How Not to Over Indulge at Weekend Gatherings

The summer is a time of many family gatherings and cook-outs with friends; at least it is if you have a big family like mine. At such gatherings, there is normally a vast variety of appetizers, potato and pasta salads, and loads and loads of desserts. My family loves to cook, and of course, we love to eat! I love and hate going to the parties sometimes because I know I will have a lot of fun seeing my family and hanging out, but most of the time I over indulge. However, I have gotten better at choosing the most nutritious foods to eat there, without feeling like crap after! And that is what I want to help you with now.

First, lets start with the appetizer table

I love appetizers, however, they can be meal spoilers. When you eat too much of the snacky foods, you won't have enough room for the main course or dessert, but will still over-stuff yourself. When conquering the appetizer table I recommend staying away from eating too much of the baked, decadent dips with chips and greasy snacks that will leave feeling sticky and too full, and try to munch on mixed nuts, vegetable and hummus tray, fresh salsa and fruit. All of these snacks, and ones like them. will provide protein. This will satisfy some of your hunger, but leave room for the main dishes while providing vitamins and minerals which our body needs for growth and repair, and heart-healthy fats that can protect against heart disease and other issues. Stick with the colorful appetizers and your body will thank you!

The main dishes

This is where it can get tricky sometimes, but it doesn't have to be! When selecting which meat you're going to enjoy, go for what's grilled and have the sauces on the side. When the sauce is on the side, you can control how much you're having, rather than having so much sauce so that it ends up on your face! Grilling the meat helps to drain the fat off of it so you're cutting the calorie and fat content without sacrificing flavor. Pasta salad and potato salad can either be really nutritious, or packed with fat. Go for the salads that have an oil based dressing, rather than mayo or cream based. The oil in the dressing gives us healthy fats, and allows for more flavor of the ingredients to shine through. Lastly, green salads. Choose a salad that is made with dark leafy greens, not iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value, whereas dark leafy greens are full of vitamins and mineral like iron and B vitamins. Pick the dressings that are oil based to ensure you're having healthy fats and not saturated fat, and put the dressing on yourself! Not everyone likes salads drenched in ranch, put a little on yourself and if you need more than add accordingly.

Lastly, dessert time!

Just when you're getting too full to eat, the dessert table is brought out and suddenly, everyone's got a little extra room for something sweet. Try to choose something that has a variety of natural color (I'm not talking about a 3 layer cake with rainbow frosting!!). Make your own little parfait with fresh fruit, if available, and yogurt or pudding. Protein and antioxidant packed! Or, go for sorbet if offered. Its mostly water, fruit juice, sugar and maybe fruit chunks. Its a great way to cool off on a hot afternoon, without feeling too full afterwards.

You don't have to leave the party feeling guilty, too full, or with a food baby. Remember to treat yourself and have fun, but be conscious of what you're having!

-Emily

Tips for Eating Healthier this Summer

It's officially summer time! School is out for everyone and even the calendar finally says its summer. With summer comes more cookouts, parties, graduation parties and lots and lots of snacking. Snacking can be the downfall of many people's diets or plans to get fit. But no need to worry, I'm here to help! Here are a few tips to help you start or continue eating right in the sunshine and heat.

- Plant a vegetable garden- whether you're in an apartment or a house, you can have homegrown vegetables! Herbs are easy to grow and don't take up much space. You can even grow them inside on a window sill in a little pot. Window boxes are also great for growing things like lettuce or even radishes. And growing tomatoes can be as easy as getting a picking up a tomato kit from your local grocery store or home improvement store

-Buy foods from local farms- When you buy local you not only support your local economy, but you're almost guaranteed that what ever you're buying is just as fresh as if you were growing it at home. I recommend looking up what's in season before you go to the grocery store to buy to make sure you are buying the freshest produce or fruits available.

Now, fruits like blueberries and strawberries are in season where I live.  Try going out and pick strawberries and blueberries at a local fruit stand that offers these options.  It can be much cheaper and a lot of fun to pick them yourself.   One of my favorite memories of growing up is picking strawberries with my family and then making fresh strawberry ice cream.

-Swap out milkshakes with smoothies- A hot day sometimes calls for a refreshing and cool treat to make the heat a little more bearable. Smoothies are an easy and delicious treat to help withstand the heat. Grab a blender, throw in some of the fresh fruit you just picked or grabbed at the store, some ice, and yogurt or milk and blend. Viola! You'll have a cold treat to help you cool off in the summer heat. Protein can be added too to make a great post workout drink. If you aren't able to finish off all the smoothie you made, you can pour it into Popsicle or ice trays and put them in the freezer to have later.

-Skip the chips and dip and try veggies and hummus- Crisp potato chips and dip can taste really, really good, aren't the most nutritious choice for a snack. Instead of bringing chips or crackers and dip to your next cookout, bring a vegetable tray with some homemade or store bought hummus! Vegetables and hummus is a low calorie, highly nutritious snack that won't leave you feeling bloated or guilty like chips and dip will. You'll still get a great crunch, without all the costly calories.

-Drink lots of water- it is no surprise that with increased temperatures comes the increased risk of dehydration and heat illness. To be sure you wont be missing out on any of the summer fun due to feeling tired or sluggish, make sure you're getting 10-12 glasses of water a day. Our bodies are about 70% water, and without an adequate supply, our bodies will not function properly.