Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring! Longer days, flowering trees, extra sunshine and delicious spring produce… What's not to love about this season?
Everyone wins when you eat seasonal produce! Here’s why: your body will be thanking you for the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants seasonal spring produce provides, your pocket will be thanking you AND the environment loves you, as the produce is sourced locally.
What are Spring vegetables and fruit I hear you asking? Well for a start, think COLOUR! Spring vegetables and fruits are full of colour. You may hear us nutritionists and dietitians rambling on about “eating the rainbow” and there’s no excuses not to be during Spring time because after all, there are plenty of veggies and fruit to choose from!
The colourful fruit and veggies you’ll find in your local supermarket or fruit shop during Spring time contain an abundance of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are what gives fresh produce amazing taste, colours, and smell. However, it doesn’t stop there… Studies have shown that these powerful natural compounds are well known for their antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties too!
To get you started, here’s a list of Spring veggies and fruit that you can add to your shopping list:
Veggies
Artichokes
Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Beetroot
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Leeks
Peas
Silverbeet
Spinach
Tomatoes
Fruit
Oranges
Grapefruit
Bananas
Honeydew
Mangos
Passionfruit
Pineapple
Tangelos
While you’re trying some Spring produce, challenge yourself to try and prepare the vegetables with a different cooking method. If you usually sauté your veggies, try steaming them or roasting them in the oven/airfryer. For days where you’re feeling lazy (let’s be honest we all have those days!), try a fresh alternative like a salad. Think a mango salad with spinach, pine nuts and a honey dressing and you’re good to go!
Be sure to also check out our NEW Spring meals linked below. They tick all the boxes… nutritious, delicious, and full of colour!
Bianca Petrovski
Bule, M., Issa, I., Khan, F., Shah, M. and Niaz, K., 2020. Development of new food products based on phytonutrients. Phytonutrients in Food, [online] pp.197-216. Available at: <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128153543000083>
