LeeAnn Neal
For many people, summer dining equals ice cream, high-fat
barbecues and beer.
However, with all the delicious,
nutritious food options available during the season, there’s no
reason you can’t savor each snack and meal and nourish yourself at
the same time.
In most locales, summer brings an abundance of
fresh fruits and vegetables, all of which offer plenty of
antioxidants and phytonutrients to help you ward off high blood
pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
Look for apricots,
cantaloupe, melons, plums, nectarines, grapes, figs, cherries and a
host of berries. Mangoes are another summer fruit that are as healthy
as they are palatable. One cup of sliced mango provides roughly 25
percent of the recommended daily vitamin A intake and about 75
percent of your daily vitamin C allowance.
Summer vegetables
include arugula, cucumbers, hot peppers, shallots and a number of
mushroom varieties. Avocados are a particularly decadent summer
treat. Not only do they pair well with salads, burgers and
sandwiches, avocados are high in fiber, potassium, vitamins C, B5 and
B6 and antioxidants. Although the average avocado contains 15 grams
of unsaturated fat, it is monounsaturated fat, which improves
cholesterol levels, helps control blood sugar and lowers the risk of
heart disease.
To incorporate more vegetables into your
summer fare, add them to the barbecue grill. Shish kabobs are an easy
way to combine vegetables and meat for a summer meal.
Simple
fruit salads made without sugar are a convenient and tasty way to
encourage more fruit consumption.
Meanwhile, when you think
of the quintessential summer beverage, you might picture iced tea.
Make your own using green tea to create a healthy alternative.
Brimming with antioxidants, green tea is good for keeping many health
conditions at bay. If you like your iced tea sweet, add stevia, a
natural sweetener, which aids in stabilizing blood sugar and lowering
high blood pressure as well as treating heartburn.
To make
iced green tea, combine refrigerated strongly brewed green tea with
mint sprigs in a pitcher. Serve over ice.
If you are tempted
to eat ice cream, consider making a healthy smoothie instead. You can
use low-fat yogurt, almond or coconut milk and fresh fruit to make a
fairly simple, yet satisfying smoothie. Or you can make a more
elaborate concoction by adding ingredients such as cacao powder,
fresh ginger or vanilla extract. Make your smoothies by adding the
ingredients of your choice, along with crushed ice, to a blender.
Whatever you choose to eat this summer, remember it is the
season when tantalizing taste and healthy living converge.
