Healthy Eating
Jun 18Take advantage of summer’s seasonal bounty by adding these nutritional powerhouses to your warm-weather diet.
Basil
This fragrant herb takes center stage when added to any summer dish, but it flies under the radar when it comes to its impressive nutrition content. “If you have a garden full of basil, savor it for more than its flavor! Basil has antioxidant properties and provides almost 25 percent of the vitamin K a woman needs in a day,” says Marisa Moore, RDN, a dietitian in Atlanta, Georgia. Add to a salad or marinade, sprinkle over berries and ice cream, or muddle into a skinny summer cocktail. Check out the 20 superfoods that could help you lose weight.
Grapes
Sweet, tangy, and packed with antioxidants, grapes are quickly racking up the science to back up their superfood status. They’re good sources of vitamin K, which helps blood clot and may contribute to strong bones, and a study in Experimental Gerontology found that consuming grapes twice a day for six months protected against metabolic decline in regions of the brain associated with early Alzheimer’s disease, plus enriched metabolic activity in areas of the brain related to memory and attention. “Snack on them fresh, frozen, or add to salads, salsas, or smoothies,” says Moore. California grapes are in season from May through January.
Strawberries
These sweet treats are loaded with fiber, folate, and potassium—plus, just ten of them pack in your daily allotment of vitamin C. What’s more, research says consuming strawberries three times a week may slash your risk of suffering a heart attack by 34 percent. Learn 10 more reasons you should be eating more strawberries.
Sweet corn
Nothing says “summer” like gnawing on a sugary sweet ear of corn. Though the debate rages on whether it’s a vegetable or a grain, one thing’s for certain—it’s pretty darn good for you. Yellow sweet corn has a bit of protein and fiber, plus magnesium and vitamin B6. Try this time-saving trick that makes your corn on the cob taste amazing.
Healthy Eating – Reader's Digest
