The seasonality of foods - Sergio Maria Francardo, Enrico Mariani

Today we have the possibility of correctly managing our nutrition, also in terms of quantity and quality, thanks to the knowledge acquired from medical research.

In recent decades, however, we have lost sight of the relationship between various plant foods and their seasonal cycle , especially due to the growing use of forced cultivation and preservation techniques which make them available on the shopping counters all year round.

In the past, when the moment of sowing was chosen by observing the arrangement of the stars in the cosmos, the link between the life of plants in a season and the condition of man in that same period was still recognised.

This relationship manifests itself when in winter nature gives us oranges and grapefruits, rich in vitamin C, to counteract the ailments and dangers of the cold season, or when in summer it offers us melons, which promote the dispersion of body heat .

But in general all fruits, even the less "noble" and palatable ones, have important nutritional qualities if consumed during their natural ripening cycle.

Even today, despite the climatic alterations due to pollution, nature continues to rhythmically offer us its fruits: the most precious treasures for our health.