Summer is Here - 6 Tips To Keep It Healthy

visit farmers markets - Buy local! Visiting farmers markets to pick-up local produce and get to know who is growing your food. Plus often times farmers markets have different varieties of foods like golden beets or rainbow carrots (pictured right). If you are traveling out of town, check out the farmers markets in the area too, visit Local Harvest's web site and just enter a zip code to find the markets and hours for where you are traveling!

get active - Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of the long hours of daylight and work in extra activities like: biking, running and swimming.

snack smart - Stock up on healthy items like trail mix, low fat Greek yogurt parfaits with fresh fruit and granola, pistachios and dried fruit, carrot slices and hummus and popcorn.

sip mostly water - Your body is 60-70% and staying hydrated is a must, sipping on water allows your body to maximize absorption. Especially when the weather gets hot, having plenty of fluids helps to keep you cool! Aim to have mostly water and save sweetened drinks like iced teas and lemonade less often!

enjoy fruits and vegetables - There are so many fruits and vegetables that are in season and at their best in the summer time! Maximize the flavors of the season by incorporating fruit and vegetables at every meal. A favorite pick of the summer so far at our house has been Driscoll's Season's Finest Blackberries - they are truly the best... so sweet, give them a try if you see them at the grocery store.

try new recipes - Look for recipes to incorporate seasonal foods like, rhubarb! Check out my Strawberry Rhubarb Muffin recipe that I shared with Men's Fitness. Search Web sites like: Rachel Ray, Food Network, Pinterest and Molly's Facebook page for recipe ideas and inspiration.

Your Questions Answered - Do I Need a Sports Drink During Exercise?

Q: Should I drink a sports drink during exercise?

A: Maybe. Intense, continuous exercise lasting longer than one hour requires refueling from foods and/or fluid (e.g. sports drinks). Per hour, the body burns up about 30 - 60 grams of carbohydrates -- sports drinks can deliver easy to digest carbohydrates to sustain intense exercise.

Or if you rather stick with water and add some carbs with food - look for quick digesting carbs like: 1/4 cup raisins (30 grams carbs), 1 package Honey Stinger energy chews (29 grams carbs), 12 Rold Gold Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks (33 grams of carbs) or 1 medium banana (27 grams carbs).

Another time that can make a sports drink worth your while is when exercise is less than 60 minutes and is in extreme heat or if there are multiple training sessions or games in a day (e.g. tournaments). Otherwise, water will do the job!

When it comes to what you're drinking, how much your are drinking is as important as what you are drinking -- plan to sip fluids throughout your workout to stay hydrated, here are some general guidelines to follow:

Start your workouts hydrated, sip on mostly water throughout the day and monitor your urine, the gal: have pale lemonade color urine. During exercise, children and teens: have 4 - 6 ounces of fluid every 15 - 20 minutes during exercise; adults have 6 - 8 ounces of fluid every 15 - 20 minutes during exercise. After: refuel with 16-24 ounces of water for each pound of weight (aka sweat) lost!

Keep active!

Avocado Milk Juice Drink

A creamy and refreshing drink.

What you will need:   
An avocado
200ml fresh milk
10ml honey
10ml lemon juice

Method
1. Rinse avocado, cut it and remove pit.
2. Use spoon to scoop out the flesh
3. Add milk and avocado pieces into juicer and blend. Ensure they are mixed well
4. Add lemon juice and honey with ice before serving

Benefits:
Avocado contains fats, potassium, vitamins and minerals. The fat in avacodo is monosaturated, therefore it does not clog our arteries. In fact, avocados prevent the hardening of our arteries and also reduces high blood pressure. Fats in avocado provide us with energy too!

Milk is also a good source of calcium that gives us strong bones and teeth. It also makes the drink more creamy.

Tips:
When choosing avocados, squeeze the avocado a little. The avocado should feel firm and not mushy soft.

Take note:
Lemon juice contains enzymes that help break down the fats in the avocado, which will make digestion of the drink easier! Lemon juice also has high vitamin C content to ensure the drink is full of nutrients!

Enjoy!

Eat, Drink, and Still Shrink

The rush of the holidays has ended, yet there are more parties around the bend, first up... Super Bowl! Then onto Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, and the list goes on. Try these strategies to allow yourself to eat, drink, and still shrink!

• Snack first: Going to a party hungry can wind up being a recipe for disaster, before heading out, grab a quick snack. Aim for about 200 calories or less. Quick ideas: a cup of low fat Greek yogurt, an apple and piece of 50% reduced fat cheddar cheese, or a fruit and nut bar.
  



• Game Plan: Upon arriving at the party, check out the food line-up and create a game plan. Where do you want to spend your calories? If you're a sweet lover, take it easy on the appetizers and save some wiggle room to enjoy a dessert or two!




• Balance: If you're planning the party when preparing your menu, think about balance. A mix of splurge items with plenty of lighter options too like: fruit kabobs, hummus and fresh vegetables, a roasted vegetable platter, or mini cups of trail mix.




• Water: After each alcohol containing drink, have a glass of water. This will help to keep you hydrated and lessen the number of drinks you have. Or better yet, volunteer to be the designated driver!

Think Outside of the Sandwich

Are you tired of packing the same old lunch? Add the ingredients to your next grocery shopping list for these simple and delicious lunch ideas.

Parfait in a Bag: Pack a single serve cup of Chobani Greek Yogurt, 1/4 cup whole grain cereal (like low fat granola or Cherrios), and 1/2 cup fresh sliced fruit (like berries). Pack a bowl or cup and then at lunch combine the three containers for a delicious on the go parfait. Add in a piece of fruit (like a pear or apple) and 1 ounce of almonds to snack on later in the day. To drink: bring along a water bottle with unsweetened Passion Tea!

Mediterranean Platter: Pack a container with 1/2 cup of roasted red pepper hummus, a container with assorted chopped vegetables (red peppers, green beans, broccoli, carrots), 1/2 piece of whole wheat flat bread, and a baggie with one-ounce of Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese diced into cubes. At lunch dip the veggies & flat bread into the hummus and grab a serving of dairy and extra protein with the cheese. To drink: bring along a water bottle with unsweetened Zen Green Tea.

Spinach Salad Bowl: In a bowl combine 1 cup of baby spinach, 1/2 cup chopped veggies, and then pack a bag with one-ounce (small handful) of walnuts and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. At lunch add the walnuts and cranberries to the salad. Try topping your salad with 1/4 cup of cottage cheese in place of salad dressing (this may sound crazy but is totally delicious), it will add 7 grams of protein plus a creamy flavor to the salad. To drink: bring along a water bottle filled with ice cold water and cucumber slices.

Snack Attack: Packing a bunch of little things can fuel you up at lunch time! Fill your lunch container with the following five items: a pack of Justin's Almond Butter, a bag of whole wheat crackers (5 or so), a bag of frozen grapes (will still be nice and chilled at lunch), a bag of sliced red peppers, and a container of Chobani Greek Yogurt. Eat these items all at lunch time or spread throughout the day as you are hungry! To drink: bring along a water bottle filled with ice cold water and lemon slices.

Disclosure: The products mentioned in this email are products that Molly Morgan suggests based on taste and nutrition profile and Creative Nutrition Solutions did not recieve funding from the mentioned products for placement in this blog post!