Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Laura Backes who writes for DSL Service Providers.
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There are always debates going on about what the key component is for losing weight and then maintaining that weight loss – is it diet or exercise? But what it really boils down to is burning off more calories than you consume. According to the Mayo Clinic, a single pound is lost through cutting 3,500 excess calories out of your diet a week, which breaks down to 500 calories a day. This can be done through diet or exercise – or both! One easy way to start eliminating calories is to cut out the processed, high calorie junk foods that we’ve gotten used to consuming and replace them with lower calorie, whole foods. A lot of people are under the misconception that eating fruits and vegetables can get boring but if you think that then it’s because you’re approaching it the wrong way and just eating the same foods over and over again. This is why eating seasonally is the perfect solution.
What It Is?
Eating seasonally is basically following the rotation of crops throughout the year. For instance, during the springtime you could eat foods such as avocados, garlic, strawberries and rhubarb. Then when summer comes you would switch to cucumbers, zucchini, blackberries and apricots. By fall you’ve transitioned into eggplants, bananas, broccoli and tomatoes. And come winter the focus has shifted to cauliflower, sweet potatoes, grapefruit and onions.
The Benefits
When you start focusing on eating foods as they’re in season you start reaping a variety of different benefits:
1. Cheaper:- The produce you’re buying isn’t being preserved or shipped from around the world so it costs less money.
2. Variety:- You expose yourself to a slew of new fruits and vegetables this way instead of sticking to the staple tomatoes, onions, apples, bananas and potatoes. There are probably fruits and vegetables out there that you’ve never even heard of that you’ll end up loving once you try them.
3. Taste:- Because the produce is being picked and eaten at the correct time of the year the flavors are more intense and robust – which is exactly the way that they’re supposed to taste.
4. LocalFocus:- Since you’re consuming crops at their designated picking time you’re more likely to eat crops that are grown locally, meaning that your money is going to support local farmers instead of manufacturers around the world.
5. Healthier:- The longer the shelf life of produce, the more they lose vitamins and minerals. Produce consumed at peak freshness provides the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals making it a much healthier option.
Cleaning up your diet is the first step toward leading a healthier, fitter life. Eating seasonally makes taking that step easier. So the next time you’re brainstorming your grocery list try incorporating seasonal foods and skipping the processed ones.
About the Author:
This is a guest post from Laura Backes, she enjoys writing about all kinds of subjects and also topics related to internet providers in my area. You can reach her at: laurabackes8 @ gmail.com.