Summertime: feel-good food ideas for long, hot days

Better Nutrition, July, 2004 by Kat James

Summer beauty food isn't merely about eating "light," it's about eating well. And it's about more than simply taking off pounds: The real goals are stable energy and blood sugar, maximum nourishment, true satiety and pleasure. Here are some strategic upgrades for your favorite foods and beverages that will give your body a rejuvenating boost while adding exciting new flavors to your summer fare.

Low-Garb Tacos & Pasta

Using low-carb foods as tools to avoid blood sugar spikes is something to consider, whether you're on an extreme low-carb regimen or not.

Just in time for summer, the latest low-oath breads, tortillas and pastas have really improved. Rudi's Organic Bakery just came out with a low-carb herb bread with rosemary that's simply delicious. French Meadow Bakery offers naturally lower-carb breads thanks to their high fiber and high protein content. Look for the new organic low-carb tortillas and pastas, too.

Decadent Summer Salads

Make healthier chef and cobb salads by using darker, organic greens and free-range and organic meats, cheeses and dairy instead of conventional fixings and iceberg or romaine lettuce. Save yourself the work by picking up bags of prewashed mixed organic greens.

Make your mayonnaise-based egg, tuna, macaroni and potato salads healthier with omega-3 fatty acid-rich mayonnaise (see sidebar). Better yet, skip the potatoes and conventional macaroni, which may drain your energy, and make low-carb pasta or protein-based salads instead. Waldorf salads (basically apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise) are a eat source of stable energy. Other ideas: avocado salads, guacamole (served with low-carb chips) and tabbouleh (buy the mix, and use lots of detoxifying fresh parsley, red onions and tomatoes).

Pestos are perfect for coaling low-carb pasta, and they're more sustaining than marinara sauces because they contain nuts and cheese. Cilantro pesto is delicious tossed with avocado and tomato slices and served with low-oath tortillas.

Beach and Barbeque Strategies

Chips and pretzels, although addictive (the conventional ones, anyway), can make you sluggish and put weight on you in no time. On your way to the beach, grab some low-carb pretzels and sugar-free cookies made with almond flour. For a slow-burning, energy-stabilizing treat, pick up some Spirulina Ginseng Balls or tamari almonds from your local health food store.

For the grill, skip the barbeque sauce and other sweet sauces, and instead, sprinkle your meats and poultry with antioxidant herbs such as rosemary and turmeric. You'll actually reduce the free radicals that make grilling unhealthful.

Rejuvenating Liquid Refreshment

Using healthful sweeteners is key to losing and feeling good. So why not cut out sugar and artificial sweeteners (which carry their own risks) and try sweetening your lemonade, smoothies and summer dessert recipes with xylitol, lo hart or stevia? With xylitol, you'll use about half as much xylitol as you would sugar. Xylitol is a substance produced naturally in the body. When eaten in large amounts, it may have a laxative effect in some people, but its health benefits are many. It inhibits tooth decay and was shown to build bone density in animal studies. Stevia--sold as a dietary supplement--is super-sweet, so you'll use much less. The same is true for lo han.

Steaz makes low-sugar, stevia-sweetened diet sodas, which are perfect for the beach and other festivities. Rather than drinking sugar-loaded sodas, you'll experience a huge health and beauty benefit simply by upgrading to a low-sugar beverage such as Steaz's Cola. It's made with green tea, which reduces the harmful effects of free radicals.

For an equally compelling upgrade from sugar-laden, bottled iced tea, I recommend sugar-flee or low-sugar bottled green teas containing 5 grams of sugar or less. I particularly love Teas' Tea by Ito En--the Green Jasmine flavor is like drinking flowers!

Feel-Good Frozen Concoctions

Now consider the monetary and health costs of those coffeehouse concoctions that jolt your body and blood sugar levels as much as they siphon your wallet. Next time you crave the coffeehouse experience, try ordering steamed organic milk or soymilk along with a tea bag of chat. Let it steep, or, if you want a cold drink, pour the mixture over ice. It's a creamy concoction that won't stress your body'. For a more coffee-like experience, make your own lattes and herbal espressos with Teeccino, the caffeine-free herbal coffee that brews and smells like the real thing. Or use a Vita-Mix to make mocha ice cream by blending whole milk or half and half with Teeccino along with ice cubes and a healthful sweetener.

Speaking of ice cream, Joseph Bongiorno, the chef for a recent InnerBeauty program, makes a chocolate gelato from a classic recipe, but he uses xylitol to sweeten it. He then adds fresh rosemary. It's liberating to know that if you're avoiding high-glycemic foods, then full-fat ice cream made with a low-glycemic sweetener and oilier flavorings--fruits, herbs, spices or even unsweetened organic chocolate--is something you actually can indulge in.