In winter, people can eat summer fruits like watermelons and strawberries, though the prices are higher. Gan Ling, a nutritionist from Blue Ocean Intelligence (Beijing) Management Consulting Co., Ltd., suggests that it's best for people to eat the cheapest seasonal fruits in winter. This is because off-season fruits not only have low nutritional value but are also expensive, making them unsuitable for regular consumption.
"The value of off-season fruits compared to seasonal ones lies in the novelty of eating them, not in their nutrition," Gan Ling said. Those colorful and alluring off-season fruits are often grown in greenhouses, and their exposure to sunlight, wind, and soil conditions differ from those of seasonal fruits. Therefore, the most nutritious fruits are the cheapest varieties, and the cheapest fruits are often the seasonal ones.
Gan Ling advises buying only as much fruit as you plan to eat, as each fruit has its optimal storage temperature and shelf life. The longer fruit is stored, the more its nutritional value and flavor deteriorate. Most fruits should be stored in the refrigerator without being washed first to prevent spoilage and should be consumed within a week. However, fruits like bananas, pineapples, mangoes, papayas, and lemons should be stored in a cool, dark spot indoors and not refrigerated for extended periods.
Additionally, some dishonest vendors use chemical agents to ripen off-season fruits, which can harm human health. Gan Ling has listed the following dangerous off-season fruits. 1. Grapes
Some dishonest vendors and farmers use a ripening agent—ethephon. Users dilute ethephon with water, immerse unripe green grapes in the solution, and within a day or two, the green grapes turn purple. Although this chemical has low toxicity, long-term consumption is harmful to human health. 2. Bananas
To make banana peels turn a tender yellow, some dishonest vendors use sulfur dioxide for ripening, but the flesh remains hard and not sweet at all. Sulfur dioxide and its derivatives are not only harmful to the human respiratory system but can also cause damage to the brain, liver, spleen, and kidneys, and even affect the reproductive system. 3. Watermelons
The excessive use of ripening agents, expanders, and highly toxic pesticides can make watermelons toxic. Such watermelons have uneven stripes on their rind, exceptionally bright-red flesh, but white seeds, and leave a strange taste in the mouth after eating. 4. Strawberries
Large, misshapen strawberries with hollow centers are often caused by excessive hormones. After using ripening agents or other hormonal chemicals, strawberries have a shorter growth period, brighter color, but a milder flavor. Such strawberries should be consumed with caution. Eating too many can affect normal human development, such as causing premature development in children.