Approach housework as a family activity, try standing on your tiptoes while making a meal or do squats while folding laundry.
Kids Corner
How often do you get to play with your food? How about creating a food sculpture? Select your favorite healthy snacks and build a food sculpture with them. Then eat your artwork!
Here are some healthy foods to eat as a fun and artsy snack:
Celery Sticks (makes your structure stand tall)
Carrot Sticks
Low-Fat Cream Cheese (binds the different pieces of your structure together
Real Peanut Butter
Nut Butters
Raisins
Pretzels
Peanuts
Apple Slices
Grapes (wheels!)
Bananas
Graham Crackers
Animal Crackers
Ask the Food Dude – Nutritionist
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are small bacteria that are designed to maintain the natural balance of organisms present in your body. Probiotics help the naturally occurring “friendly” bacteria in your intestinal tract by helping to build up your immune system. Probiotics are found in foods like yogurt. Look for yogurts that have the word “active” or “live cultures” on the food label.
Family Time
Picnics are a great family outdoor activity. You can a have a picnic just about anywhere, such as a forest preserve, beach, park and your own backyard. For fun, pick a date and invite friends and family.
However, remember that food safety is very important during the summer months. For your picnic, you should refrain from serving any foods that are prepared with mayonnaise, sour cream and milk, unless these foods can be kept cold. You can include yogurt because it’s safe to eat at room temperature.
A sample picnic menu might include:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on whole wheat bread, crackers or pitas
Celery and carrot sticks, tomato slices and cucumber wedges
Picnic friendly potato salad
Bean salad
(see Summer Recipe Idea)
Fresh fruit salad
Yogurt
Water
100 percent fruit juice boxes
Work up an appetite before you begin your picnic. You can plan some activities, such as playing catch, tag or search for ideas. The family could roller blade, bike, walk and even swim. If there is a playground nearby, go and check out what adventures await you!
Fun with Fruits and Vegetables
Have you ever seen or eaten a plum or prune? Plums are a member of the stone fruit family and can either be yellow, red, blue and even black. Black plums are also known as prunes. In fact, a plum becomes a prune when it experiences water loss, which is similar to what happens when a grape becomes a raisin. Plums are in season between May and September for countries with a temperate climate, but the season lasts longer in warmer countries.
Like other stone fruits, plums contain good amounts of vitamins A and C and are a good source of dietary fiber, potassium and vitamin B2. Although plums are healthy to eat, you should eat them in moderation because their high content of sorbitol—a sweet alcohol, which also is used as an artificial sweetener—causes them to act as a mild laxative.
When eating prunes, it’s useful to know that their high amount of antioxidants have a good preservative effect on your body. Prunes can be stored without being cleaned.
Here are some tips when buying plums:
- Look for soft plums with a slightly softer tip, but not overly soft.
- Select the plums that have rich colors and are unblemished, plump and free of mold.
Ask the Play Ground Guru
Is it true that my body can overheat during the summer like a car?
Yes, so when you are engaging in activities this summer keep a few things in mind:
- Slowly increase your physical activity and length of time in the heat over a few days. For example, if you normally play outside for 30 minutes, give yourself a couple of days to increase your playtime to 60 minutes.
- Make sure you get adequate rest in between activities. For instance, take some downtime in the shade.
- Make sure you are drinking water before starting any activities outside and bring water along so you can continue to drink it while playing.
- If possible, play outside in the early morning or late evening because these tend to be cooler times of the day.
You can also use your body as a tool to monitor your water balance. Your urine should be the color of lemonade or lighter. If you notice that it’s darker in color, like apple juice, this may be an indicator of dehydration. Re-hydrate yourself by drinking plenty of water and sitting in the shade.
Summer Recipe Idea
Bean Salad
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed
1 can green beans, drained and rinsed
2 stalks celery, chopped small
½ red onion, chopped small
Dressing
½ cup olive oil
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
Pepper, to taste
Mix beans, celery and onion in a bowl.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing in a separate, small bowl.
Pour the dressing in the bowl with the salad ingredients.
Toss to coat all the ingredients.
