Lift the lid to a healthier picnic basket this summer

Summer picnics with friends and family can awaken the senses and lift the spirits, leaving one feeling rejuvenated and relaxed yet, the festive season is often a time when we over indulge, compromising our health and waistlines. “The summer season’s selection of vegetables and fruit bountiful, so don’t sabotage your healthy eating habits by neglecting your 5-a-Day, rather take advantage and enjoy a healthier picnic basket brimming with vegetables and fruit,” recommends Jane Badham, well-known dietitian and CEO of 5-a-Day for Better Health TRUST. The Five-a-Day for Better Health TRUST encourages all South Africans to include at least five servings of fresh vegetables and fruit in their daily diet and there is no time better than summer to start. For better health and disease prevention veggies and fruit consistently come out tops and for once the nutrition scientists agree, we all need to eat more, eat plenty of these nutrient dense foods. A healthy picnic basket is an easy way of ensuring that you have at least five servings of vegetables and fruit. So ditch the boring sandwiches, high calorie crisps and sweets and make your picnic basket healthier by including strips of raw vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli and celery sticks and enjoy with dips such as humus, tsatsiki, low fat yogurt dip or salsa. Create your own interesting guacamole by adding diced red peppers to mashed avocados and you will be providing your body with a healthy dose of essential fats. For those with a sweet tooth, a fruit salad or kebab containing apples, grapes, bananas, kiwifruit, strawberries, pineapples, litchis and mango is not only a colourful treat but full of Vitamin C and vital antioxidants. Thirst quenchers are a must when having a picnic in the sun so add sliced berries, lemons or oranges to ice cold water, make your own frozen fruit lollies or just simply ensure that you have plenty of 100% pure fruit juices in your basket. But most of all enjoy the warm sunny days South Africa has to offer and whether you are taking your picnic basket to the beach, park or sports event do it the 5-a-day way and you’ll see and feel the difference!