Dr. Gabrielle Shaughness from the Institute for Performance and Potential in Georgetown joins us again today with another guest post on nutrition. We want to hear what you think. Are these kinds of dietary changes difficult? What do you do in the summer to stay cool and healthy? Share in the comments below.
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At the end of the day, I always remember one of my favorite quotes from Hippocrates who said: “Let food be thy medicine.” Here are three quick and easy healthy summer food alternatives that will have you feeling great and ready to enjoy the remaining summer days.
1. Try a breakfast smoothie.
The Standard American Diet breakfast consisting of bacon, sausage, ham or eggs topped with butter is loaded with cholesterol, fat, growth hormone and antibiotic residues. This artery-scathing cocktail can promote heart disease, cancer, inflammation, osteoporosis and a slew of other chronic diseases. Instead of downing the surest meal to “dis-ease,”consider starting your day off with a fresh smoothie. In a blender combine berries of your choice – strawberries, blueberries, or acai berries (acai berries contain tons of antioxidants and you can find these berries as frozen pulp at the grocer). Add fresh ginger root, which is anti-inflammatory and throw in 2 tbsp ground flax seeds for fiber, healthy Omega 3 fats and lignans (which help maintain proper hormonal balance). Pour in a little water, and then add a handful of dark leafy greens – the sweetness of the fruits masks the taste of the greens so it really tastes fine (you can add more or less). We now know that as little as 6 grams of green leafies per day, which is equivalent to 3 leafs of spinach is effective in preventing cancer. In another study, researchers took cells in a petri dish and exposed them to known carcinogens, then half of the cells had fresh broccoli juice dropped on them. The results showed that the broccoli bathed cells showed no cancerous mutations, while those cells that were NOT dripped with broccoli did.
Blend it all together and you have a delicious and nutritious breakfast to start your day off right.
2. Stay hydrated with chilled green tea.
Because it’s summer, everyone needs to stay hydrated. After your work-out, instead of drinking a sugary drink that has synthetic additives, try chilled organic green tea which is anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antitoxin. It’s easy to find great sachets now with spices or dried fruits to add flavor to your green tea (try green tea and peach) – just pop the tea bag in your water bottle before you go for your run, and by the time you get back it will have infused the water. Note: It’s actually BETTER if you use cold water instead of pouring boiling hot water over your tea leaves because researchers now think that the hot water may actually destroy some of the delicate catechins, ie tea antioxidants). Ideally, drink 5 to 10 cups of green or white tea per day to get the most disease-fighting protection. I personally drop green tea bags into all my water jugs at home and never drink plain water anymore. As long as I am drinking water, I might as well get added plant protection!
3. Enjoy frozen treats, without all the sugar.
Finally, everyone loves ice cream and cold treats in the summer. But refined sugars and dairy fats wreak havoc on our bodies, so try these healthy alternatives: Frozen grapes make great mini bite-sized popsicles. Or take bananas, peeled and frozen whole — remove from freezer, place in food processor and you have instant banana ice cream, the same consistency as dairy ice cream. You can even add vanilla or cinnamon for extra flavor.
