Spring Vegetables And Why You Need Them

As the weather gets warmer, you naturally crave fresh produce and cooling foods with more water content. In late spring, more nutrient- rich local vegetables become available, which is great because local is less expensive. In early May, you’ll see asparagus, radishes and spinach. In early June, you can expect to find broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy an assortment of lettuces, cucumbers, green onions, peas, radicchio and summer squash — to name a few.

 

There are a few constants amongst veggies that are local in May and June — many of them are green in colour and rich in vitamin K and folate, and there are also a few members of the brassica/cruciferous family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy and radish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

 

So why are vitamin K, folate and omega-3 fatty acids important for dancers? Well, vitamin K plays an important role in bone health because it helps keep calcium inside the bones. Without bone strength, people can be at risk for stress fractures, especially dancers. Folate, which is important for the production of red blood cells, is also important for physically active people because red blood cells carry oxygen through our bodies to our muscles. Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in decreasing inflammation in the body, which becomes especially beneficial for injury recovery.

 

This spring, look out for all these delicious and crisp local vegetables so you can get even more of the nutrients your body needs from local and seasonal produce!

 

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