Posted July 9, 2011
When it’s 100 degrees outside, there is no worse feeling than eating a heavy meal.
On a hot, bright, blue-skied summer day, light and easy meals are a must. Nothing can compete with a lush watermelon or the sweetness of a fresh ear of roasted corn on the cob.
“To me, summer is the perfect time to take advantage of several easy items to have in your diet for better health, like fresh fruits and vegetables,” said registered dietitian Phil Arnold, the food and nutrition director at the University Medical Center of El Paso.
“It’s the time of year where those things are more plentiful. You’ve got melons, you’ve got the corn on the cob and all these different things that are coming out nice and fresh and beautiful-looking, and you can
incorporate more of those into your diet.”
To make it even easier, Arnold suggests preparing fruits and vegetables beforehand.
“What I do on the weekend is I’ll get the cutting board and prep a bunch of different vegetables all at the same time,” he said. “I’ll get my cauliflower, my broccoli, my carrot sticks, my celery sticks, maybe chop up some squash, and seal them in Ziploc bags or Tupperware.”
He sometimes eats raw vegetables with low-fat or reduced-calorie dressing or light cream cheese.
“My favorite is taking my raw vegetables, add hummus, and put it in a whole-wheat tortilla,” he said. “It’s a nice and healthy, high-fiber, high-nutritional snack.”
Grilling outdoors is a good way to avoid heating up the kitchen, and it turns
out grilling is healthful, too.
“The grill is fantastic because you’re able to get the fat to drip off the meat,” Arnold said. “Traditionally many of the items you put on the grill — for example, chicken — are going to be lower-fat meat items anyway.”
To cut down even further on fat content, grill less meat and more vegetables. Try kabobs using cubes of lean beef, chicken or shrimp with fresh grilled vegetables. Serve them on a bed of brown rice.
“By doing kebabs, you’re getting away with eating a few ounces of meat instead of eating six to eight ounces, (which) a lot of people will do when they’re grilling,” Arnold said. “Make the emphasis on the side items and less on the meat so you’re getting a better balance on the fiber, the vitamins, and less on the fat and cholesterol.”
Gotta have burgers? Try ground turkey instead of ground beef.
“I know nothing can replace the juicy goodness of a beef hamburger, but turkey isn’t a bad alternative,” said Mike English, a West Side transplant from Kentucky. “If you’re a steak person, try the tenderloin filet. It’s a more expensive cut, but it’s leaner and naturally more portion controlled than a strip loin or ribeye steak.”
Ribeye steaks and pork ribs tend to be the highest in saturated fats and calories, often double the caloric content of a similar-sized leaner cut.
Edith Garcia makes full use of the summer to teach her children to eat fresh fruits.
“For many people, summer means burgers, hot dogs and ice cream,” said the East Side mother of three. “And that’s fine, but not four or five times a week.”
Garcia, a teacher in the Ysleta school district, said she enjoys visiting local farmers markets and buying the freshest fruits and vegetables possible.
“Ideally, teaching your kids about the foods of each season is a good way for them to respect our food system,” she said. “It’s also how you make use of the fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Garcia makes summer smoothies from the Pecos cantaloupe and the watermelon and strawberries she finds at local stores.
“These summer fruits have a rich flavor and they’re healthy, so I feel confident that I’m providing my children and their friends something that’s good for their health,” she said. “Instead of asking to snack on pre-packaged, lower-quality foods, they’re actually asking me to make them agua frescas.”
Another key to a healthy summer is hydration.
“Hydration affects a variety of components and organs in the body,” said Arnold, the food and nutrition director at University Medical Center.
“Many times, we don’t realize that our headaches are due to not being hydrated. It’s important to continuously hit the water to make sure you keep the hydration state.”
He said soda, coffee and other caffeinated beverages can give you some dehydrating effects. The same with alcohol.
“They’re generally drinking just excess calories,” Arnold said. People concerned about weight should “make sure the things they are consuming are providing for their nutritional needs, like vitamins and minerals,” he said. “A soda is drinking something that does nothing for you except for the pleasure of it.
“You want to focus on having a nice tall glass of water with a lemon or lime for flavor instead.”
Arnold said there are no hard and fast rules on the amount of water a person should drink, but the general rule is eight to 10 glasses.
“When you’re in a high-elevation, lower-humidity area like we are in El Paso, your water needs are higher than someone in the flatlands of the Midwest,” he said.
“You also have to consider the activity level and the body weight. All those factors come into play.”
Victor R. Martinez may be reached at vmartinez@elpasotimes.com, 546-6128.
Summer eating tips Allison Miner, associate professor of health, nutrition and physical education at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, provided these summer eating tips. — Stay hydrated, relying mostly on water from the tap. Thirst signals can be mistaken for hunger, so it’s a good idea to drink water throughout the day and evening. An occasional sweetened beverage (this includes natural and man-made) is fine, as long as it is occasional.
— Practice portion control. Using smaller plates is a proven method of consuming fewer calories effortlessly. You simply do not need to eat a lot of food to get the nutrients you need to be healthy.
— Purchase plant foods in season. These are readily available and taste freshest because they are harvested almost ripened. The cost should also be lower, because the produce is abundant and the shipping and storage costs are lower.
— Go meatless on Mondays. The Meatless Mondays organization provides recipes and advice on how to accomplish this new trend in eating. You can lower your food bills and improve your health while benefiting the environment.
— Frozen yogurt is generally fat-free and you have the option of adding fresh fruit toppings. This is a tasty, satisfying and healthful treat (with calcium and protein, for starters) that you can feel guilt-free about.
— Produce spoils quickly, so buy small amounts more frequently during the summer. Plan to shop every three days or so, and plan your trips to the grocery so you don’t spend too much time or overspend your budget. Meals will taste best with the freshest ingredients.
— Plant your own garden. It’s fun and extremely rewarding to grow your own food. It’s especially important for children, because today’s youth are so far removed from food production. Gardening can be as ambitious as farming a plot of land or as simple as planting seeds in a container on your deck or windowsill.
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