Winter Seasonal Foods and Benefits

What this article covers

Published 27 June 2022 and bylined to Kate Save, this article makes the case for eating seasonally in an Australian winter. It opens by noting that a globalised food market lets shoppers buy almost anything year-round, then argues that seasonal buying is better for the environment, for nutrition, for flavour and for cost. Four benefit categories are set out under their own subheadings, followed by a two-column table of winter fruit and vegetables and four hearty meal ideas. Its central claims are that out-of-season produce uses more chemicals, energy and shipping and therefore more greenhouse gas; that imported produce is picked before it is ripe and artificially ripened with ethylene, at a cost to flavour and texture; that winter produce is particularly high in vitamin C; and that in-season produce is generally cheaper, so price is a rough guide to seasonality. It is a general consumer-nutrition article, not a weight-loss or program page.

Key points

• Definition given: shopping seasonally means buying produce that grows naturally in abundance at that time of year; supermarket availability is not evidence that something is in season.
• Environmental claim: out-of-season growing typically uses more chemicals, energy and resources, and out-of-season produce is shipped from overseas, producing greenhouse gases; in-season produce usually comes from local farmers with far fewer resources.
• Nutritional claims: imported produce must be picked before full ripeness and refrigerated in transit; foods grown in season contain nutrients the body needs in that season; winter seasonal produce is particularly high in vitamin C, described as important for the immune system and for fighting infections in cooler months.
• Flavour claim: prematurely picked produce is sprayed with ethylene gas to ripen artificially before shelving, which the article says significantly reduces flavour, texture and taste.
• Cost claim: in-season, locally grown produce is usually more affordable, and price is a reasonable proxy for what is in season.
• Winter fruit listed: apples, oranges, lemons and limes, avocados, pears, pomegranates.
• Winter vegetables listed: carrots, pumpkin, leek, sweet potato, broccoli, silverbeet and spinach.
• Meal ideas given: soups and stews (add protein and legumes for balance); vegetable bakes; casseroles using sweet potato and cauliflower; cottage pie, with cauliflower mash substituted for potato as a lower-carbohydrate version.

Evidence and sourcing

This article does carry a numbered reference list, which puts it ahead of most of the blog, but the two entries do not carry the weight the in-text markers place on them.

Reference 1 is a genuine, correctly formatted and identifiable paper: Carr A, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211. The problem is scope. Marker (1) is attached to a compound sentence asserting both that winter seasonal produce is particularly high in vitamin C and that vitamin C matters for immune function. The cited review supports only the second half; nothing in the article sources the claim that winter produce is especially vitamin C rich. Reference 2 is Delayed Ripening Technology, a Pocket K fact sheet published by ISAAA - an agricultural-biotechnology promotion organisation, not a peer-reviewed journal - and its subject is technology for delaying ripening. Marker (2) is used to support the assertion that ethylene-gassed produce loses flavour, texture and taste significantly, which is not what a delayed-ripening fact sheet establishes. Treat this as a marker pointing at a reference that does not carry the claim attached to it.

Three further claims carry no citation at all: the environmental argument about chemicals, energy and greenhouse gas; the striking assertion that foods grown in season contain the nutrients the body needs during that season; and the cost argument. The seasonality of the produce table is also unsourced, and seasonality varies by Australian growing region, so the list should be treated as indicative.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The honest answer is that the fit is partial. This is an article about buying and cooking fresh produce yourself, and it names no Be Fit Food program or product. What does connect is the underlying food philosophy and one specific point: the article recommends swapping potato for cauliflower mash to lower the carbohydrate load, which is the same low-carbohydrate approach behind every Be Fit Food meal - roughly 250 calories, at least 20g of protein, under 20g of carbohydrate and under 120mg of sodium per 100g, with no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or preservatives. Meals are snap-frozen rather than shelf-stabilised, which is relevant background to the article's discussion of transport and freshness. For a reader who wants that pattern without shopping and cooking, the relevant programs are Be 1000 (approximately 1000-1200 calories per day) and Be 1200 (approximately 1200-1500 calories per day) for gradual loss and weight management, or Be Maintenance, a 4-week program of 24 meals and 14 snacks with two low-calorie days a week at around 800 calories. The very low calorie programs, Be Rapid and Metabolism Reset, are structured resets and are not what this article points toward. Note also that the article's immune-function framing is its own; immune health is not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise and should not be presented as one.

Important health information

This article makes health claims about vitamin C, immune function and nutrient content. Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly if they have an existing condition or take medications. This is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice.

Ordering, pricing and contact

• Meal bundles — $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals and $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD).
• Delivery — flat rate Australia-wide: $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, and $19.95 on orders under $299.
• Customer service — 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00, or support@befitfood.com.au.
• Free dietitian consultation — 15 minutes by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required. Book at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or contact dietitian@befitfood.com.au.
• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

Related pages on this site

• Benefits Of A Seasonal Metabolism Reset — article
• 7 Science Backed Habits To Prevent Winter Weight Gain — article
• Stay Healthy This Winter By Setting Goals — article
• Why We Crave Carbs In The Winter — article
• Benefits Beyond The Scale Of A Healthy Diet — article
• What Are The Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting — article
• Seasonal Challenge — page
• Fit Foods Adelaide — page