Here are a few nutrition and fitness tips to keep you a bit healthier this summer.
Don't Eat When You're Thirsty: We often mistake thirst for hunger, especially during the warm summer months. Don't eat when what you really want is to drink. Always ask yourself if you are really hungry.
Watch What You Drink: Drinking high-calorie beverages like soda, whole milk, juices, alcohol and sugared iced tea can add unwanted, and under-appreciated, calories. Drink water with lemon or mint, or try seltzer or unsweetened iced tea. Tea is loaded with antioxidants and health benefits, including reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. In fact, tea has been said to have more antioxidants than almost any whole fruit or vegetable. Read more about tea here:
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Bike Instead of Drive: Buy a bike, save gas and get some exercise. A 155-pound person riding at a leisurely pace of 10 to 12 mph can burn 423 calories in just 60 minutes, or about 7 calories per minute. If you would like to know more about bicycling, visit www.dietdetective.com/content/view/1334/90/
Go Hiking: To get started visit the following Web sites:
Trimbleoutdoors.com offers thousands of day hikes and includes interactive maps, aerial and scenic photos, video and downloadable GPS files.
Localhikes.com has local hikes around the United States. There are not too many listings, but it's a good start.
Trails.com charges $49.95 per year, but does have a 14-day free trial. The site offers detailed route descriptions, driving directions, guidebook-quality trail maps, photos and ratings and reviews from members for more than 38,000 trails.
Recreation.gov is the U.S. government's one-stop shop to the outdoors. There is information on everything from monuments, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, water-skiing and rock climbing to wildlife observation and caving. It lists 388 National Park Service areas, 3,200 federal recreation areas and 16,741 miles of trails in parks that range in size from one-fifth of an acre to 13.2 million acres.
Make a Pop: A new book called Pops (Quirk, 2008) by Krystina Castella helps you learn to make delicious ice pops - some healthy, some not so healthy. Try the Banana & Date Pops.
Ingredients:
6 large ripe bananas, sliced
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup nonfat milk (modified from original recipe)
1 cup low- or no-fat yogurt (modified from original recipe)
2 teaspoons honey heated for 30 seconds
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Put the bananas, dates, milk and yogurt in a food processor or blender - process until the mix is smooth. Add honey and vanilla extract - process again to combine. Fill 8 pop molds with the mixture (or use plastic or paper cups). Insert sticks. Freeze for 6 hours. Remove from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds.
Makes eight 6-ounce pops.
Don't Skip: It's easy to skip meals when you're out and about over the summer. Keep in mind that meal-skipping leads to overeating during meals later in the day - which means consuming more overall daily calories. Try to eat something healthy every few hours.
Enjoy Watermelon: It's low in calories (only 92 calories per 2-cup serving) and it fills you up because it's 92 percent water, which will also help to rehydrate your body on a hot summer day. On average, 1 cup of watermelon has 7.5 to 10 milligrams of the antioxidant lycopene - that's about 40 percent more than is found in raw tomatoes. Additionally, watermelon is a good source of vitamins A (1 cup has almost 20 percent of your daily values) and C (20 percent of daily values), and it also contains potassium, vitamin B6 and thiamin. Look for firm, juicy, red flesh without white streaks and skin without cracks, bruises or mold. The best way to tell for sure that a watermelon is ripe is to ask your grocer to cut a plug (a small triangle that will show you how the inside looks) out of the fruit.
Injured? Try R.I.C.E.: Dr. William Levine, chief of sports medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, recommends that for tennis elbow, runner's knee, and similar injuries, you should try R.I.C.E. -- Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. "Rest means that the injured area is not put through any undue strain. When icing a body part, apply the ice in a covering so that it is not in direct contact with the skin. A cotton handkerchief covering the ice is helpful. Ice the affected area several times a day for about 20 minutes at a time. Compression is applying pressure to the injured area to stop bleeding (if any is occurring) or to reduce swelling. Elevation helps in these respects as well. Compression and elevation are to be used in the case of acute injuries, such as a twisted ankle."
Exercise Dangers: The dangers of urban air pollution are of special concern to those who run, bike or skate. These individuals, while trying to help their bodies through exercise, should take care that they do not harm themselves through exposure to air pollution, especially in the summer, says Ronald Crystal, M.D., chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He suggests that if you're in an urban setting on a hot summer day you should try exercising indoors, preferably in an air-conditioned room. If you must exercise outdoors, the early morning or evening is best. It will be cooler, the sun is not at its peak, and the ozone levels will be at their lowest.
