If you’re eating an avocado for breakfast right now, good for you. The green fruit that, when sliced open so often disappoints and delights us in equal measure, is highly nutritious. But it also likely traveled thousands of miles from the Michoacán region of Mexico before you prodded, squeezed and delicately placed it in your shopping cart.

A bag of four likely needs around 500 gallons of water to grow, roughly ten times more than the average U.S. adult drinks in a year. Almonds are the same. About 80% of the world’s almonds are grown in California, each requiring one gallon of water. Then, many of them are shipped to India, over 8,000 miles away.

Both crops traditionally have seasons but are now available all year round, just like most fruits and vegetables in grocery stores from New Hampshire to New Mexico.

Offering consumers access to produce all year round means there is a greater availability of nutritious options in grocery stores. Unfortunately, growing, packaging, transporting, and consuming food is one of the biggest environmental stressors after energy production and transportation.

“Produce grown in greenhouses or airfreighted from the other side of the world is the most environmentally impactful when it comes to fruits and vegetables,” said Dr. Diego Rose, director of the nutrition program at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. “Changing habits to eat more locally produced food is certainly a good thing. It stimulates the local economy; you have a greater sense of who’s growing your food, which is more likely to be organic, healthy, eco-friendly, and the money spent is recycled into the economy.”

While buying locally is important to regional economies and better for the environment, Dr. Rose said it’s not always about where food comes from but what you choose to eat.

“You could reduce your carbon footprint a whole lot more by shifting from beef to chicken,” he added. “There’s been a number of studies that have shown that in Denmark, the UK and the U.S. the food miles concept is important but not as important as which foods you choose to eat.”

For example, if every American swapped a portion of beef for chicken once per day, greenhouse gas emissions would fall by 48%, and water use would drop by 30%.

Most fruits and vegetables grown out of season are harvested early to ripen in transit rather than on the plant. That means they spend less time absorbing nutrients and reaching peak flavor. So it may make more sense to eat produce grown in season instead of something transported thousands of miles that hasn’t peaked.

Foods like broccoli, garlic, kiwi, and mushrooms are at their peak freshness and nutritional value in spring. In the summer, it’s time to eat berries, bell peppers, melon, and tomatoes.

Using the Seasonal Food Guide, an online tool that can help consumers eat local, seasonally grown food, here’s what you could eat this Spring, depending on your region.

1. Northern Region (Cold Climate)

Vegetables and fruits: Kale, spinach, swiss chard, radishes, early peas, and rhubarb.

Meats and seafood: Lamb is traditionally associated with spring and is a good source of high-quality protein, vitamin B12, and minerals such as iron and zinc.

2. Eastern Region (Temperate Climate)

Vegetables and fruits: Asparagus, artichokes, spring onions, strawberries, and cherries.

Meats and seafood: Spring also marks the beginning of the fishing season for certain species, like trout in freshwater systems, offering omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins D and B12, and selenium.

3. Southern Region (Warm Climate)

Vegetables and fruits: Leafy greens, snap peas, carrots, apricots, peaches, and plums.

Meats and seafood: Shrimp and crab might be more abundant in coastal areas during spring, providing high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and essential minerals like zinc and selenium.

4. Western Region (Diverse Climate)

Vegetables and fruits: Broccoli, cauliflower, beets, avocados, and kiwifruit.

Meats and seafood: Free-range chicken and turkey are more sustainable options in many areas. They offer lean protein, niacin, and selenium. Wild salmon season begins in late spring in some western coastal areas, providing omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.

5. Central Region (Heartland)

Vegetables and fruits: Lettuces, radishes, green beans, rhubarb, and strawberries.

Meats and seafood: Pork and beef from local farms, particularly those practicing sustainable farming methods. These meats are sources of high-quality protein, iron, and B vitamins.

6. Coastal Region (Maritime Climate)

Vegetables and fruits: Spinach, fennel, leeks, strawberries, and early raspberries.

Meats and seafood: Mussels and clams, sustainable seafood options often harvested in spring, offer protein and omega-3 fatty acids and are rich in minerals like iron and manganese.