Now it makes sense, that
to eat the best and freshest ingredients and the healthiest foods, we choose
the ones that are in season right?
Of course making this
statement opens the debate on fresh vs frozen foods – ie does freezing at
source actually preserve the nutrients in the foods better than shipping them
to us and us eating so called fresh fruits and veggies that are actually a few
days, maybe a week, old already….? There is and has been much debate about this
recently and it seems that it boils down to how the foods are processed and how
they are frozen before being transported to your supermarket for you to defrost
and eat as and when you like.
Please feel free to have
a google for yourself, I found the best thing too was reading comments sections
on articles if they had to see how the debate rages on. I’m not here to preach what’s best, but like
to read and digest the info for you before passing it on. To start you off, I found
this great clip stating the basics on fresh vs frozen veg:
What I know is that I
personally and currently prefer “fresh” rather than frozen with meats, fish and
veggies because I find it quicker for me to see what I have, and to make up a
meal from fresh ingredients that are in my fridge. I can see the veg, vibrantly coloured and it
takes such a short time to wilt spinach, fry off a few greens, blanch the
broccoli etc…. I personally cannot be bothered and sometimes just can’t think
ahead enough to take things out the freezer (after freezing them in the right portion
sizes first to avoid waste) in advance of cooking a meal that evening or
tomorrow. Also I find (and it may just
be my freezer) that the water content is different and the vegetable texture often
different too when defrosted. Anyway,
like I say, take a google and see for yourself, that’s just me and my opinion.
Things may change as of
course as well as the vast selection, and perhaps their nutrient content (still
open to debate), one of the main benefits of frozen foods is certainly their
price. There is no doubt that frozen
fruit, veg, meat and fish is cheaper than buying the same amount fresh, so if
you’re on a tight budget I definitely recommend seeking out the best frozen
alternatives and taking that time to plan ahead a little.
So, how do we get round
this and ensure we are getting the most nutrient filled foods to our table and
into our belly? The one thing most studies agree on - one of the best and most
obvious ways to eat well and eat fresh is to eat foods that are in season. That way, not only are you buying local (or at
least UK) produce that hasn’t taken long to get to you so is still ripe and
retaining its nutrient content, you’re also supporting local grown produce/farmers.
(Plus you don’t get the weird wateriness, or the strange textures of frozen)
and you cannot deny fresh seasonal fruit and veg has a great taste!
Seasons are changing
right now so it’s a great time to take stock of what’s actually in the freezer,
the cupboards and stuck at the back of the fridge! As in spring we do the ‘spring cleaning’, in
autumn I like to do one too, preparing before the silly season of Christmas
approaches and we restock with all the fancy stuff.
As we are heading into the UK’s golden,
rustic autumn, it’s the season of harvest festivals and from schools and
churches up and down the country you’d be forgiven for thinking Octobers
seasonal foods came in cans, consisted of fruit salads and soups and that the
harvest festivals were to celebrate beans and pasta, rather than this harvest
time of the year being an annual celebration from pagan times (usually
happening around the time of the harvest moon) when crops grown in the UK have
come to maturity and are brought in the for the winter. Harvest – and October – is the season for
reaping and gathering, then cooking up a storm of comfort foods as the chilly
air draws in, it’s soups, stews, pies and pickle season. It’s the season for celebrating All Things
Bright and Beautiful (done by donating non-perishables to food banks and the
homeless!)
If we focus on the
traditional meaning of harvest and this seasons yield, we should generally find
an abundance of:
ROOT VEGETABLES
In general root veggies will provide you with a good base of starchy
carbohydrate and fibre, as well as vitamin C and B vits. They can also be a great source of potassium
and magnesium in the winter months too.
It is from the daily Mail
so please don’t judge me – but this is a good run down of root veg and their
nutrients from nutritonist Angel Dowden: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-76507/The-good-root-guide.html
Examples of this seasons
root vegetables include: of course PUMPKIN (as we know due to the Halloween
celebrations fast approaching). Taking
the spotlight off the pumpkin though, we should also look out for POTATOES, SQUASH,
TURNIPS and SWEDE, as well as CARROTS, PARSNIPS, MARROW, ARTICHOKE and
BEETROOT.
