Eye-Healthy Spring Fruits and Vegetables

There’s nothing more disappointing while grocery shopping than going in search of some fresh produce and finding something that looks more like a science experiment. Am I right?

More often than I’d like, I arrive at the store really wanting to find bright, red, delicious, juicy strawberries or blueberries that aren’t squishy, only to find that they’re overpriced and kinda… gross…

Buying in season

There are many benefits in purchasing fruits and vegetables while they’re in season: Variety, price, and quality to name a few. Eating the fruits and vegetables that are in season ensures that we won’t get tired of eating the same thing every single day. On top of that, in-season fruits and veggies are cheaper, more plentiful, and generally of higher quality.

Peaches and cherries in the summer and holiday pears in the winter come to mind when I think of fruit variety. Apples (of different varieties) are always in season and those are great staples to have.

What’s in season for the spring

A: Apples, apricots, asparagus, avocados
B: Bananas, broccoli
C: Cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens
G: Garlic, garden herbs
K: Kale, kiwifruit
L: Lemons, lettuce, limes
M: Mushrooms
O: Onions
P: Peas, pineapples
R: Radishes, rhubarb
S: Spinach, strawberries, swiss chard
T: Turnips

Smoothies

I recently wrote an article about packing nutrition into smoothies. Smoothies are a great way to ‘get in’ the fruits that we love but aren’t currently in season. Frozen fruits help make delicious and healthy smoothies, and freezing them when they’re in season can really save the bank!

Antioxidants

Sometimes, we really love a certain fruit or veggie that we will want to continue to eat even when they’re not in season. For me, blueberries and strawberries come to mind first! When I go to purchase berries in their ‘off-season’, I’m generally disappointed in the quality and price.

These antioxidant-packed fruits are a staple in my family’s smoothies. And, they’re easy to freeze! Antioxidants are really important to the health of our eyes.

Helpful freezing tips

When I first started freezing produce, especially strawberries and bell peppers, I learned the hard way to lay the raw fruit in one single layer on a flat plate or baking sheet. This prevents the moisture in the fruit from causing it to clump together. Blueberries don’t require any washing before freezing because the ‘white’ proactive layer they have helps them to freeze well.

I’ve provided these freezing tips before, but it doesn’t hurt to have a refresher! And, of course, it’s always an option to go to the freezer section of your local grocery store and grab already frozen fruits and veggies. This can really be a time-saver, though I do prefer to freeze my own fruit.

It’s a process

Eating the right-for-you diet is a lifelong process. It’s important to remember that what works for one person may not work for another. It’s extremely beneficial for each of us to eat the right-fit foods for our ever-changing bodies (and not break the bank doing so).

Eating for the health of our eyes can be hard work, but it’s worth it!

Andrea Junge