Springtime Produce Your Body Will Love

Spring is known for its crisp, light, and refreshing fruits and vegetables. It's one of the best seasons for healthy and organic foods, many of which are grown locally in California. So, let’s skip the chips and pick up a springtime fruit or veggie that’ll help you glow from the inside out. 

As tempting as it is to walk over to the pantry and grab something quick and easy to satiate your cravings, or hit up Taco Bell on your way home from work, we all know the after junk food guilt and upset stomach isn’t worth it. Springtime has so many satisfying fruits and vegetables that will help you quench those cravings, without the guilt! 

Apricots: 90% of apricots are grown in the United States and most of those are grown locally in California! These tiny fruits pack a powerful punch when it comes to nutritional benefits. They’re great for digestion, strengthening bones, cardiovascular health, anti-inflammatory, and contain vitamins A, iron, and copper. Not to mention, they’re like nature’s candy! 

Asparagus: Grilled, sautéed, baked, pureed, the options are endless on how to cook this extremely popular vegetable. It’s a great source of vitamins A, C, E, K, fiber, folate, and the chronic-disease fighting antioxidant glutathione. Keep in mind, asparagus season is very short usually between April - May, so pay attention while local asparagus is available!

Avocados: AKA green gold, this ultra-popular fruit is not only delicious, but it’s also great for your health. Packed with vitamins, including vitamin K, C, B5, B6, E, folate, and more potassium than bananas! So make that avocado toast, and enjoy a delicious breakfast, guilt-free!

Leeks: You don’t hear much about this vegetable, but we wanna let leak a little bit about them and their health benefits! Leeks contain vitamins A, K, C, and folate. This veggie also contains an anti-inflammatory antioxidant called quercetin, which is vital for heart health. Leeks aren’t as popular as the other spring veggies and fruits, so check out this article on how to incorporate leeks into your springtime diet! 

Strawberries: A springtime classic, is there anyone out there who doesn’t love a ripe, juicy strawberry? This fruit is great in salads, desserts, parfaits, alone, and dipped in chocolate. Not only does it taste like candy, but it also contains vitamin C to help boost your immune system, eye health, and prevent wrinkles. Along with vitamin C, it also helps lower your cholesterol, and reduce inflammation. Also, California grows 83% of the strawberries in the US!

Rhubarb: This fruit has some spectacular health benefits. It enhances circulation, strengthens bones, helps to prevent Alzheimer's with its high amounts of vitamin K, controls blood pressure levels, promotes digestion, aids in kidney health, great for weight loss, wow this list keeps going on and on! You get it, rhubarb is amazing for your health, and it’s delicious in salads or cobblers. YUM!

Radishes: Packed with antioxidants, calcium, and potassium, it’s the perfect recipe to lower high blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease. Slice these up and throw them on any salad for some extra nutrients and a crisp, refreshing flavor. 

Artichokes: the ultimate veggie appetizer, all you have to do is boil it, throw it on a plate with a little dip and then dig in! Artichokes also help lower blood pressure, protect your liver, contain gallic acid which helps to fight cancer and help to treat/ cure the symptoms of IBS due to its ability to regulate the bacteria levels in the stomach. What are you waiting for? Time to whip up some artichokes to munch on before dinner!

Each season a fresh new crop of fruits and veggies is ready for harvest, and we’ve only touched on a few of the springtime produce that is not only delicious but also great for your health. To help you jumpstart your food journey through spring, we’re going to give you two great recipes to try out utilizing some of this season's produce. Here’s an appetizer and salad, perfect to make for a small get-together or dinner for two for that special someone!

Appetizer: Grilled Apricots with Burrata, Country Ham and Arugula

This appetizer is simple to make, but will have your friends and family raving about it through the rest of the meal! Food and Wine created the delicious app, perfect for spring because apricots are a wonderful spring fruit that isn’t offered all year round.

Starter Salad: Bright Spring Salad

Love and Lemons created this radiant salad, filled with colorful fresh veggies, and fruits. The Bright Spring Salad features asparagus, radishes, peas, and avocados, all scrumptious seasonal items that your taste buds will thank you for!

Hopefully, you get to try one if not both of these great recipes, and if you need more guidance on healthy eating check out our free Guide to Customized Meal Planning.