Eating Light, Eating Right

Summertime is here, which means longer days, warmer temperatures and best of all, plenty of fresh produce. The beauty of summer's produce is not only in the breathtaking color that sweeps through grocery stores or farmer's markets.

The true beauty is actually within the produce. Summer brings health-promoting antioxidants in berries, fiber in corn, vitamin A in peaches, and lycopene, also an antioxidant, in tomatoes and watermelon.

Even cooks with the most basic skills can take advantage of the wonders of summer foods and prepare delicious, good-for-you meals in just minutes. When you combine a little bit of education with simple preparation, it can be fun to mix and match flavor combinations and natural ingredients to create well-balanced meals with optimal benefits. Here are a few quick examples.

Berries Start the Perfect Summer Day

Breakfast is the perfect opportunity to learn how to work seasonal produce into your meals because there are so many quick options that take advantage of summer's offerings. A well-designed breakfast with protein and fiber means fewer cravings later in the day and more active hours to digest nutrients effectively. A simple way to add a taste of summer to this breakfast is with berries.

Berries, together with almonds, make a great topping on all-natural granolas and high-fiber cereals to provide your body the tools it needs for proper digestion. While the granola/cereal supplies the whole grains needed to fuel your body, the fruit is full of antioxidants and fiber. Best of all, this meal can take on entirely new flavors by making the slightest changes, such as strawberries one week and raspberries the next. Berries that are more exotic, such as goji berries and "yumberries," are becoming a healthy trend and easier to find in natural food stores. These are also great mixed when added to your favorite breakfast foods, like whole-grain waffles.

If you're looking for even more of a change from the ordinary, try making a homemade smoothie with 1 cup of plain yogurt, 1 tbsp nut butter, a banana and ½ cup frozen berries. A smoothie made from these types of ingredients is especially refreshing and energy-boosting on hot summer days because it is full of nutrients, fiber and protein to keep you satisfied all morning long.

Between the variety of good-for-you cereals, yogurts and summer berries, breakfast can take on many personalities and flavors. And most importantly, a well-balanced breakfast starts your day right because it gives you the foundation to continue making smart food choices throughout the day.

What your Body Needs

Many people think nothing of eating a double cheeseburger, medium
fries and a medium cola. If you dissect this "meal," you'll find
that on average, it contains an unbelievable 68 grams of fat (17
teaspoons), almost half of which are saturated; 15 grams of trans
fatty acids; 150 mg of cholesterol; 1,200 mg of salt; and 20
teaspoons of sugar (all from the cola)! If you factor in that
the fries were probably cooked in hydrogenated cottonseed oil,
one of the most heavily pesticide-laden crops in the world, and
that the meat, if overcooked, could contain carcinogens, or if
undercooked, could result in food poisoning from E. coli, you may
agree it's time to find a new all-American meal.

The Bad Guys:
High levels of saturated fat are consistently linked with
elevated blood cholesterol levels, heart disease, insulin
resistance and several forms of cancer. Most Americans eat about
40 grams of saturated fat every day, which is twice as much as is
considered healthy. Animal products are the greatest source of
saturated fats in the Western diet.

For many years, trans fatty acids were considered a relatively
minor player in health and disease. Although their impact on
total cholesterol is not quite as profound as it is with
saturated fats, the overall damage to heart health is worse.
Trans fatty acids not only raise total cholesterol, but also
lower LDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) and potentially
increase triglycerides. Gram for gram, the adverse effect of
trans fatty acids is estimated to be two to four times greater
than that of saturated fatty acids. The most common sources are
crackers, cookies, granola bars, chips and other snack foods,
baked goods, margarine, shortening and deep-fried fast foods.

Cholesterol is made by animals, not plants; all animal foods
contain cholesterol, while plant foods are all cholesterol-free.
The next time you buy any plant-based food like peanut butter
that says "no cholesterol" on the label, realize that is just a
sales gimmick. There are several concerns about eating too much
cholesterol because it can cause blood cholesterol levels to
rise, increasing the risk of blood clots, heart attack and
stroke. The recommended daily intake of cholesterol is less than
200 mg, which is a little less than the amount of cholesterol in
one egg yolk.

The Good Guys:
Science has known for a very long time that vegetables, fruits,
whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds are healthful foods.
Researchers assumed that the substances that made these foods so
good for us were the vitamins, minerals and fiber. They were
right, but only partly. In the past 20 years, scientists have
discovered a whole new set of protective compounds packed within
every whole-plant food: phytochemicals and antioxidants.
Phytochemicals are natural substances that protect plants against
attacks from insects. When we eat plants, these same powerful
little protectors go to work on our behalf, with remarkable human
health benefits.

Many phytochemicals are strong antioxidants, neutralizing
destructive free radicals. Some phytochemicals provide
anticancer support, helping the body rid itself of potent
carcinogens. Others protect against cardiovascular disease by
helping to reduce the formation of cholesterol, lower blood
pressure, decrease blood cholesterol levels, reduce blood clot
formation, open blood vessels and decrease damage to blood vessel
walls. The list of significant beneficial activities of
phytochemicals includes anti-inflammatory, anti-yeast,
antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and immune-enhancing
benefits. Which foods are the most efficient phytochemical
factories? Vegetables and fruits stand out as being particularly
important, although legumes (beans), grains, nuts and seeds are
also excellent sources. Choosing a wide variety of colorful,
whole-plant foods is the key to a phytochemical-rich diet.

Hopefully this gives you a good starting point for improving your
health. Limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fatty acids
and cholesterol, and eat more whole foods, including seven to 10
servings of fruits and vegetables every day to maximize your
phytonutrient and antioxidant protection. Talk to your doctor
for more information.

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