Our bodies are a bit like that.  Summer fruits and vegetables are filled with important vitamins and minerals that will help us stave off winter illnesses.  However, we must learn to take advantage of the bounty.

A dear friend of mine, Sr. Melannie Svoboda, wrote a book called “When the Rain Speaks”.  In the book she pointed out that the berries of summer come at different times instead of all at once.  So, June’s strawberries give way to July’s raspberries and August’s blueberries providing a constant supply of nourishment.  Included in those sweet treats of summer is an especially large supply of vitamin C and flavonoids, those wonderful antioxidants that help repair the body and may be key in preventing cancer.  Berries are also full of fiber and are low in calories.  It seems as though Mother Nature is screaming at us to store up her wonderful berries so that our bodies will be well supplied when the winter snow flies.

Peaches are in season now and are especially delicious this year.  We can’t keep a supply in this house because their delectable goodness can’t be resisted.  Peaches are filled with fiber, vitamin C and potassium yet they are the perfect fruit for any diet.  Plums and Nectarines are inexpensive yet equally high in all of those marvelous nutrients that will insure health during the winter months.  Of course, watermelon and cantaloupe are at their peak during the summer months.  Cantaloupe is actually the healthiest fruit to eat, so high in vitamin C and vitamin A that it has few rivals. Watermelon, while not as high in vitamins as Cantaloupe, still provides a fair amount of minerals, vitamin C and vitamin A.

This is the time to visit a local farm market in order to obtain the freshest vegetables available at the cheapest price.  Tomatoes have been identified as one of the most important fruits to include in the diet because they are very high in lycopene, a substance that has been identified in helping to prevent a variety of cancers.  Delicious, low in calories and extremely high in vitamin C, vitamin A and minerals, tomatoes are the perfect fruit.

The list of healthy, delicious vegetables and fruits goes on and on.  However, like the ant in the ancient parable, it is important to take advantage of summer’s bounty in order to maintain good health in the winter to come.  Gorging on summer fruits and vegetables will not lead to weight gain – most, if not all of the foods mentioned in this article are very low in calories.  However, the trace elements, vitamins, minerals and antioxidant content of fruits and vegetables are hard to duplicate in winter.  Don’t be like the grasshopper this summer – plan on storing up lots of vitamins and minerals in your body for the winter to come.  You’ll be healthier for it.