Your Nutrition Toolbox

Summer is here! Amidst all the vacations, adventures, and trips, it’s important to remember that we still need to take care of our physical health. Our bodies will need proper fuel to make the most out of this season—a nutritious diet is essential to maintain energy and recover for the next activity! Here’s some tips to keep in mind throughout the summer months:  

Pack Healthy Snacks  

Always having a handful of healthy snacks ready with you can make it much easier to avoid buying fast food. Visit your local grocery store or farmers market and shop smart. Grab some granola bars, nuts, eggs, pre-cut veggies, fruits, hummus, and anything that has nutritional value. Public health organizations generally advise limiting snacks that offer little nutrition, especially those high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium (Potter et. al, 2018). That being said, it is time to monitor your snacking habits and make sure you replace those cookies, pastries, and chips with healthier options like fruit, nuts, and low-fat yogurt.  

Stay Hydrated  

Carrying a reusable water bottle is always handy to ensure you are well-hydrated during the peak summer heat. We become more dehydrated, and the hot weather makes us lose water constantly through our skin, urine, waste, and sweat (Nebraska Medicine, n. d.). To stay healthy, swap high sugar drinks for sparkling or carbonated water. This not only cuts back on unnecessary added sugars, but also increases your water intake. Not a fan of plain water? You can also try water infused with fruits or veggies for a more refreshing and flavourful drink. This way, the natural flavours and nutrients from the fruits/vegetables are infused in the water!

Plan your Meals  

Preparing meals ahead of time ensures there are healthy options that are easily available, which can support healthier food choices. One method that can help you from resorting to fast food is meal prepping. Meal prepping is cooking and portioning food ingredients ahead of time, making healthy eating easier during busy days (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). Meal prepping also provides some health benefits. It helps save time, allowing you to have more time to focus on other tasks. It also helps save money, which ensures you are only buying the food you need, helping your wallet and prevents food waste. Starting it simple goes a long way to reduce the stress of not knowing what to eat (Cleveland Clinic, 2024).

Limit Sugary Drinks  

The sun is out! Nothing beats an ice-cold summer time drink, but remember that many specialty summer drinks like milkshakes and sports drink are high in sugar and added calories. Sugary drinks are those beverages with added sugar or sweeteners (high fructose, corn syrup), such as soda, pop, cola, tonic, fruit punch, lemonade, sweetened powdered drinks, as well as sports and energy drinks (Nutrition Source, 2023). There are a variety of healthier beverages available instead, with water being the best option. Others include coconut water, herbal teas, homemade lemonade, kombucha, homemade smoothies, and watermelon juice.

Practice Mindful Eating  

Summer is also the time for social gatherings and events. It is easy to get distracted while eating and we are in a situation to choose and overindulge on food that are less nutritious. Remember to think about you habits at social gatherings. As much as possible, stick to healthy foods you would normally choose, such as whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables, and choosing water as your drink of choice. By taking one small step at a time, you can enjoy eating at social gatherings and events and still be successful at reducing calories, fat, salt, and sugar in your diet (Canada’s Food Guide, 2021).

Stay Active  

Diet should not be the only focus! Now that it's summer, there are numerous options to get our bodies moving— walking, running, hiking, mountain biking, water rafting, and yoga. If it is too hot or humid outside, change up your activity - take morning or evening walks, go for a bike ride, go swimming, and maybe do some gardening. Try to do at least 2½ hours of moderate to vigorous activity every week (Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, 2011). Let us turn regular physical activity into a habit and maintain this lifestyle throughout the year. 

Article written by past KPU students Catherine Crisostomo and Arsh Kaur.

References: 

• Canada’s Food Guide. 2021. Healthy eating for holidays and events. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/tips-for-healthy-eating/holidays-andeve… Canadian Society for Exercise  
• Physiology (2011). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines For Adults. http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_adults_en.pdf. Accessed October 28, 2014.  
• Cleveland Clinic. 2024. A Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Meal Prep. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/a-beginners-guide-to-healthy-meal-pr…  
• Nebraska Medicine (n. d.). 10 tips for staying hydrated this summer. https://health.unl.edu/10-tips-staying-hydrated-summer%C2%A0  
• The Nutrition Source. (2023, August 21). Sugary drinks. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/sugarydrink….  
• Potter M, Vlassopoulos A, Lehmann U. Snacking recommendations worldwide: a scoping review. Advances in Nutrition. 2018 Mar 1;9(2):86-98. *Disclosure: MP and UL are employed by Nestec Ltd