No more homework, no more books….. Do you miss the days when “summer” meant endless days of fun with no responsibilities? Those days may be gone (well for most of us!), but it doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy the season. The easiest thing to do? Get outside or open a window! In an office all day? Take a walk on your lunch break, or bring your lunch outside to a nearby picnic table and warm up those chilly air conditioned limbs. Working at home? Take your laptop outside and spend a few minutes in the sunshine.
Fire it Up!
Another of our favorite things about summer? Grilling, well, anything. Use the longer summer days to your advantage and fire up the barbecue. Grilled veggies may be one of our favorites – not only do they taste great, but they’re one of our best strategies for making CambiatiClean eating manageable (and delicious). Chop up as many as you can (imagine you’re competing on TopChef), grill ’em up and voila! You’ll have ready-made ingredients for salad, scrambles, or just to eat plain with minimal effort.
Our favorite seasonings on grilled veggies are simple and perfect for a cook out – show your friends how delicious clean eating can be!
-A bit of avocado oil brushed over any combination of onions, peppers, eggplant, asparagus, summer squash, zucchini
-A sprinkle of sea salt and/or Coconut Aminos
-Optional to “spice it up” with cayenne or smoked paprika (or your favorites!)
If you love to throw chicken or meat onto the barbecue, remember to choose the best-quality animal products you can get your hands on. You can’t beat the convenience of delivery, and not only do they arrive fresh to your door but US Wellness Meats offers high quality grassfed beef, poultry, and a variety of other great items. Lettuce wraps work great as a hamburger bun alternative.
If a frosty beverage says summer to you, why not try some Mockaritas? We love C+BioFizz to give it zing! Or juice up a few limes or lemons (Meyers are extra sweet!) and sweeten with xylitol or stevia, add mint or other herbs for variation. Bonus points to freeze into popsicles!
Soak up the Sun
Almost nothing says summer like, well, the sun. More than just lifting our mood, exposure to sunlight provides Vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin.” (Did you know it’s actually a hormone?) We all know Vitamin D is important for healthy bones, but did you know it’s crucial for our immune system as well? In fact, a Vitamin D supplement may just be more effective than a flu shot. Vitamin D is also supports heart health and blood pressure regulation and is associated with decreased risk of hypertension.
While we can get it from food and supplements, the best source of “the sunshine vitamin” is, drumroll please”¦the sun! In today’s world, most of us don’t get enough natural light, and instead spend much of our days inside (the light from a computer screen doesn’t count!) and get very little sunlight on our skin. Though we can help fill our needs with a supplement (Vitamin D3 is best – find it in Vitamin D Supreme or Twice Daily Packets), the best place to get Vitamin D is the sun itself.
In addition to rolling up your sleeves and getting a few minutes of sun each day, make sure to include some food sources in your diet like oily fish (e.g., salmon, mackerel, trout), sardines, cod liver oil, pastured egg yolks, leafy greens or butter (look for organic and grassfed!).
Look for Non-Toxic Sun Protection
When you consider sun protection, remember that what we put on our skin is absorbed rapidly into our bodies and many ingredients found in low quality skin care are toxic. Before buying your next sunscreen, take a look at the EWG’s Sunscreen Guide and resources that cover everything from sun safety to ingredients in common skincare products.
When choosing sunscreen, there are some common things to avoid (like spray sunscreens, super high SPFs, the ingredients oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate and more) and others that are better choices, like zinc oxide. They also have a robust list of the best choices for sunscreens out there.
Now that you have your CambiatiClean guide to enjoying the best of summer, step away from the computer”¦ Head outside and enjoy your summer!
Don’t Put it Off Any Longer!
Don’t waste any more precious summer days and nights feeling blah. With 14 Day, 28 Day and MyCambiati classes to choose from, we’ll help you feel better and have more energy. Join us now to feel your best!