There’s nothing better than spending the warm summer months enjoying all the beautiful seasonal fruit and vegetables. Some of this season’s favourites include eating bright jewel-like cherries on Christmas Day, devouring cold watermelon and pineapple slices on the beach, or adding sweet sun-ripened tomatoes to salads. Aside from the taste, seasonal produce is at its nutritional peak, it’s also more cost effective, and buying seasonally can be a great way to support your local farmers.
Enjoying a range of different summer fruits and vegetables is also a great way to increase your intake of water, fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. Eating from a range of different brightly coloured fruits and veggies also means that you’re incorporating a wide range of phytochemicals, as each different colour indicates higher levels of certain plant pigments. These pigments give fruits and veggies their distinct colour and are also linked to a range of health benefits too.
Red fruits and veggies are high in lycopene which is an antioxidant that helps to keep our heart healthy. Orange/yellow fruit and veggies contain beta-carotene which is important for eye health. Green fruits and veggies contain a range of phytochemicals that have anti-cancer compounds including carotenoids, indoles and saponins. Blue/purple fruit and veggies are high in anthocyanins which help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. White fruit and veggies contain allicin which has antibacterial properties.
So what fruits are in season over summer?
- Berries – blackberries, blueberries, loganberries, strawberries, raspberries
- Citrus fruit – lemons, limes, oranges
- Grapes
- Lychees
- Mangoes
- Melon – honeydew, rock melon, watermelon
- Pineapple
- Stone fruit – apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums,
What vegetables are in season over summer?
- Asparagus
- Beans
- Capsicum
- Celery
- Chili
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Lettuce
- Pumpkin
- Snow peas
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- Turnip
- Zucchini
Enjoy all the tastes of summer in this delicious Summer Fruit Salad recipe.
Summer Fruit Salad
Serves: 2
1 serve = 1 Fruit serve on the Jenny Craig Program
Ingredients:
- ½ cup strawberries, chopped
- ½ cup blueberries
- ½ cup watermelon, chopped
- ½ cup mango, chopped
- 1 passionfruit
- Juice from ¼ lime
- Fresh mint to garnish
Method:
1. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and stir gently.
2. Serve as a snack or with Jenny Craig Toasted Berry Muesli and natural low fat Greek yoghurt for breakfast.
3. Enjoy!
