Lifestyle // ReNew Houston - Nutrition - Nourish

Pick fruits and vegetables that are in season for the best nutrition

Spring has sprung — along with strawberries, blackberries, beets, broccoli and sweet corn. These, and many more fruits and vegetables, are now in season here in the great state of Texas. Why is this important? There are many reasons to eat the fruits and vegetables that are in season. First and foremost, your health.

Fruits and vegetables contain tons of vitamins and minerals, but they also contain phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are nonnutritive compounds that are biologically active in the body. They can be categorized into many, more specific groups, but for our purposes, we will make it easy. We will divide them by color.


Below you can find a list of fruits and vegetables in season, but let’s start with the red, blue and purple ones. These include strawberries, blueberries, beets and cabbage, which appear red, blue and purple because they contain large amounts of flavonoids and anthocyanins. These are believed to exhibit strong antioxidant functions within the body, potentially decreasing your risk for high cholesterol or even cancer. This group is also typically high in vitamin C, a vitamin that is involved in creating new collagen and is essential for wound healing. Perfect for getting your skin ready for the summer.

Spring fruits and vegetables










Baby Arugula



Sweet Corn

Green Beans

Specialty Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes






Culinary Herbs








Read More

Now let’s switch over to the oranges and yellows, which include carrots, sweet corn, sweet potato and tomatoes. Carotenoids and lycopene are the phytochemicals that contribute to their orange, yellow and even red colors. This group is typically high in vitamin A, which is involved in cell growth, bone development and immune function — all very important functions if you ask me.

Lastly, we turn to the green leafy vegetables: arugula, greens, lettuce, broccoli, cilantro and parsley. These contain a multitude of phytochemicals, including chlorophyll, with strong antioxidant power, and are typically high in vitamin K, a very important vitamin that activates blood clotting.

TRANSFORMATION: See how this Houston chef went from a 4X to an XL.

Why the urgency to eat these particular fruits and vegetables now? Well, they are in season. This means they are typically grown close by, they are fresh and have not traveled from far away. For many vegetables, top quality is obtained at harvest; the quality deteriorates afterward at a rate determined by external factors.

Typically, when fruits or vegetables are traveling far distances to get to your grocery store, they are treated with post-harvest technologies that will prolong their shelf life and appearance, which for the most part comes at the expense of nutritional quality. When you eat in season, you are likely eating local and more fresh fruits and vegetables. Meaning, they have been able to ripen on the vine and have not been treated for the long-distance ride to the grocery store.

Another perk: It’s usually cheaper! These fruits and vegetables are typically bountiful during their season, which means more product at a cheaper price.

Maddy Falivene, MS, RD, LD, is the Houston Chronicle’s dietitian and nutrition contributor.