Sun Screening: Biking, swimming or walking outdoors in the summer sun? Try Bullfrog - it stays on great. Also Bethesda Sunscreen Soap (www.bethesdaskincare.com) actually contains sunblock. Use this soap in the shower and you'll have protection of at least an SPF 10, plus it also has whole leaf aloe vera gel, healing balm of Gilead, glycerin and chlorophyll.
Sunblock? Got Carrots? A recent review of several studies that was published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology showed that eating foods rich in beta carotene or taking supplements may protect against sunburn. However, the study also indicated that 10 weeks of use was required to show an effect. Unfortunately, supplementation with beta carotene is not a replacement for using sunscreen.
Summer Heart Attacks: Weekend warriors beware -- heart attacks and all other cardiac problems occur in the summer months just as often as during the winter. According to Jack Flyer, M.D., of CardioCare, a Washington, D.C.-based medical practice focusing on wellness and preventative patient care, "Heat stroke is a condition that causes the body's core temperature to rise. This heat can cause end-organ (i.e., the heart) damage directly and can also cause symptoms, such as fast pulse, that can secondarily cause a heart attack. It can also lead to dangerous arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). The signs of heat stroke are fast heart rate, confusion, shortness of breath and cessation of sweating." Also, watch out for dehydration, which Flyer says is a close relative of heat stroke. Solution: Stay out of the sun, especially during the heat of the day, drink water before you go outside, particularly before exercise, and make sure you take water with you wherever you go.
Buy Some Cool Cooking Tools: We love all the offerings at Williams-Sonoma; however, there are a few seasonal standouts. Want to make guacamole, grilled veggies or cut up fresh fruit? If so, you have to get their Professional Multi-Chopper. It slices, dices, wedges and cores, and it's dishwasher safe. The cost? $49.95. Looking for extra flavor on your gas grill? Try Williams-Sonoma's Smokehouse Hickory Wood Chips ($7), a great way to add flavor that doesn't cost calories. Speaking of flavor, there's nothing better than garlic. For that they offer the Garlic Genius - wow! This cool tool chops the garlic into tiny cubes ($24.95). www.williams-sonoma.com
Ice Cream Cheat Sheet: Fudgsicles are still a good choice at 45 calories. Frozen yogurt or soft-serve ice cream also have the same calories per serving - about 140. No-fat yogurt is about 110. Italian ices (100 calories per cup) are a better choice than gelato (about 500 calories per cup). Keep in mind that if you're going for a cone, you should make it a wafer cone, which has 20 calories, as opposed to a sugar cone that's 50 or 60 calories or a waffle cone at 100 to 160. Four tablespoons of sprinkles are about 220 calories.
Barbecues and Picnics: For frankfurters, the best toppings are sauerkraut, good old ketchup, mustard and relish. Stay away from cheesy sauces and chili. As for burgers, make your own using the leanest beef you can find and toss in veggies such as mushrooms, onions and peppers to increase nutrients and lower the calorie content without reducing the volume. Watch out for barbecued ribs: They add up to more than 1,000 calories for six medium ribs. Just one 3.5-ounce fried chicken breast has about 250 calories, and one drumstick with skin has about 200 calories. Pasta salad? For 1 cup, depending on ingredients, you're looking at 500-650 calories. Use 100 percent whole-wheat pasta and light vinaigrette or low-calorie Italian dressing. Baked beans can be 300 calories per cup. Coleslaw can be more than 350 calories per cup. Use light or nonfat mayonnaise and make it yourself. Use healthy, low-calorie marinades instead of oil and butter to flavor foods. And be careful when using cooking spray on your grill. Spray the grill before you turn it on; otherwise, the spray can flare up.
On The Road? Watch out. When unhealthy choices are made on the road, there may be irritating consequences to deal with. "Unhealthy eating, in general, can cause decreases in energy and mood. In addition, stress levels are easily increased with improper nutrition. Furthermore, a lot of greasy fast foods can cause indigestion, which can negatively affect sleep," says Steven Aldana, Ph.D., author of Stop and Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide (Maple Mountain Press, 2007). According to Aldana, the worst restaurant choices are typically breakfast places such as Denny's, Shoney's and IHOP. In addition, places like Krispy Kreme and Taco Bell offer very few, if any, healthy selections. Where should you eat? Surprisingly, almost all the offerings at Panda Express receive a "green" or healthy rating because of the high quantities of vegetables, healthy oils and whole grains that are used. Other great selections include sandwich shops like Subway - which allow tremendous flexibility when ordering.
