Fresh Seasonal Vegetables at Home

Fresh vegetables are one of the fundamental and essential elements of a healthy and balanced diet, as they provide necessary vitamins. It is now clear that we cannot do without consuming some vegetables every day, so why not enjoy products of incredible and certified quality, like those selected by us at Spaghetti e Mandolino? Trust us, try it, and we won’t disappoint you!

Why choose fresh seasonal vegetables

There are many reasons to choose fresh seasonal vegetables, and they are important for our well-being, for our wallets, and also for the health of the planet.
The first advantage, material but not to be overlooked, is that seasonal products cost less, and since vegetables can sometimes be expensive, this is an aspect not to be underestimated. The reason for this saving is that off-season vegetables require greenhouses and a lot of energy to grow and ripen, which significantly increases production costs, which are then reflected in the product price. But the benefits are not only economic: fresh seasonal vegetables, grown following their natural life cycle with fresh air and sunshine, are richer in nutrients and active ingredients, and are more suitable, in terms of taste and calorie intake, for the season in which they naturally grow. Additionally, seasonal vegetables taste better! Ripening in the sun, in the right conditions for each vegetable, allows the product to be enriched with all the nutrients that give it character and fragrance, as the plant develops optimally.
Also, you might not know that plants grown out of season are weaker, so a larger amount of pesticides is needed to protect them, which is not good for our bodies or the planet. But the real harm to the latter comes from the environmental cost of certain products, like peppers and zucchini, which require large greenhouses heated and lit to make them available in winter, consuming lots of energy. This energy often comes from non-renewable and polluting sources, to which are added pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, often derived from petroleum. For all these reasons, eating fresh seasonal vegetables improves your well-being and the environment.

Fresh vegetables: better cooked or raw?

Fresh vegetables, whether cooked or raw, are undoubtedly rich in nutrients. To decide how to prepare your favorite vegetables, you need to pay attention to the cooking method and the type of vegetable you're preparing. For example, while oven or grilled cooking can be very tasty, it does not retain all the properties of the food, unlike quick steaming. In fact, steaming, by breaking down cellulose fibers, makes certain vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant more digestible, though they shouldn’t be cooked too long to preserve their nutritional properties. Another category of vegetables best eaten cooked are those that contain carotenoids and vitamin A, such as carrots, pumpkin, and peppers.
To be eaten strictly raw, on the other hand, are the various types of lettuce, arugula, celery, cucumbers, and fennel, to preserve their vitamin C content and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. Finally, certain vegetables, already digestible when raw and not harmed by quick cooking, can be eaten both ways. This is the case with zucchini, asparagus, spinach, fennel, chicory, tomatoes, and even broccoli.

Fresh vegetables: nutritional values and properties

Fresh vegetables, excluding seeds and tubers, generally have similar nutritional characteristics that are beneficial to our bodies. In detail, all vegetables share analogous organoleptic characteristics.
Firstly, vegetables are very rich in water, containing up to 95% liquid. Thanks to this feature, they help with body hydration and improve the functioning of the body.
Fresh vegetables are also very rich in fiber, which has a positive effect on intestinal function, helps cleanse the intestine, and contributes to the maintenance of physiological bacterial flora, while also modulating nutrient absorption. As you probably already know, fresh vegetables are also very rich in vitamins, especially vitamins A, C, E, K, and folic acid. Minerals are also abundant, particularly potassium, magnesium, zinc, and selenium, as well as sometimes iron and calcium, though the latter can be harder to absorb.
Finally, vegetables contain other elements that, although not essential for the body, are extremely healthy, such as phytosterols, lecithins, and phenolic substances, which help maintain low cholesterol levels and combat oxidative stress.

In short, fresh vegetables are good for you, and ours are certainly the best! Check out our products and choose the one you like the most – we guarantee the quality.