WHEAT/GRAINS/CEREALS
Eating “whole” versions of
cereals and products using them provide the best source of carbohydrate, along
with good proteins. You will also find
potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, iron and calcium in wheat. Sometimes due to processing some nutrients
are stripped, but you will find that shop bought box cereals are also fortified
these days with extra calcium and often Vitamin D.
RED FRUITS/BERRIES
Looking especially at Blackberries, you will find they are packed
full of dietary fibre, vitamin C and A, plus magnesium, calcium and iron. Of course you need to balance fruit sugars,
but with all the other nutrients the blackberry does that for you itself!
You may have noticed
BLACKBERRIES if you are anywhere near the woods, or even a park or railway
line. These are almost over, but still
good this month to pick your own – WASH – and include perhaps with APPLES
and/or FIGS and DAMSONS for a tasty fibre filled crumble, dessert pie or
jam…..?
CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES
As well as being another fantastic source of fibre, in general this
vegetable group can provide vitamins A, C, E and K. They have been mentioned a lot in the case
for cancer prevention – especially related to thyroid and bowel cancers. For more on diet and cancer, cancer research
UK has a lot of evidence based information: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/diet-and-cancer/diet-facts-and-evidence#diet_facts2
From the cruciferous
family, best this season would be CABBAGES (white and red), CAULIFLOWER, KALE,
CHARD and CHICORY.
Other good vegetables that
should be cheap and plentiful during October, and therefore definitely worth a
mention here are: CORN ON THE COB,
RUNNER BEANS, LEEKS, CELERY and WILD MUSHROOMS.
Remember meats can be
seasonal too: October is game season, so look for things like PHEASANT,
GROUSE and PIGEON at a better price.
For fish and seafood -
look out for MUSSELS, SCALLOPS and OYSTERS alongside COD,
PLAICE and SEA-BASS this month
IMMUNITY:
As we head into autumn
it’s usually the time for the annual colds and flus to hit too! Therefore we need to think about boosting our
immune system at this time of year.
There are a few foods – that also add great flavour to autumn dishes –
I’d recommend that are known for their immune boosting qualities too:
GARLIC
This helps
protect by boosting the production of white blood cells, also its main
component allicin is thought (by some) to block the enzymes that can lead to
viral infections. I love smoked garlic
to add a depth of flavour roasted with your Sunday roast potatoes, or blended
down in soups to give a smokey taste in the background.
CINNAMON
This is my
favourite flavour by the way – its great as we lead up to Xmas, the aroma is
just Christmas itself – but before I get carried away with that….. Cinnamon can
improve cells ability to absorb glucose from the blood, so in theory may lower
your risk of diabetes. It has also been
found to reduce harmful cholesterol. The key is not too much of it, but to add
it to dishes frequently. You can use
cinnamon to flavour meats and casseroles, but I love it on porridge in the
mornings, or as an addition to apples, bananas either raw or cooked fruits (in
a crumble for example, or cinnamon cream/custard to go with the crumble too!)
GINGER
Another of my
favourites (you may have noticed if you follow us on facebook and have seen the
smoothies we’ve been making, as ginger is in almost all of them!) You may know ginger is recommended as an
anti-sickness remedy and has been touted as such for years. Also, it’s a fantastic anti-inflammatory. If
you have any condition ending in “itis” ginger is a great addition to your diet
and if you are exercising hard and fast and find a little muscle inflammation
ginger could benefit – try taking both before and after exercise. If you don’t want to add it to juices or
smoothies it’s a great addition to soups, or of course is a fab addition to
a stir fry (with garlic and chilli too its give a great flavoursome base)
Please do send me any recipes you have
that include these wonderful crops and flavours – and anything other than
traditional soups and stews would be welcome – I’d love to see what you’re
making and experiment myself with some of your recipes.
With all these wonderful meats, veggies and autumn crops though, a good stew or hot soup is inevitably on the cards for me and
to mop that up we need BREAD. Good job
then that this year the UK produced it’s best ever wheat harvest for over 1000
years!
Another time for the big
bread and baking blog, for now here are a few recipe ideas and links to find
out how you can eat / what you should eat if looking for fresh seasonal produce
throughout the year:
Or you can share your recipes and pics via:
So you don’t miss a blog, or a recipe, please feel free to
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**Please remember this is nutritional
advice ONLY (as is all other information contained in this blog,
the website and social media related to it) None of the info or advice is
intended to override any recommendation from your GP or health professional**
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