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CHARLES STUART PLATKIN is a nutrition and public health advocate, founder and editor of DietDetective.com, the health and fitness network. Copyright 2008 by Charles Stuart Platkin. All rights reserved. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter and iTunes podcast at www.DietDetective.com.
Over-the-counter mouthrinses really do put a stop to bad breath. The first systematic review on the effectiveness of mouthrinses shows that they play an important role in reducing levels of bacteria and chemicals that cause mouth odours. Pick which one you use though, because some can temporarily stain your tongue and teeth, warns this new review from The Cochrane Library.
Bad breath is a very common complaint affecting around half the population in developed countries. The smell is generated by bacteria that accumulate on the tongue and produce sulphur compounds including hydrogen sulphide. This is the same compound that makes rotten eggs smell bad. To combat this, mouth rinses are classified in two categories, those that kill the bacteria producing the sulphur compounds and those that neutralise or mask the odour of these compounds. Antibacterial mouthrinses are widely used to treat bad breath, despite some uncertainty about their effectiveness.
New research provides support for the use of St. John's wort extracts in treating major depression. A Cochrane Systematic Review backs up previous research that showed the plant extract is effective in treating mild to moderate depressive disorders.
"Overall, we found that the St. John's wort extracts tested in the trials were superior to placebos and as effective as standard antidepressants, with fewer side effects," says lead researcher, Klaus Linde of the Centre for Complementary Medicine in Munich, Germany.
Extracts of the plant Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John's wort, have long been used in folk medicine to treat depression and sleep disorders. The plant produces a number of different substances that may have anti-depressive properties, but the whole extract is considered to be more effective.
A town near where I live has decided that kids should start walking to school. Houses are close together, there are sidewalks, school crossing guards and now walking (not car) pools. Neighborhood Moms organize themselves into morning and afternoon walkers, taking turns escorting a group of neighborhood children to school. Everyone seems happy. The town officials are gleeful at the money saved by not using buses, the moms are busy telling their offspring how they, the parents, walked miles in blizzards uphill to get to school, and the school nurse is sure the kids will become more fit. And the kids will learn the joys of kicking piles of leaves, stomping through puddles, and throwing snowballs on the way to and from school.
Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, LDN, is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Dawn passionately believes in using the power of food to prevent and manage illness and maintain optimal health. She helps people make realistic and gradual changes to their current eating habits and food choices. Dawn teaches "Flexitarian Nutrition”, an eating style she developed, which is based on personal preferences and individual lifestyles.
Liz Edmunds’ passion for the importance of family dinnertime led a kitchen-store manager to dub her “the food nanny.” The moniker stuck! Today Liz serves as part teacher, part counselor, part coach for families in need of organizational help and cooking instruction so they can implement a weekly dinner plan in their own homes.
When Liz and her husband, Stephen Edmunds, started having children, Liz set a goal to create a consistent dinnertime with the family, despite her husband’s extensive travels as a pilot, first for the U.S. Air Force and then for Delta Airlines. She began implementing her “theme nights” more than 30 years ago and has been developing and tweaking recipes ever since.
Over the years Liz has shared her theme-night plan with people all over the country, and many have encouraged her to write a book. Some of Liz’s four daughters used the plan in college to cook for their roommates and friends; and now that the daughters are married, they are following the plan with their own families. She is the author of The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner.
Calorie Bargain: German Bread Haus Whole Wheat Power Bread
The Why: This wheat bread from German Bread Haus is made with all-natural, all-pronounceable ingredients. It does not contain any nuts or seeds, so it’s suitable for people with those allergies. The bread is low in carbohydrates, and high in protein and fiber.
The Why: These raw food bars from Larabar are made with almonds, cherries, and unsweetened dates. Made with 100% natural ingredients, the bar does not contain any dairy, gluten, added sugar, cholesterol, or saturated fat.
Here are a few nutrition and fitness tips to keep you a bit healthier this summer. 
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Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, LDN, is a 
Liz Edmunds’ passion for the importance of family dinnertime led a kitchen-store manager to dub her “the food nanny.” The moniker stuck! Today Liz serves as part teacher, part counselor, part coach for families in need of organizational help and cooking instruction so they can implement a weekly dinner plan in their own homes.
Calorie Bargain: Cherry Pie Larabar
