the items and cook them from home or visit a restaurant where the chef and their kitchen staff will be working hard following all of the health and safety requirements for working with food. When looking to work in the food industry it is important to make sure that you comply with all the legal requirements and legislation that can be explained to you by a Food Safety Consultants such as https://mqmconsulting.co.uk/.

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But over recent years there has been much more of a focus on eating seasonally with some restaurants growing their own vegetables for use in their dishes. There are many reasons as to why eating seasonally is better for our health. In order for us to be able to eat certain items all year round such as strawberries they need to be force grown in conditions that are adapted for them. This has an impact on the quality and the taste of the items that are produced. Research has been undertaken into this and it has been noted that the nutrient levels of the food reduce when they are grown out of their natural season. So, the food might not be supplying you with the amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as you first think.

When items are force grown, they are also subjected to more pesticides than at other points in the year and are often covered in waxes and preservatives in a bid to help them to grow. Inevitably some of this is passed on to us when we eat the food. As a result of this you may be ensuring that you eat your five a day but the quality of the nutrients you are receiving may be greatly impaired. It is thought that spinach loses up to two-thirds of its vitamin levels after a week of harvesting.

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This all points to us using local farms and produces to buy our fresh produce from to make it as close to the source as possible and at its peak of freshness. This also helps to support local farmers and increase their sustainability as well as helping to reduce food miles which themselves have an impact on the environment. By eating seasonally, it means you may have to be slightly more inventive over the meals that you eat but you will also be exposing yourself to a whole variety of different foods and ensuring that your body receives exactly the right balance of items.