Summer is the prefect time to take a look at what you are eating and make some simple changes toward developing better eating habits. Especially those of us who live in cold winter climates, many use the layers of clothing required to keep us warm to hide the chub we put on eating all the rich comfort foods of winter while being cooped up inside rather than out being active. Then summer hits and we have to peel off the layers only to note that out favorite summer BBQing shirts don’t quite sit as comfortably across our bellies as they did last summer.
Luckily, with summer comes a renewed hope for a more active, outdoor lifestyle as well as opportunities to easily transform our diets into something our bodies will appreciate.
Fresh Ingredients
One of the best perks of summer when you live through a cold winter is tasting fresh fruits and vegetables again. In the winter, our fruits and veggies are transported from such far reaches of the continent that, by the time they reach our produce sections, all of the flavour has been leeched out of them with preservatives and time. While we are lucky to have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables despite our cold climates, the bottom line is that fresh garden vegetables that are grown locally taste like completely different foods.
If you are so inclined, planting your own garden is a great way to experience fresh vegetables that you have worked hard to grow yourself. Not only is gardening great for your body (you won’t believe how stiff your butt and thighs will be after a couple of days in the garden), you get to taste the fruits of your own labour. Literally.
If you are not inclined to jump into the garden, the best alternative is summer farmer’s markets. Farmer’s markets have been a prevalent part of small town culture forever, but now it is also difficult to find a large city that does not have at least a few farmer’s markets in various neighbourhoods. The differences between the fruit and veggies at your grocery store and that at the farmer’s market are many. First, at farmer’s markets, you buy directly form the producer, so you are not paying for the same transportation or packaging costs that you are at the local store. Also, you are buying locally, which supports the local economy.
In terms of how a farmer’s market can help your health, the farmer’s market is a great place to find and experiment with organic meats, fruits, and vegetables (as well as prepared products like homemade jams and sauces) that you may not find at the local grocery store. Homemade prepared products have less preservatives and are not as processed as the store-bought variety. Organic foods can be more expensive than non-organic, but again, you are buying directly form the producer. For instance, the first time I tried bison meat (which is lower in fat than both beef and pork and higher in protein/per calorie than beef, pork and chicken) was at a farmer’s market, and although there are many local producers where I live, it is very difficult to find in local supermarkets.
Lighter Meals
In the wintertime, warming your kitchen with the heat of the oven and the smell of a big, beautiful roast cooking is very appealing. Not so much in the summer when you are already battling to keep your home cool. This is a great reason to start experimenting with some different cooking and eating strategies. Among the favorites in the summer, is the launch of the BBQ.
If you are going to cook a big piece of meat, BBQing is a fantastic alternative to roasting in the oven. In the oven, you can roast meat for hours and it tenderizes by marinating in its own fat (delicious, perhaps, but healthy it is not!). When you BBQ meat, the fat drips off, leaving you with a much leaner and healthier cut of meat. In lieu of stewing in its own juices, you can experiment with fantastic low-fat marinades with vinegar or no-fat yoghurt as the marinating ingredient. Both of these break down the connective tissues in meat as they marinate, resulting in tender meat with less saturated fat.
Another strategy to keep the house cool and the eating healthy is to cook in large batches and then portion out meals and freeze them. For instance, a hearty chili can be low fat (especially if you substitute ground chicken or bison for ground beef), very high in protein and fibre (beans) and vegetable content (tomatoes, peppers), and easy to freeze for lunches. The best part about freezing portions is that you control portion size. You are much more likely to take an extra scoop or two of chili if the vat is sitting in front of you than if you have to decide to defrost a whole second portion.
Cooking off ingredients such as chicken breasts fish, or pork tenderloin are also great for freezing as you can then defrost and add them to salads that need a little protein kick. Salads are a great summer alternative, and there is no need to scrimp on flavour or heartiness. In the 60s, a salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, tomato, croutons, and thousand island dressing. But it’s now the new millennium and it’s time to redefine your idea of a salad.
First, scrap store-bought dressings, unless you enjoy the often lackluster fat-free, low-cal versions. Look online for low-fat versions that you can make yourself using olive or canola oil as a base as often as possible. Second, and this might be life-altering: lettuce doesn’t have to be the main ingredient in a salad. It is a great ingredient because it is a great source of fibre for almost no calories, but it doesn’t have to be the main one. You can base a salad around any vegetable, berry, grain or even nut you enjoy. Add 6 ounces of low fat meat or fish to make it feel like more of a meal. Fifteen minutes on the Internet will yield you hundreds of recipes that use everything from barley, beans, or wild rice (great forms of fibre) to tomatoes or even veggies you can throw on the grill like peppers, corn, or even romaine lettuce. Finally, drop the store-bought croutons, which are deceptively high in fat. If you want croutons, make your own using diced multi-grain bread, a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder and dried Italian seasoning. Bake those at 350 in the oven for 15 minutes (turning them once) and I guarantee the flavour will be 100% better (and the fat in olive oil is the good kind: high in omega-3 fatty acids).
One waist-line killer in the summer is all of the social drinking. Summer is a great time to pick a low-cal summer drink and stick to it. That can be trying a bunch of new light beers until you find one you like, or a mixed drink that doesn’t require sugary mixes like pop or fruit juice. Club soda or tonic with a splash of juice (such as cranberry or lime) with a flavoured vodka is a good choice. As always, everything in moderation is the best bet. The healthier you strive to be in the summertime, however, the better you will feel. And you might even head back into winter ahead of the game, and with a new taste for good eating.
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