Make the Most of Summer Foods
Before the sun goes down on the hot days of summer, be sure to soak up all the warm-weather foods you can.
During the summer, you have a lot of things to do. You’ve got to stay well hydrated, soak up some sun to get all that precious vitamin D, build a few sandcastles, and catch some waves. However, if you don’t take advantage of the many great foods that grow in abundance during the warmer months, you’re missing out.
What should you know about summer foods, and how can you incorporate them into your diet with greater ease? You’re about to find out.
What to Know
Before you’ll go off and buy all sorts of summer foods, you may need some convincing. So why should you take advantage of the foods that are so prevalent during the warmest days of summer? Try out these reasons to see how they taste.
They’re Colorful: Nothing says summer like bright, fun colors! With that in mind, this is the time to add some spunk and beauty to your diet without having to add food coloring.
They’re Healthy: In addition to being full of wonderful color, the fruits and vegetables that grow in such great abundance during the summer are also incredibly healthy. In fact, if you want to boost your diet’s health rating, look for a wide variety of colors, and as mentioned above, there are never more colorful foods available than in the summer!
They’re Cheaper: Sure, you can get oranges and tomatoes during any time of the year. However, those same foods are much cheaper when they’re in season, as there is a much greater abundance of the foods to be sold. And in case you haven’t noticed, they’re also much tastier when in season.
How to Incorporate
More than likely, you’re incorporating summer foods into your diet without needing any assistance. But you can always add a few more fresh summer fruits and veggies into your favorite meals. From breakfast to lunch to dinner and beyond, you can add some fresh summer foods easily.
In the morning, grab your favorite fruit and toss it on top of your cereal. Good choices are blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. Then eat a fresh tomato and cucumber sandwich for lunch, with a slice of cantaloupe on the side. When dinner rolls around, grill some chicken and toss it in a salad made with fresh lettuce, carrots, tangerine slices, and more. Put it on the table next to a fresh glass of homemade lemonade and enjoy!
The Color Wheel of Health
Trying to figure out which fruits and vegetables you should add to your diet? Use this color chart to have a better handle on what you should eat for improved health in specific areas.
Orange foods, as well as yellow foods, are jam-packed with lycopene, vitamin C, flavonoids, beta-carotene, and potassium. These are helpful in countless ways, including lowering your cholesterol levels.
Blue and purple foods contain vitamin C, fiber, and flavonoids, and these foods improve your immunity and retinal health, while helping your body make the most of other vitamins and minerals you consume.
Red foods are filled with lycopene and more nutrients that help keep your blood pressure at healthy levels, prevent prostate cancer, and potentially improve arthritis symptoms.
Green foods have fiber, folate, calcium, and beta-carotene, helping you chop down your bad cholesterol and blood pressure, improve your digestive health, give your immune system a boost, and fend off various cancers.
White foods, though often considered the bottom of the food chain, can have a substantial effect on your good health. With a variety of nutrients, white fruits and vegetables reduce your risk for a variety of cancers and increase your immunity to illnesses and diseases.
