YMCA Blogs & News

November's Educational Seminar

Released: November 3, 2023

Missed out on November's Educational Seminar? Don't worry! You can view the full presentation below. Educational Seminars are held the 1st Friday of each month from 12pm-1pm in our Community Rooms. FREE TO THE PUBLIC!

The Battle of the Breads...

Presented by Tiffani Hinkeldey, Y Health Coach

A debate is quietly simmering and that is what is better, homemade bread OR store bought bread? Baking bread is much more than just a fun little hobby, it is an art in its own way. The time, dedication and experimentation it takes to prepare the perfect loaf and to obtain the perfect (as we bread bakers call it the crumb shot) takes practice and lots of it! The choice between homemade vs. store bought comes down to several questions, the most specific one being which is healthier? 

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What is Seasonal Eating?

Seasonal eating is simple eating what the farmers have recently harvested. When you eat this way, it is a form of diet rotation and helps you to gain a variety of taste and nutrition. This is important to your health because studies have shown that fresh produce is healthier for you and fruits and veggies that are allowed to ripen naturally and that are eaten shortly after being harvested contain more vitamins, minerals, and antibiotics. These things help our bodies combat serious diseases, such as cancer.

Seasonal Eating Helps the Economy

To really get the freshest seasonal fruits and veggies you can go to your local farmer’s market! Shopping for fresh produce is not only healthy for you, but it helps to support our local farmers. Instead of spending your money at big name corporations, consider instead using that money to invest in produce grown by the hardworking hands of your local farmer, when you purchase food from them your money stays in the community and creates more jobs for local people. Often buying locally is cheaper because all the farmers are harvesting similar crops, which means that when there is an abundance of the same crop, grocery stores that support local farmers will often put items on sale. Another fun fact: our farmers markets here in Pueblo accept SNAP benefits, so make sure to check out your local farmers market!

Benefits of seasonal eating

1. Richer Flavor
Fresh off the farm fruits and vegetables are much more delicious than their mass-produced counterparts. Fruits and veggies that are in season ripen better, taste better, and are fresher and juicier than artificially ripened produce grown out of season.

2. Higher Nutrients
Foods that are grown and consumed during their proper season are more nutritionally dense than out of season produce. Produce grown out of season is artificially forced to ripen which unfortunately makes them skip their nutrient building season; produce out of season loses about 5 days of nutrients just in transit to the stores. In a study done on broccoli it showed that their Vitamin C peaked in the autumn and had almost doubled in its nutritional value versus broccoli grown during the springtime.

3. Lower Cost
It may not seem like it but buying in season is easier on your wallet. When a fruit or vegetable is in season it is abundant and not surprisingly that makes the cost of it lower because the demand for it is easier to meet. If you are buying out of season you are going to pay more because that product is not as easy to come by and the price you will pay has a built-in surcharge attached to it. Buying in season is so much cheaper that it makes the list of ways to save money when grocery shopping.

4. Environmentally Friendly
It is better for the environment to buy locally grown produce in season. This is because when you buy local food you are purchasing foods that have less travel, less processing, and much less packaging than those you buy in the grocery store. A lot of us do not know (until now) that fruits and veggies can travel from 1,300-2.000 miles to get from the farms and into our stores. All this travel also has a negative impact on our environment due to the fuel used for the trucks, airplanes, trains, and even boats which pollute our land, air and water.

5. Harmonious with Nature
Holistic practitioners believe that nature has WISDOM when it comes to the seasonal foods it has provided for us. Haven’t you ever noticed that winter foods tend to be heartier and denser? There is a reason for that! It is to help us put on a little bit of (healthy) weight to keep us warm and satiated during the long cold winter months. Then if you look at our spring produce such as artichokes, and asparagus you see that these are lighter and meant for things such as assisting our bodies with detoxification to help us shed all that weight from the winter. Summer produce is light and juicy and full of hydration; for example, cucumbers, watermelon and peaches! This is to keep us hydrated for the burning hot summers months ahead. Autumn produce is shown to be richer in beta carotene which when converted to Vitamin A (our bodies do that naturally when we eat beta carotene rich foods) helps us to fight off illnesses like colds and flus. Nature is wise, listen to her, she has given us all we need to eat during each season to benefit our bodies and to keep us healthy and full of energy and nutrients.

6. Diet Broadening
Researching and eating in season produce is a great way to broaden your horizons and mature your taste buds by helping us try produce we may have never had before! It prevents us from consuming the same produce over and over which keeps us stagnant and will eventually cause burn out tempting us to consume foods that are not as nutritious. The key to a health promoting diet is to eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables that are RICH in nutrients, and by eating seasonally it helps us to keep a healthy diet by promoting an interesting and more engaging way of consuming these foods. Finally. Please do not think that eating seasonally has to be a 100% commitment. If you enjoy some fruits and veggies that are not in season it is OK to go ahead and have them! You can start small by adding seasonal items to your diet and then continue to add more if you can. Always keep in mind that with each seasonal item you get you are not only saving money, but you are developing a healthy nutrient dense diet and making a better choice for the environment and for our local farmers.