What’s in season for July?

Drum roll please! The top two July in-season foods you should be eating are Cherries and Lettuce!

Why Lettuce?

I know lettuce sounds quite boring but with all the benefits you need to incorporate it into your meal plan! Particularly in this hot weather, having crisp, cold lettuce is perfect to help cool you down and add some antioxidants to your dish. Lettuce can be cooked in so many ways, so you won’t get bored of it. You can eat it raw in a salad or sandwich, braise it, marinade and grill it or even pan-fry it.

For those whose aim is to lose weight, lettuce is a great healthy and hydrating addition to your balanced diet as it is extremely low in calories but packed with water. Did you know lettuce contains omega-3 which helps to promote vision health? Collagen production is the first step in bone formation and vitamins K, A and C are needed for this. Luckily lettuce is rich in all three of these vitamins.

Why Cherries?

Apart from the fact that cherries are delicious, they are also full of antioxidants and we need antioxidants because they help to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. How do these antioxidants do this? Antioxidants are nutrients which support preventing or slowing down oxidative damage. Cherries are also a great source of vitamin C, fibre and studies have shown that they can improve brain function. If you’re a very active person then cherries are the perfect post-workout snack thanks to their powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties. They can help to reduce muscle damage and that horribly, painful stiff muscle pain you dread after a gym session.