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Nutritional Health During Different Seasons
Once you’ve incorporated good nutrition into your healthy lifestyle you might notice that you don’t feel like eating the same foods when the seasons change. Use the suggestions below to leave yourself room for seasonal adjustments to your diet while meeting your nutritional needs.
Whether you tend towards inactivity during the extremely hot summer months or hibernate during the winter months, it’s important to adjust your calorie intake to reflect seasons when you’re more inactive than at other times of the year. The addition of a multi-vitamin during seasons when you tend to be less active is a good way to maintain good nutrition and eat less.
Many people prefer hot foods during the winter months. To preserve the benefits of eating nutritionally beneficial foods while satisfying your desire for hot foods, consider parboiling fresh vegetables to have with your meals instead of canned soups or vegetables which contain additional ingredients that are less healthful.
Consider creating your own fruit salads during summer months from berries and melons that are frequently more plentiful and less expensive when they’re in season. You can also create healthful smoothies made from 100 percent fruit to incorporate summer fruits and their nutritional benefits into your healthy diet.
Think of meeting your nutritional needs by serving healthful foods in different ways. Instead of simply eating raw apples, consider serving apples different ways such as coring apples and putting raisins and cinnamon in the space and baking them for 20 minutes or so.
Use pastas and rice that are rich in fiber rather than other pastas and rice. During summer months consider making favorite macaroni salad recipes using the healthier pasta.
Avoid drinking more alcohol during holiday seasons and during summer months. Alcohol is not beneficial either nutritionally or otherwise for your health. Instead plan on drinking bottled waters or sparkling water instead of alcohol during these seasons.
Consider incorporating local foods that are in season into your diet. Purchasing local foods frequently allows you to purchase fresher food while supporting the local economy and meeting your nutritional requirements.
Avoid dehydration all year round. During winter months when you may not feel as thirsty it’s important to keep your water intake sufficient for hydration. Your nutritional needs are better met when you keep your digestion flowing so-to-speak with water. Consider substituting an herbal tea for hot cocoa during winter months.
When you’re entertaining try incorporating one new healthy recipe into your usual meal plans. Whether you include grilled fish instead of just hamburgers and hot dogs or grilled vegetables instead of fries, a simple substitution can support nutritional and health goals.
When you’re on vacation limit experimental eating in order to sample local cuisine. Unfortunately you’ll frequently find that diving into the cultural delights of food abroad can leave you with major stomach issues that can result in depleting needed nutrition as a result of diarrhea or vomiting. Instead sample local cuisine while maintaining your eating habits.
The change in seasons frequently means you’ll change your diet but should not mean that you sacrifice your nutritional goals. Use the suggestions above to modify your diet and maintain its nutritional benefits during different seasons of the year.