Summer, summer everywhere

It’s going to be more and more of them! It’s the easiest time to eat healthily. It’s also the best time for those who haven’t decided to start their healthy diet and lifestyle yet.

Fresh vegetables contain a lot of vitamins and minerals and they are not expensive. At present we can eat more raw vegetables, preserving all that is best in them. All types of salads may be added to protein or carbohydrate meals and will become a satiating meal when they are well-chosen. It is worth putting some dressing with oil (linseed, evening primrose, or olive) on it – some vitamins are fat-soluble. Remember to keep vegetables in the fridge before you start to wash, cut and serve them. The vegetables that are best during heat waves and while travelling: fennel, asparagus, celery, parsley (stock for drinking).

We can eat more fruit because they help to cool down our bodies during hot weather. Fruits may be eaten separately or in salads, but we should not add sugar to them! Add some kefir or natural yoghurt (preferably home-made) if fruits are sour. They should be eaten as separate meals and no later than afternoon. In the evening your body needs proteins not carbohydrates. Fruits contain sun energy :), let’s supply our bodies with it every day! The most precious ingredients are in the fruit’s skin or just under it, so do not overdo with the thickness of peeling. If you don’t have digestion problems, eat the fruit’s skin as well. People with the sensitive digestive system can also benefit from the summer, however, they will eat more fruit and vegetables served hot. But it’s not a problem, there are lots of nice soup recipes for the summer 🙂

Water! We shouldn’t forget to drink water – our body needs hydration when it’s warm, so drink more water in the summer and don’t neglect it, because it’s important! A small bottle with mineral water can easily be hidden in a handbag or backpack. On hot days the body retains water, sometimes puffiness can appear. Let’s drink a lot to control water management. Lemon balm, marigold, nettle (infusion or juice – 50 ml before a meal), pomegranate juice, Plantago Psyllium (!), watermelon, camomile, birch juice (it can be bought at the chemist’s) will be useful. A natural isotonic drink for sportspeople in the morning is: water, cayenne pepper, salt, honey and lemon.

Cut down on salt – it retains water and doesn’t do us good. Instead of salt we may use fresh herbs: thyme, tarragon, pigweed, mint, basil – they will give us a bouquet of flavours and aromas

We can exercise! The day is long, the supply of vitamin D is high  Let’s take advantage of it and exercise outside. Hey! Don’t sit – get up and get moving people! No excuse, it’s sunny, a workout in a park doesn’t cost a thing – coax somebody into it or practise alone surrounded by greenery. When was the last time you heard birds chirping?

Wish you plentiful of colours on your plate and in your mind!

Most photos by: Marta Wojtal