Well + Good: Living Seasonally Is a Great Way To Reap Longevity Benefits Year-Round

By Helen Carefoot
November 24, 2023

When we think about what’s important for our longevity, there’s a specific set of life areas to prioritize—sleep1, stress2, movement3, relationships4, and food5—that can make all the difference in your well-being. Time and time again, researchers have found that prioritizing these realms leads to fewer physical and emotional health issues that can hinder healthier aging. But making sure you’re hitting all these areas day in and day out can be tough. Living in alignment with what nature offers in the spring, summer, fall, and winter is one way to be sure you’re following good longevity practices without getting bored by following the same routine.

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Eating/nourishment

How you fuel your body and nourish yourself plays a major role in your longevity, too. Getting your fill of various fruits and vegetables, which are chock full of vitamins and minerals, has been linked to less incidence of chronic disease that can result in death13, like cardiovascular issues and cancer. Fiber-rich diets have been found to reduce the risk of premature death14, too.

You may even glean some additional benefits from eating produce seasonally. Beyond nature being a natural guide for what’s available and likely to taste best each season (like tomatoes and berries in the summertime), fruits and vegetables tend to be at their peak ripeness and most nutrient dense close to when they’re harvested; eating these foods closest to their peak may mean you’re getting more of their nutrients. Eating foods that grow well in your climate and region typically also means they travel shorter distances to you, thereby lessening the environmental impacts of transport.

However, it’s important to note that not everyone has access to fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables year round, as food apartheid in the U.S. has ensured inequitable access to grocery stores and farmer’s markets. And food “seasonality” is really region-specific. If the primary marker of where you live is lots of snow, it’s possible that there aren’t many seasonal crops growing at all during certain parts of the year—making food grown in other climes essential to getting your nutrients in.

While eating seasonal produce may have a slight nutritional benefit compared to not doing so, the difference is negligible, says Maya Feller, RD, CDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and author of Eating from Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World. She says what’s most important is consuming fruits and vegetables as much as you can in whatever way that you can. You’ll always benefit from eating a strawberry even if you don’t eat it in the summertime.

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