Fruit & Veggie Seasons

Once a year, I go on a raw foods detox.  It all started when I started getting really sick to my stomach during my races.  I couldn't figure it out.  I ended up going to all kinds of doctors and had all kinds of test run and then more tests to clear up false diagnoses...long story short no one could figure it out.  While working with my nutritionist, she recommended I do a raw food detox.  That year I was able to convince 6 of my close friends do the detox with me...this year it is down to 2 counting Raymond.  It wasn't easy, but we all felt better by the end, we slept better, woke more rested, had more energy throughout the day, and were a bit lighter.  Most of all it was a huge statement to bad we eat on a regular basis...even when trying to be good.  That racing year my stomach problems were kept more at bay, which I contribute to this detox and my new nutrition that my then coach, now husband, came up with.

The trickiest part of this detox is timing.  The detox consists of two protein shakes a day and then all the raw fruits and veggies you want for the rest of the day.  The problem is, I usually do the detox in the beginning of the year, right before I up my training for the season.  The problem with the beginning of the year always seems to be finding fruits and vegetables in season.  This year I did research and found several tables and combined them to figure out what months were best for which foods.  The tables have proved to be handy for me, so I thought I would post them.  The dark blue indicates high season for that fruit or vegetable. Seasons may vary some depending on where you live. 

Fruits:

Vegetables:

Currently I am on day 5 of the detox and feel like I have passed the hump.  It gets easier every time.  The first couple of days as your body adjusts to eating real food and no processed or sugary foods you may experience fatigue and headaches (I always do), but after you pass the hump, you really start feeling the benefits of eating the raw foods.  The biggest challenge with this is time and variety.  You want to do the detox when you aren't busy with other things.  It's no fun to go to dinner with friends and watch them eat good food, believe me, I've done it before.  The other biggest challenge to me is coming up with good food combinations when nothing can be seasoned or cooked.  Every year I have done this (on year 3 now) I have come up with a new combination that I like that gets me through the detox.  If you're interested in doing a raw foods detox and want more information, just let me know.  I hope you find these season tables useful.