All posts by keegan

August is arguably the pinnacle of summer.  If you have a vegetable garden, things are shooting and crawling all over the place.  If you outsource your farming (as I am very thankful to do) farmers markets are like an exploration in paradise.  When everything is at its peak, just enjoying the pure flavor of a fruit or vegetable alone and in the raw can be divine.

As a naturopathic doctor, I’m always looking at food as medicine.  It turns out many of the colors that make plants so beautiful and many of the compounds that make them so flavorful are also powerful medicines for everything from cardiovascular support to cancer prevention.  For the past few months, I’ve been creating a seasonal guide to fruits and vegetables through the lens of food as medicine.  If you’d like to start at the beginning, you can find my first post here.

Sweet Basil – This delicate green leaf has a distinct flavor and is a staple spice in cuisine from Thailand, India and Turkey.  Research to investigate health promoting compounds and activity is broad for this plant and although not yet well established, basil does show some anti-viral and anti-bacterial activity.  Perhaps most interestingly, sweet basil is traditionally used in by some communities in India as a toothbrush by folding the leaves and rubbing them against the teeth…I suppose if you ever find yourself in a pinch without a toothbrush you can pick up some basil as a substitute!

Mangoes – This fruit is the official fruit of my family.  My husband spent a few years as a child living in Kenya, and along with a long list of other things, brought his deep affection for mangoes home with him.  From a nutrition standpoint, one cup of chopped mango provides an excellent source of vitamins C, beta-carotene (vitamin A) and folate.  From a medicine perspective, the bulk of the research to date is focused on the seed.  Although typically not considered a food, fiber from the mango seed may provide benefit for weight loss.

Eggplant – A beautiful vegetable (which is actually a fruit), eggplant provides a nutritional punch with fiber, magnesium and a range of other vitamins and minerals.  In addition to the nutritional nutrition profile, eggplant contains chlorogenic acid that may help to promote healthy cholesterol levels.

Tomatoes – This post could easily have been dedicated only to tomatoes.  The body of research on lycopene, a carotenoid compound found in tomatoes with antioxidant and anti-proliferative (slows tumor growth) properties, blows all the plants from in this month out of the water.  Most famously, lycopene has been researched for its ability to slow benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer growth.  However, it is also showing promise for a long list of other conditions as well: asthma, atherosclerosis, breast cancer prevention and diabetes type II (just to name a few!).  Another interesting tip about tomatoes and lycopene, is that in contrast to most active compounds founds in plant, lycopene becomes more potent and bioavailable the more it is processed.  So, although you should absolutely bite into a fresh beautiful heirloom this month, a generous squirt of organic ketchup on your next veggie burger isn’t a bad idea either.

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Image by See-ming Lee

I’ve decided that Mother Nature must have a serious sweet tooth.  That’s my only explanation for the ridiculous amount of sweet, luscious fruits in season in July.  If you’re a seasonal veggie lover, I’m sorry to say this month may not be for you (perhaps you can re-live the months of April, May or June).  However, if on the other hand you are a fruit-lover, well then please read on as not a single vegetable has made my list this month, just sweet, beautiful fruit!

As a naturopathic doctor, I’m always thinking about food as medicine.  Here’s my sample guide to what’s in season this month and how each fruit and berry supports the body.

Apricots – A source of vitamin C, beta-carotene and fiber, these sometimes tart little fruits are a nicely packaged dose of antioxidant protection.  To get the most health promoting bang for the buck with apricots, choose fully ripened fruit, when anti-oxidant levels are at their highest.

Figs – Perhaps you’ve been told to eat prunes for fiber?  Well, figs are another, and if I may say so, more beautiful option.  Although they can be eaten year-round in a dried form, a freshly sliced fig makes a beautiful and unique addition to any seasonal fruit or green salad.  If you’re willing to experiment, try making a tea with the leaves of the fig plant.  A study conducted on diabetic subjects found improvement in glycemic (blood sugar) levels by drinking one cup of fig leaf tea a day.

