Eating what's in season

Today, we can choose from a huge selection of fruit and vegetables at any time of year, thanks to imports. But there are also many other reasons why seasonal and regional foods make a lot of sense.

Regardless of whether it's strawberries at Christmas, grapes in spring, or chicory in summer, shoppers have become used to the huge variety of fruit and vegetables that stores offer throughout the year – and they often no longer know which ones are actually in season at a given time.

 

Doing good for the environment

For fruit and vegetables to be available throughout the seasons they are often picked much too early, grown with sunlight filtered by greenhouse glass, and shipped over long distances before they reach the store. All this has a damaging effect on the environment because greenhouses and means of transport produce a great deal of CO2. Making deliberate choices in the store and buying foods that are grown with sustainable methods can help to significantly reduce the negative effect on the climate.

 

Our health

Anyone who purchases seasonal and regional foods is doing his or her body a favour. This is because foods that are transported over long distances tend to lose important vitamins and nutrients. Furthermore, vegetables and fruit grown in greenhouses in warmer countries also have more residues from contaminants, because they need to be treated with strong pesticides on account of the hot and humid climate in which they grow.

Such vegetables and fruit often also have higher concentrations of nitrates than those grown outdoors. Nitrate is a natural mineral from the earth that generally reaches the plant through fertilisers and is harmless by itself. However, the body may convert it into nitrite, which poses a health risk.

And regional foods have an additional important advantage: they simply taste better.

 

Seasonal charts

Opting for a seasonal diet doesn't mean having to eat bland meals. On the contrary: Every month has a wide range of foods that are ripe and with which you can vary your meals.

Numerous websites, e.g. from WWF, Coop, and Migros, contain useful information and seasonal charts showing the types of fruit and vegetables that are in season. Why not have a look at them and discover what happens to be in season at the moment.

Here are some examples:
Apples: July to May
Strawberries: June to August
Grapes: September to November
Chicory: November to April
Potatoes: Throughout the year
Asparagus: April to June
Tomatoes: June to October



20.04.2016
In the event of further health-related questions, SWICA customers can contact the santé24 telemedicine service free of charge on +41 44 404 86 86. A telemedicine practice licence allows santé24 physicians to provide additional medical services in cases that are suited to a telemedicine approach. SWICA customers can also use the BENECURA medical app to carry out a digital SymptomCheck and receive recommendations about what to do next. During a subsequent phone call with santé24, customers can decide for themselves whether to release their information from SymptomCheck to santé24.
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