"when I go shopping, when I cook, and when I eat, I shall give rise to mindfulness and not bring into my body the kind of food which makes me heavy and unwell."

– Thich Nhat Hanh

The first step toward eating mindfully is shopping mindfully. We must consider our health, our community’s health and the well being of our entire planet. One tool for mindful shopping is seasonal shopping.

Reasons to eat & buy food that is in season:

• Eating foods that are in season is good for our bodies because the food is fresh and hasn’t traveled a long distance.
• Through our purchases we can influence our grocer’s buying choices = encourage less shipping and more local ingredients.
• We’re supporting local farmers.
• Eating Seasonably connects us to the earth and reminds us that this food is a gift of the whole universe. We can feel the passage of time in accordance with the earth’s production and savor our oneness with the world.

Looking for a resource to find out what’s in season on any given day? I enjoy:

• Eat the Seasons (for the UK) – they organize products by season and by food, so you can look up a particular ingredient or use the site as a grocery list guide.
• Sustainable Table (for the US)- they organize products by state & then break it down by month.

Photo by Pixomar from freedigitalphotos.net