As July arrives, it's an opportune moment to reassess and enhance your dietary habits. Summer provides a favorable environment for adopting healthier eating practices. This article provides useful tips to help you make the most of the season and enjoy a nutritious and delicious summer.
Embrace Seasonal Produce
Vegetables and fruits are essential components of a healthy diet, especially during the summer. Incorporate a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables into your meals to maximize your intake of essential nutrients.
The Power of Fruits and Vegetables
Make vegetables your go-to food, and don't forget whole fruits. For variety, think color! The more, the better. Summer fruits make a tasty side dish and a great dessert. Pineapple, peaches, plums, and even watermelon are delicious grilled. Berries, melon, kiwi, mango, grapes, and dragon fruit are beautiful and naturally sweet, perfect for a fruit salad or threaded onto skewers. A squeeze of citrus before grilling boosts flavor and helps maintain color.
In addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber to promote good health, fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water, so they help keep you hydrated and cool in hot weather. Other plant foods, like whole grains and beans, are also excellent, nutritious choices.
Variety is Key
If you typically like buying just a few types of fruits and vegetables, that's fine. Keep it up! But you can make eating new varieties fun by trying your local farmer's market, CSA, weekly specials, or buying what's in season. This provides a variety of healthful nutrients and also helps you keep within your budget.
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Creative Ways to Incorporate Produce
- Salads: Toss together a colorful salad with a variety of vegetables.
- Kebabs: Skewer up veggie kebabs with cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, summer squash, zucchini, and red onion. Brush lightly with olive oil, grill, then serve directly or drizzle with a simple vinaigrette or splash of tangy balsamic vinegar.
- Grilled Fruits: Grill pineapple, peaches, plums, or watermelon for a delicious and healthy dessert.
- Fruit Salads: Combine berries, melon, kiwi, mango, grapes, and dragon fruit for a refreshing fruit salad.
- Bean Salads: Toss rinsed canned beans with your favorite vinaigrette and some diced veggies for a quick and easy salad.
- Grain Bowls: Toss cooked and cooled whole grains with blueberries or dried cranberries, a handful of baby greens, walnut pieces, and some crumbled feta or cotija cheese for a special side dish (add some vinaigrette as desired).
Prioritize Lean Protein
Include lean protein sources in your diet, such as heart-healthy omega-3 rich seafood, poultry, and eggs. Don't forget plant-based proteins like legumes, beans, and nuts.
Healthy Fats
Nuts and seeds are a great way to include healthy fats in your plan. Add canned or foil-packaged salmon or tuna to your salad or crackers. Replace unhealthy saturated fats (fatty red meats, cheese, butter, and whole milk dairy products) and avoid trans fats (foods with "partially hydrogenated oils," found in some margarines and many processed foods). Replace these with healthy fats - oils, nuts, nut butters, avocado, and fatty fish.
Limit Added Sugars
Be mindful of added sugars in your diet, particularly in sugar-sweetened beverages and snacks.
Natural vs. Added Sugars
Eating natural sugars, such as those found in fruit, starchy vegetables, and milk, are part of a healthy plate. The added sugars are the ones to watch. Sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, flavored coffee drinks, sweetened teas, and sport and energy drinks are usually loaded with added sugar. If you drink any of these beverages try to limit to no more than 1 per day. After you meet that goal - aim for reducing further to 3 times a week and then once a week.
Mindful Indulgences
What is your favorite sweet? Cake, pie, cookies, candy?? Try to limit to 1 or 2 servings a few times a week. Buy the best you can and savor the indulgence - make it special.
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Stay Hydrated
Rising temperatures increase the body’s need for fluids, which play a key role in helping the body function properly. Drinking water is the best way to hydrate, especially for long or all-day outings.
How Much Water?
How much water a person needs depends on a variety of factors (including their size, activity level, and environment). Most people do fine if they drink when they’re thirsty. (Note that, as we age, we don’t always register thirst in hot weather as quickly as we did when we were younger, especially after some physical activity. It is a good idea to intentionally drink some water on hot days.)
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, women should drink about 11.5 cups of water per day, and men should drink 15.5 on average. However, much of the food we eat contains water, too, so people receive about 20% of their daily water intake through eating. So really, women typically require 9 cups/day and men, 13. Individuals with health conditions or pregnant women may require different levels of fluid intake throughout the day. Speak with your healthcare provider or a dietician at Schneck Nutrition Services to discuss your specific needs.
General rule of thumb: The best way to determine if you are drinking enough water is to check the color of your urine. If it’s a pale yellow, then you’re hydrated. If it’s dark yellow, that’s a signal that you need to drink more water.
Creative Hydration
Have plenty of appealing options on hand at your get-together. Spruce up water (flat, sparkling, or mineral) with a splash of fruit juice or slices of fresh or frozen fruits (like berries, citrus, and cucumber) and/or fresh herbs (like mint, basil, and lavender). There are also lots of canned and bottled seltzers and sparkling or mineral waters available, both plain and flavored, just watch out for added sugars. Unsweetened coffee and tea are good options as well and can be served over ice.
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Have several easily accessible and well-stocked beverage stations or coolers to keep the fluids flowing. During a long day outdoors, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on active kids who may be having too much fun to stop for a water break.
Water-Rich Foods
Fruits and vegetables that hold a lot of water are also helpful for staying hydrated in the summer. Fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries are great options. Vegetables like cucumber and celery are also great for hydration.
Rethink Summer Celebrations
Summer is a perfect time for outdoor celebrations. Grilled burgers, hotdogs, chips, and an array of desserts are usual cookout fare, but there are other options. This summer, serve a diverse variety of healthy, seasonal foods that are just as celebratory and delicious but also will allow you to maintain a healthy dietary pattern.
