Summer is a great time to focus on healthy, tasty food. So, here’s a ‘how to’ on boosting the nutrition quality of what you choose this season.
With each new season come opportunities to eat well. Summer is in the spotlight here as an example of a time for identifying favorite foods and then raising the bar on their nutrition quality. Better nutrition may involve re-making a recipe by substituting healthier ingredients. Or, re-making the sides for a meal can have a positive impact on its nutrition quality, too.
Summer Favorites … Made into Healthier Meals with a Nutrition Boost
- Grilled Hotdog with ketchup and mustard. Eat it on a whole wheat bun, load it with veggies like onions, peppers, avocado, and/or salsa; and pair it up with lightly dressed coleslaw, corn-on-the-cob, and watermelon on your plate. Your benefits include fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and a sweet dessert without added sugar.
- Grilled Hamburger with ketchup and mustard. Eat it on a whole wheat tortilla; load it up with tomatoes, cucumber slices, and dark green lettuce; and pair it up with 3-bean salad, baked chips, and a mix of strawberries and blueberries on your plate. Your benefits include fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and a sweet dessert without added sugar.
- Grilled Chicken. Pair it up with baked sweet potato fries, sliced fresh tomatoes and cucumbers with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pinch of salt and oregano, and grilled fresh peaches sprinkled with cinnamon on your plate. Your benefits include fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and a sweet dessert without added sugar.
Here are a few earlier blogs about summer foods:
- How to cook a healthy summer meal on the grill
- Cool foods make summer better and 5 options to try
- 3 Easy ways to add Mediterranean nutrition to your summer
Summer Favorites … Made with Healthier Ingredients and a Flavor Boost
- Iced Tea or Lemonade. It’s very easy to use a tea bag for iced tea or squeezed fresh lemon juice for homemade lemonade. Add the sugar ingredient little by little and taste. Then, make an effort to add less sugar. To boost the flavor, add some fresh herbs like mint and/or basil.
- Potato Salad. It’s very satisfying to substitute light mayo for regular and then add colorful, chopped veggies and a dash of hot sauce to boost the flavor. Or, substitute extra virgin olive oil for the mayo and add lots of chopped fresh parsley and dill to boost the flavor.
- Macaroni Salad. The same substitutions as potato salad will work well.
- Onion Dip & Chips. It’s very tasty to substitute hummus for the dip and baby carrots, cucumber slices, and one-bite tomatoes for the chips. There’s a true boost of flavor, too.
- Ice Cream Sundae. It’s delicious to feature summer berries, melons, peaches, plums, and figs to fill your bowl and then add a topping of vanilla ice cream. Or, you can get fancy and make a summer fruit parfait with a topping of vanilla ice cream.
Here’s an earlier blog about a fun summer dessert:
Summer Favorites Can Get You Excited about Better Nutrition
Learning more about quality nutrition and how to add it to your life is a powerful feeling. Be patient and be bold when you take the first step forward with your summer favorites. Making a positive change usually happens in baby steps, not giant steps, and this is why patience plays such an important role. Also, making a firm decision to work on your nutrition habits takes courage, and this is why being bold is essential. To get you started and on the road to more nutrition confidence, here’s a free Meals & Recipes booklet to download. Remember: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!