Seasonal Superfoods--from the Mediterranean Diet

SEASONAL SUPERFOODS AND FOUR SEASONS

By Cal Orey

Winter

It’s the Season: Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, winter wasn’t a chilly place instead we were blessed with a Mediterranean-type climate. I recall playing hooky on school days as a kid and watching a TV show “Candid Camera” and viewing the East Coast snow which was foreign to me. Nowadays, many winters living in the Sierra Nevada, I know what white powder is, whether it be shoveling it, making a fire to keep toasty, and baking comfort wintertime foods, including wholesome superfoods.

Healing Winter Recipes: Homemade bread, casseroles, hearty soups and stews, are part of a superfoods wintry diet.  Including a variety of food groups—not just one or a few--can help you slim down, healthy up.

Winter Superfoods: Apples, berries (frozen, dried), cheese, maple syrup, pasta, pizza, whole grain cereals.

Spring

It’s the Season: Living in the mountains brings four distinct seasons and four different ways of enjoying superfoods. Once the weather warms up, it’s time to lighten up with superfoods and drop unwanted winter weight. A spike of energy happens and is used along with superfoods used in spring cleaning indoors and outdoors and more play, including walking the dog to swimming in a warmer indoor pool.

Healing Spring Recipes: Meatless cooking is easier to make in the springtime because it’s lighter on the body; a time to rejuvenate. Vegetarian casseroles, soups to fruit smoothies to help cleanse and detox are easy to prepare. Fresh fruits as is instead of baking and used in vegetable and fruit salads work well to lighten up.

Spring Superfoods: Berries, eggs, leafy greens, lemons, Greek yogurt, pasta, seeds, shellfish, walnuts, and water.

Summer

It’s the Season: During the hot summertime easy no-cook meals and outdoor grilling are what people look forward to do so they can enjoy play more. When the temperature soars the last thing you want to do is bake or cook.

Healing Summer Recipes: Cheese and fruit plates, fruit cold smoothies, Greek yogurt parfaits, cold cereals, vegetarian thin crust pizza, poultry sandwiches, seafood salads, and iced tea.

Summer Superfoods: Berries, chicken, leafy greens, gelato, lemons, ice cream, pasta, tomatoes, water, and wine.
Fall

It’s the Season: When the air gets colder and the leaves turn color, it’s time to change some of your favorite superfoods. Apples, citrus, and first-time cooking feels right before the first fire is made and thermostat is turned up. Warm food is beginning to replace the colder superfoods of summer.

Healing Fall Recipes: Apple pie, lemon drizzled dishes, savory smoothies, hot oatmeal to whole grain pancakes with warm maple syrup all can help enhance the immune system. Also, pasta dishes, baked turkey and chicken, hot tea, fresh squeezed juices to hot apple cider can help you fill up, not out.

Fall Superfoods: Apples (Harvest season August-November), berries, crucifers, Greek yogurt, oats, turkey, seafood, sweet potatoes (Harvest season September-December), water, and wine.