Healthy Summer Foods
12:02 PM
It’s summer—that amazing time of year when fresh produce
abounds. As a dietitian and nutrition editor I love that there’s an abundance
of fresh, delicious and healthy choices. Better yet: many of summer’s fruits
and vegetables are brimming with secret health benefits. Here are some of my
favorites and why they’re a particularly good choice in the summer—as reported
on in EatingWell Magazine:
1.Corn: Nothing says summer like fresh sweet corn.
And did you know that two antioxidants—lutein and zeaxanthin—in corn may act
like natural sunglasses, helping to form macular pigment that filters out some
of the sun’s damaging rays? It’s true. The same antioxidants may also help
lower your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration—the leading
cause of blindness in people over the age of 60 (though much of the damage
occurs decades earlier).
2. Iced
coffee: An iced
pick-me-up is a great way to start your summer mornings. Better yet: drinking a
single cup of coffee daily may lower your risk of developing skin cancer. In
one study of more than 93,000 women, published in the European Journal of Cancer
Prevention, those who drank one cup of caffeinated coffee a day
reduced their risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer by about 10 percent.
And the more they drank—up to about 6 cups or so per day—the lower their risk.
Decaf didn’t seem to offer the same protection.
3. Tart cherries: They deliver a host of health benefits. You
may have heard that drinking tart cherry juice can help you get a better
night’s sleep and quell post-workout pain. But did you know that compounds in
tart cherries may also help you slim down and get leaner? When scientists at
the University of Michigan Health System put rats on a high-fat diet
supplemented with either a tart-cherry powder (equal to 1% of the weight of
their total diet) or the same number of calories from carbohydrate, those that
got the cherry powder gained less weight and body fat. Why? The anthocyanins in
tart cherries activate a molecule that helps rev up fat burning and decrease fat storage.
4.
Tomatoes: There’s
no question that sunscreen should be your first line of defense against the
blazing summer sun. But eating tomatoes could give you a little extra
protection: consuming more lycopene—the carotenoid that makes tomatoes red—may
protect your skin from sunburn. In one study, participants who were exposed to
UV light had almost 50 percent less skin reddening after they ate 2½
tablespoons of tomato paste (or drank about 1⅔ cups of carrot juice daily), in
addition to their regular diet, for 10 to 12 weeks. Supplements, however,
weren’t as effective: in the same study, those who received a lycopene
supplement or synthetic lycopene weren’t significantly protected against
sunburn.
5.
Watermelon: Staying
hydrated keeps your memory sharp and your mood stable. It also helps keep your
body cool (by sweating) during hot summer months. The good news is that you
don’t just have to drink water. You can eat it, too: in addition to delivering
skin-protecting lycopene, watermelon is 92 percent water (hence the name). Another
boon? Research shows that eating foods that are full of water helps keep you
satisfied on fewer calories. (Interestingly enough, drinking water alongside
foods doesn’t have the same effect.)
6.
Raspberries: Raspberries
are a great source of fiber—some of it soluble in the form of pectin, which
helps lower cholesterol. One cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber—and a
study in the Journal
of Nutritionsuggests that eating more fiber may help prevent weight
gain or even promote weight loss. Over the course of a two-year study,
researchers found that when study participants boosted their fiber by 8 grams
for every 1,000 calories, they lost about 4½ pounds. Try it for yourself. If
you’re consuming 2,000 calories per day, aim to increase your fiber by 16
grams.
7. Iced
tea: Sure, a
tall glass of iced tea on a hot day is refreshing, but did you know it might
also do your body good? Studies show if you drink tea regularly, you may lower
your risk of Alzheimer’s and diabetes, plus have healthier teeth and gums and
stronger bones. How? Tea is rich in a class of antioxidants called flavonoids.
Regardless of the variety—black, green, oolong, white or herbal—maximize the
power of tea’s flavonoids by drinking it freshly brewed. If you want to keep a
batch of cold tea in your refrigerator, “add a little lemon juice,” recommends
Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at
the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in
Boston. The citric acid and vitamin C in that squeeze of lemon—or lime, or
orange—help preserve the flavonoids.
8.
Blueberries: Fresh
blueberries straight from the berry patch are a special treat! Turns out the
antioxidants in them may help ward off muscle fatigue by mopping up the
additional free radicals that muscles produce during exercise, according to
recent research out of New Zealand.
Article “8 Super-Healthy Summer Foods You Should Be Eating”
by Brierley Wright, MS, RD with Eating Well Magazine. Read more at http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/health_blog/8_super_healthy_summer_foods_you_should_be_eating
Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that
includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free
dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasize
the importance of healthy eating for teens.
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