Currants – A berry that has fallen off the map in recent years, this little fruit brings a lot to your bowl of morning oatmeal or smoothie.  With a high level of protein as compared to other berries, currants also have all the vitamins and minerals you’d hope to find – vitamin C, potassium and magnesium.  And don’t forget the added bonus that comes with that beautiful dark purple color; anthocyanins.  This family of compounds provides anti-oxidant protection and has been researched for a variety of benefits from cardio-vascular support to anti-cancer protection.

Peaches – I simply cannot get enough peaches at the moment!  The look and taste of this fruit is summer personified and the fact that peaches not only contain a healthy amount of traditional antioxidants and fiber but some of the more newly discovered anti-oxidant compounds makes eating them even more rewarding.  Compounds (anthocyanins, clorogenic acids, quercetin derivatives, and catechins) found in both the skin and flesh of this fruit have a range of benefits, one of which may be to promote a healthy insulin and inflammatory response in addition to providing cardio-vascular protection.

Watermelon – If you’re heard of the health benefits of lycopene from tomatoes, then you may be interested to know that watermelon is another top source for this compound which has been researched most famously for its ability to support the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer.  Another interesting note about watermelon is that contrary to what you might expect, the densest concentration of nutrients, including lycopene, are found at the outer edges of this fruit, next to and including the white rind.

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Image by vpickering

In the process of writing seasonal guides to food as medicine for the past few months, I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for the bounty of late spring and summer fruits and vegetables.  The colors!  The variety!  The sweet juicy fruits!  The fruits! (Fruit deserves a second call out).  I’m a bit worried that because I started this process in the spring, I’m in for a rude awakening when winter rolls around.  Starchy root vegetables seem so boring at the moment when compared to the vibrant colors I see at my farmers’ market visits these days.

With so much to choose from, this month required less in the way of searching for material and more in simply choosing which beautiful and powerful plants to highlight.   Here’s a sample of what’s in season in June and how each fruit and vegetable supports the body.

Poblano Peppers – In Central and South America, peppers, and in particular, Poblanos have been a traditional element of the diet for thousands of years.  They’ve long been recognized as a significant source of nutrients such as beta-carotene and other vitamins as well as chlorophyll.  Recent research is now investigating how these compounds may be working together to block mutations in the human body, providing an anti-cancer mechanism.

Cherries – One of the highlights from my time living in the Pacific Northwest was the arrival of Bing cherry season.  Although varieties of cherries can be found as far away as Africa, there’s something so amazing about the taste of a sweet, beautiful Bing cherry.  And cherries aren’t just about good taste and looks; research suggests they may have a surprising range of health benefits in the body.  From acting as a medicine for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia to relieving exercise-induced muscle damage to containing a spectrum of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer compounds, cherries bring serious medicine to your slice of cherry pie.

Blackberries – Along with traditionally recognized vitamins and antioxidants such as vitamin C and folic acid, blackberries provide anthocyanins, compounds that not only provide this berry’s beautifully rich color but additional antioxidant and astringent activity.  Compounds found in blackberries may help  tonify tissues and small vessels called capillaries, providing benefit for edematous conditions such as lower extremity swelling and varicose veins.  A 2006 study found that a compound in blackberries may also provide anti-cancer protection.

Pineapple – The next time you chop into a pineapple, consider hanging onto the white, center stem.  Bromelain, a digestive enzyme, is found in highest concentrations in this portion of the fruit and has been shown through research dating all the way back to the 1950s to be an effective treatment for inflammatory conditions such as sinusitis and various forms of arthritis.  Emerging research suggests it may be a useful aid to support treatment of pancreatic insufficiency and advanced cancer.

Kale – This leafy green is just one of six modern vegetables derived from the same wild plant, called colewort.  Collard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower have also been selectively bred from colewort and it’s for this reason that these vegetables have a similar flavor profile and medicinal qualities.  Kale and its siblings contain a wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber and most-famously sulfur-containing compounds that in addition to providing a distinct smell have a growing body of research demonstrating anti-cancer and liver-protecting activities.

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Image by Wildcat Dunny