FEATURE
Unfortunately, this ageing leads fresh foods to lose their nutritional density. This means that you don’t get the same nutritional benefits that you would have if you had eaten it when it was freshly picked. And it is not just a small change or deterioration. One research associate at the University of Austin reported that fruit and vegetables found in supermarkets are anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in vitamins and minerals.
If you can base menus on food that is both in season and local you are potentially increasing the nutritional density and quality of the meals you serve. Although you might be choosing ingredients from a smaller pool, it is still important to focus on variety, ensuring you are delivering a variety of nutrients which will support overall health, including gut health.
“Research found that fruit and vegetables in supermarkets are anywhere from
5% to 40% lower in vitamins and minerals.”
Older people tend to have smaller appetites meaning that it is of utmost importance that everything they do eat is as nutritionally dense as possible. This helps to ensure that your meals will provide their bodies with all they need to function optimally.
Therefore, if you can base your menus on food that is both in season and local you are potentially increasing the nutritional density of their meal, ands its quality.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN FOOD IS
IN SEASON? With the majority of fresh produce being available almost all year round it can be hard to decipher what is actually in season and what isn’t. There is a host of information available on web sites such as:
https://vegsoc.org/cookery-school/blog/seasonal-uk-grown-produce/#:~:text=Seasonal%20UK%20grown%20produce%201%20January%20Apples%2C%20Beetroot%2C,3%20March%20...%204%20April%20...%20More%20items
• Seasonal UK grown produce - Vegetarian Society (
vegsoc.org)
• What's In Season When? (
lovebritishfood.co.uk) • Seasonal calendar - BBC Good Food
https://www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/whats-in-season-when https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/seasonal-calendar
allmanhall offers advice through its seasonality guide, and its clients can download further seasonal advice from the The Pass . allmanhall will also be able to advise on which products are abundantly available through suppliers at any moment in time.
When deciding on menus, there is a strong case for buying seasonal, both from the environmental impact and because of the quality of the product. Use cookbooks based on seasonal eating, or the abundant online resources available to create tasty quality meals. If this is too daunting then using a specialist like allmanhall to help create menus, which take the stress out of having to come up with recipes using ingredients you may be less familiar with cooking.
https://allmanhall.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsCare - 35 -
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