27 Jul {National Picnic Month} Upgrade Your Picnic

Robinsbite intern Jaime here! Summertime is my favorite time of year- great weather, amazing food– nothing but a good time.  What better conditions for a picnic?  Picnics are usually focused on certain foods. It’s a  tradition if you will.  However, this doesn’t leave much room for the health nuts.  So, I’m taking the traditional picnic snacks and transforming them into something wholesome and delicious everyone will love.

1. Potato and macaroni salads

Before: These summer staples are often filled with a hefty amount of mayonnaise.  This spread is high in saturated fat which can lead to an increase in cholesterol levels and increased risk of heart disease.  

After: Swap the mayonnaise with olive oil.  Your salads will have the smooth texture you desire along with a healthy portion of monounsaturated fats.  According to a study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, olive oil has been shown to decrease your risk of heart disease and protect your cells from the damaging effects of free radicals.  

Try this: Dijon Vinaigrette Potato Salad by Whole Foods

2. Potato chips and dip

Before: I hate to break the news to you, but have you looked at the list of ingredients on the tortilla chips package?  They don’t quite make the qualifications for a wholesome picnic.  In addition, you can’t have those chips without a side of spinach dip or melted queso.  Packaged chips are filled with refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial ingredients which can all lead to obesity and malnutrition. 

After: Freshly sliced veggies paired with a delicious guacamole dip.  Break out those baby carrots, celery sticks, and snap peas.  These are going to be your new best friends.  The best part is you can have as many as you’d like!  Based on NHANES findings, people who consumed avocado had a diet consisting of lower intake of added sugars, a healthy BMI, lower risk of metabolic syndrome, and a better HDL (“good cholesterol”) profile.

Try this: 10 Insanely Delicious Guacamole Recipes by Women’s Health Magazine  (or..)

Raspberry & Mango Guacamole by Noms McGee (Me!)

3. The Hamburger

Before: Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, all on a sesame seed bun.  Sound familiar? Hamburgers are an American classic.  A juicy cheeseburger is what I look forward to most when I think of eating a meal outdoors.  Although red meat is OK in moderation, too much red meat is associated with cancer risk.  

After:  Portobello mushroom patty, barbecue sauce, lettuce, swiss cheese, onions, and tomato, all on a sesame seed-whole wheat bun.  Now we’re talkin’.  Mushrooms provide high quality protein, as well as, a rich source of vitamins and minerals. The benefits of this fungi were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.  The research found that these mushrooms were rather quite…magical!  The carbohydrate profiles of portobello mushrooms included beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber that aids in a healthy digestive system.

Try this: 5 Delicious Homemade Veggie Burgers by Health Magazine

Sources: http://www.avocadocentral.com/nutrition/nhanes-nutrition-journal-research

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/20070.php