Summer Eats that Beat the Heat

Now that we have some nice weather it's a good time to talk about healthy drinks and eats for hot summer months.

We've all heard about the eight or more glasses of fluid a day. Drinking adequate fluids is especially important during the summer months as people tend to be more active (and heat and activity causes us to sweat). It's my experience that many people don't drink enough fluids, and in addition to this frequently confuse hunger for thirst. Hands down the best thirst quencher is water. That being said, drinking plain water every day can get a little boring for some. If you happen to be one of these people a suggestion would be to try adding some flavor boosters to chilled water like sliced citrus wedges (e.g. lemon, lime or oranges) or a splash of 100% fruit juice. Fresh mint, basil, lemon grass or ginger can also give water a refreshing taste. For some variety on water, try a healthy twist on commercial sugar laden ice tea. Brew your own favorite herbal iced tea using a 50:50 ratio of first boiled and then cold water. Don't be afraid to try something new. Companies like Tetley, and Lipton have some interesting flavors like Lychee Pear Green Tea, or Mango Passion Fruit Acai. Homemade beverages are great because they give you the option to control ingredients and portion size, and help to save a little money. More good news is making your own tea guarantees freshness and allows for more dietary antioxidants – the recyclers of garbage in our bodies and fighters of chronic disease.

As with drinks to consume more often, there are also those to consume less frequently also. The ones I am referring to are pops, commercial lemonades and ice teas, energy drinks, milkshakes, blended coffee drinks and alcohol. These drinks are frequently calorie laden, and in the case of energy drinks can have high amounts of caffeine. A note on sports drinks- for those who like to consume drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade, the consensus is generally these aren't necessary unless you are partaking in a continuous exercise of about an hour or longer.

We've looked a little at the better popular summer drinks, but what about the summer eats? Generally speaking, sherbet or sorbet instead of ice cream or gelato is a better choice. Made with fruit, water, some sugar and occasionally low-fat milk (for sherbet), these choices usually have less fat than ice cream. When it comes to frozen yogurt this is similar to ice cream and gelato, but tends to be made with yogurt instead of cream, and therefore tends to be lower in fat than regular ice cream. Keep in mind some of these frozen treats can be made with a lot of sugar (especially if something seems to good to be true, e.g. an ice cream that is stating it is low fat or reduced in fat). It's always a good rule of thumb to read the label.

It can be tempting to stock up at the freezer section of the grocery store for a cool treat, however making your own eats is a great way to bring variety to your diet and most certainly eat better. To make your own popsicles, try pouring 100% fruit juice or pureed fruit and water into an ice cube or popsicle tray and add sticks. After a few hours in the freezer, this can be a cool, refreshing treat. For homemade frozen yogurt, try combining equal amounts of plain or vanilla yogurt with frozen fruit in a blender or food processor. Place the blended mixture in the freezer until it hardens. Frozen fruit can also be made fun by adding a popsicle stick to strawberries, bananas, or another favorite fruit. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for one hour. Before frozen, fruit can also be drizzled with yogurt or dark chocolate and sprinkled with chopped nuts to add some pizazz.

As seen in The Telegram July 11, 2011