Get Healthy: Tips for Eating Well and Staying Active this Summer

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Fresh salsa is a delicious way to enjoy fresh, from-the-garden tomatoes. Eat with baked tortilla chips or use as a topping for your favorite Mexican fare, grilled chicken, or fish.

Ingredients:

4 cups diced tomatoes (5-6 medium)

3/4 finely diced red onion

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1-2 jalapeños, seeded and minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Lentil and Veggie Tostadas

These tostadas are a delicious way to eat nutrient-rich whole grain corn tortillas and lentils. This dish is great for a light meal or appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups water

3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

1 to 2 tablespoons snipped cilantro

16 corn tortillas

Non-stick cooking spray

2 cups (or more) assorted chopped vegetables (such as broccoli, tomato, zucchini and/or yellow summer squash)

2 cups shredded reduced fat or 2% milk cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)

Directions:

1) Turn on oven and preheat to 375˚F.

2) In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, lentils, onion, salt, cumin (if desired) and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to mash the cooked lentils; stir in cilantro.

3) While lentil mixture simmers, place corn tortillas on cookie sheets and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in 375˚oven until crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Rotate trays halfway through baking.

4) Spread lentil mixture on tostada shells; top with vegetables and cheese. Place on a large baking sheet. Broil 6 inches from the heat about 2 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Gazpacho Salad

This colorful salad is sometimes made with bacalao, which is cured in salt and needs to be soaked or boiled to remove some of the sodium. In this recipe, canned tuna makes a quick and lower sodium substitute for the bacalao. 

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)

1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 green pepper, chopped

12 oz can of tuna packed in water, drained

1 avocado

Juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Mix chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers and tuna in a large bowl. Cut avocado, remove seed and cube the flesh. Add it to the bowl with the other ingredients and gently mix.

2. In a separate small bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Whisk together to combine. Pour dressing over salad. Serve immediately. 

Blueberry Multigrain Pancakes

Pancake mixes tend to be very high in sodium and some may contain trans fat. Here is a much healthier, whole grain version that you can make from scratch.  Make an extra batch and freeze the cooked pancakes for quick breakfasts any day of the week!

Ingredients:

1 large egg (or 2 large egg whites)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 1/4 cups fat-free milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup whole grain yellow corn meal

1/3 cup quick oats

1/3 cup toasted wheat germ

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon canola oil

3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (slightly thawed)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Add next ingredients in the list (through sugar). Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Allow batter to sit 3 minutes.

2. Heat 1/3 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet or electric fry pan over moderate heat (300°F).

3. Stir blueberries into batter. For each pancake, use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop batter and pour onto heated skilled. Cook until browned on bottom side and pour onto heated skillet. Cook until browned on bottom side and batter appears dry around the edges of the pancakes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown. Remove from skillet and keep warm. 

Crock Pot Vegetable Gumbo

Making this classic dish in a crock pot cuts back on preparation time. Since this dish contains only vegetables and no meat, the fat and calories remain low. 

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound frozen sliced okra

1 1/2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes, or 1 pound no salt added canned diced tomatoes

2 cups frozen or fresh corn kernels

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons fresh copped parsley or 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium-size (4- to 6-quart) crock pot, combine all ingredients.

2. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until vegetables are tender and hot. 

Peach Cobbler

This lighter version of peach cobbler may not be exactly the same as the original, but give it a try -- you might find that you love this version all the same!

Filling Ingredients:

Three 15 ounce cans sliced peaches in a pear juice, drained and juice reserved (~4-5 cups drained peach slices)                                                                    

1/3 cup reserved pear juice, or unsweetened white grape pear, white grape, or apple juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup white whole wheat flour (or 1/2 cup each of white flour and whole wheat flour combined)

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons soft, tub margarine that contains 58-64% vegetable oil and no trans fat

1/2 cup skim milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Prepare filling. Pour juices into a 2-quart saucepan. Whisk in sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Heat and stir over medium heat until mixture just begins to thicken. Add peaches and increase heat to medium-high. Stir and cook until mixture begins a slow boil. Cook another 30 seconds. Pour peach mixture into an un-greased 2-quart baking dish.