Plant-Based Alternatives
There are many crowd-pleasing plant-based alternatives to burgers and hot dogs. Portabella mushrooms, eggplant, breadfruit, and extra firm tofu have a “meaty” texture. Prepare them with your favorite marinades or plant oil and seasonings, cut them to thread onto skewers or slice them into patties, grill, and as is or in buns with toppings, hamburger style.
Don’t be tempted by ultraprocessed meat alternatives like plant-based burger replacements. While these are an improvement over beef in terms of environmental impact, they are ultraprocessed foods, and some may not be any healthier than meat.
Balanced Cookouts
If you don’t want to take meat off the menu entirely, consider offering options like grilled chicken, seafood, turkey or salmon burgers, and veggie burgers made with whole ingredients like whole grains, legumes, nuts, and mushrooms and include an array of sides featuring vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fruits.
Practice Food Safety
Outdoor cooking, food preparation, serving, and storage increase the risk of foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning. Lower risk with a few preventative food safety practices.
Safe Transportation
If you’re picnicking, prepare as much of the food as possible at home and keep it cold or frozen until just before leaving. Pack into a cooler with adequate ice packs or ice. If possible, pack several coolers to keep beverages, produce, and any raw meats separate. Packing the cooler tightly helps food stay cold longer. Try freezing nearly full water bottles (leaving about an inch of empty space at the top). They will act as temporary ice packs and eventually a cool source of fluid! Store coolers in a shady space (not in the car), covered with a blanket to keep the inside temperature below 40 degrees. Open the cooler as infrequently as possible.
Temperature Control
Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Except for whole fruits and vegetables, foods between 40 and 140 degrees can become a breeding ground for bacteria. Discard food that has been in this “danger zone” for more than two hours. When grilling, use a meat thermometer to be sure meats are cooked to safe temperatures (beef, pork, and fish: 145 degrees; ground meat: 165 degrees; chicken and turkey: 165 degrees). Have water, soap, towels, and sanitizer on hand to keep clean.
Healthy Grilling
First and foremost, make sure your grill is clean. Char can build up after multiple uses which can transfer to your food. You can remove the grill grates and get them wet, then scatter baking soda on them and leave them to soak for 10 minutes. Then, grab a moist scourer sponge and scrub off the build-up, following it up by wiping excess char off the grates with a paper towel and rinsing them off.
Cooking meats at a high temperature on a grill will create heterocyclic amines, a cancer-causing chemical compound. The excess fat that comes from these meats can drip down onto the grill, creating smoke that has polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, another cancer-causing chemical compound. To prevent these compounds from forming excessively, cook your meat at a lower temperature. It will take longer to cook all the way through, but it’s a safer choice.
Lastly, use separate dishes for raw and cooked meat to avoid cross-contamination.
Seek Professional Guidance
Yes, there are a myriad of weight-loss options out there, from programmatic offerings like Weight Watchers to injectable medications such as GLPs (e.g., Wegovy, Ozempic). So, where to begin? Start with your primary care practitioner, who can advise you on the diet that makes the most sense for you. Your provider will likely suggest one or more of the most popular and effective diets recommended by experts. You can also do your own research on what sounds best for you, as these diets are only a click away via Internet search.
Registered Dietitian Tracy Dennis said, "Before heading out, prepare as much of the food as possible at home and keep it cold or frozen until just before leaving. Make smart choices - When packing for picnics or cookouts, choose foods that won't wilt, melt or spoil easily in the heat. They can provide a personalized nutrition assessment, prepare a custom nutrition plan and offer ongoing support. HSHS Medical Group Nutrition and Dietetics accepts referrals from medical providers or self-referrals are also welcome.
Find support for safe, smart eating with Schneck Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine. Our registered dieticians have extensive knowledge and experience working with nutrition and developing meal plans for specialized diets. We’re ready to help you have the healthiest summer yet! Ready to get started?
Popular Diet Options
- The Mediterranean Diet: Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, with fish and poultry eaten far more frequently than red meat. It recommends avoiding processed foods, cheese, and anything fried.
- The DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension): Focuses on reducing sodium intake while emphasizing fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.
- The Flexitarian Diet: A semi-vegetarian approach to nutrition that promotes a plant-based diet with only occasional meat or poultry.
Each of these diets is considered healthy, balanced, and adaptable to individual preferences and needs. These diets can go a long way in helping you discover your beach physique. According to recent studies, both diets are associated with a reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Try one of these diets on for (less) size. Try them all.
General Healthy Eating Tips
It’s summer, and the warmer weather tends to influence people’s dining habits by eating out and attending celebrations and events more frequently.
- Healthy eating does not imply cutting out all of your favorite foods, but it doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want.
- Whether you are attending a graduation party or eating at the cabin, make a healthy plate. Balance your plate with fruits, vegetables, protein and whole grains.
- Be sure to read the nutrition facts label on food packages, or read the nutritional information on the menu carefully, noting how many total calories are in your serving. On average, one meal should range between 500-700 calories for a healthy adult.
- Even when you are dining out, remember the plate guidelines noted above. While french fries technically may be a vegetable, they aren’t considered to be healthy.
- When grilling, choose lean, unprocessed meats. And, when cooking, choose unsaturated fats and use less sodium.
- Plenty of diets promise results that sound too good to be true - and they probably are.
- Those morning pastries, afternoon cookies and evening desserts add up. Choose fruit, low-fat yogurt, whole-grain items, or veggies and dip when looking for a snack.