3. Prepare topping. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut in margarine with a fork until mixture is a bit crumbly. Stir in milk. Drop batter by the tablespoonfuls over the peaches, about 12 tablespoonfuls (3 rows of 4). 

4. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 375°F oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the toping comes out clean and filling is bubbly. Serve warm or cold. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

Straight From the Doctor's Mouth:

In her article on obesity entitled "When Losing is Winning,"Style contributing writer Maria Coole discusses the key role that family commitment plays in having a healthy lifestyle. The following is a supplement to that article in which Coole interviews Dr. Scott Deron of the Heart Group and the Healthy Weight Management program at Lancaster General Health to discover healthy eating tips for you and your loved ones.

Carbs are not our friends.

Dr. Scott Deron of the Heart Group and the Healthy Weight Management program at Lancaster General Health wants to help improve people's health, not just through doing catheterizations, but through diet, nutrition and a healthy weight.

Here are some tips from Deron:

Our bodies don't do well with carbohydrates, he says. When we eat carbs our bodies produce insulin. Insulin turns the carbohydrate calories into fats. "Not until we limit carbohydrates and limit insultin response are we then able to lose weight," he says.

So how do we use this informaiton in our lives?

Deron shares the five bad vegetables to stay away from: corn, potatoes, peas, lima beans and beets.

Instead, eat vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus. They have lots of fiber and antioxidants packed with their carbohydrates, says Deron.

"Fiber prevents sugar from being rapidly absorbed so you don't get as big an insulin response," he says.

For those who are at an unhealthy weight, do not eat fruit until you are close to a good body weight, says Deron. "Fruit is mother nature's unrefined sugar," he says.

For more healthy eating tips, see Maria Coole's article "When Losing is Winning" in the July/August issue of Susquehanna Style. 

Now, Get Active!

Now that you've smartened up your eating habits with tips from Lighten Up Lancaster and Dr. Scott Deron of Lancaster General Health, getting active is the next step to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Cardiovascular activity for 30-60 min a day has numerous health benefits, including lowering the risk of type II diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart disease and even certain cancers. Make exercise a priority by challenging these common excuses and move on towards a healthier you!

• Break the daily 30 min minimum into smaller 10-15 min blocks. Shorter spans may be easier to incorporate into your busy lifestyle.
• Sneak physical activity into your day: park farther away from the grocery store, walk the kids to and from the bus stop, and always take the stairs instead of the elevator. You'll be surprised how little spurts of excercise add up!
• Turn your housekeeping into a workout. Cleaning the house and doing yardwork can be surprisingly challenging, so use this opportunity to get a workout and tidy things up at the same time.
• Watching television burns minimal calories, but you can still enjoy your favorite show and get healthy by walking on the treadmill, doing sit-ups, or lifting weights during the program. 
• Your health is important! Schedule exercise appointments into your day and treat them with the same importance as any other engagement you may have during the day.

• Walking is excellent exercise and doesn't require a gym membership. Slip on your sneakers and zip around the mall, take a spin around a local school's track, or explore parks nearby for a beautiful and fun way to exercise.
• Don't buy expensive weight sets or pay for a gym; use filled water bottles, cans of soup, or heavy books for weights. You could even incorporate your younger children into your workout by lifting them up and down a few times (giggles are great encouragement!).
• Workout videos are fun and can be done in the privacy of your own home. Check out your local library for videos to rent or browse on YouTube for exercice channels; you'll be surprised at how many there are!
• Do some research. Sometimes employers offer discounts on gyms, and your insurance company may partially reimburse you for gym membership fees.

• Make it fun! If you don't like running, try swimming or walking. If you like variety, mix up your routine by doing different activities every day. Make sure to try new things like dancing, pilates, yoga, or spinning.
• Exercise with friends; combine your social and excercise time by making physical activity a group event. Plus, the encouragement of the group will keep you motivated and you'll be more likely to make exercise a priority.
• Make exercise a family affair: go for family walks, bike rides, or have a sports day at a local park. Set up obstacle courses or challenge the kids to make up a brand new game. Remember to play yourself!