By Alana Gold, Registered Dietitian

With the warmer weather and blue skies, many people enjoy the summertime tradition of picnics and relaxing outdoors. But picnic lovers beware—typical picnic spreads include high calorie and high fat foods such as potato salads, greasy burgers, chips and beer. Let Truestar give you some healthy picnic ideas for a tasty, and lean, summertime tradition.

Making picnic food healthy
With a little planning, you can enjoy a picnic without comprising your waistline or your health. Filling your picnic basket with good, healthy and nutritious choices is easy as 1-2-3!

1. Appetizers: Everyone loves finger foods, so pack some cut up veggies—carrots, celery, broccoli, green and red pepper—and bring along a lowfat dip. Think color when choosing veggies. This will maximize the amount of vitamins you get in your meal. A popular favorite, especially for kids, is celery sticks or crackers topped with peanut butter. Baked tortilla chips and salsa, a soy nut and dried fruit mix and cheese and crackers are also great appetizer options. Avoid creamy pasta and potato salads. Not only high in fat, they are also an ideal medium for the growth of bacteria causing food-borne illness. Instead, try a garden salad with vegetables, beans, mandarin oranges or mango and top with chopped nuts and oil and vinegar dressing. Try our Tangy triple bean appetizer favorite.

2. Entrees: Pitas or wraps are a healthy picnic meal. Simply pair a protein source of choice—turkey, chicken, lean ham, tuna or salmon—with lettuce leaves and vegetables such as chopped celery, peppers, onion and shredded carrots. Replace mayonnaise with mustard or drizzle with olive oil and vinegar dressing. Salads topped with flaked tuna or salmon and oil and vinegar dressing also make a great picnic meal. If your picnic area has a BBQ, try grilled chicken breasts, lean hamburgers, turkey burgers or veggie burgers. If you opt for a bun with your burger, choose wholegrain over white. Grilled vegetables on a skewer are also a tasty option. Try red or green peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Corn on the cob is also a BBQ favorite.

3. Desserts: Skipping out on the high fat treats doesn’t necessarily mean you need to miss out on a summer sweet. Try a colorful and delicious fruit salad with peaches, mangoes, berries, kiwis, watermelon—the list goes on and on! The more colorful your foods, the more nutrients! Healthier cookies, brownies and muffins are also an option. See Tasty Truestar Desserts for healthier dessert options.

Other picnic ideas
Drinks: Time sent in the sun makes you more prone to fluid loss. Be sure to drink at least eight glasses of pure filtered water a day. Instead of sugary drinks, try natural fruit juices diluted with water. Sweet drinks can increase thirst and add unwanted calories. For a cool treat, add soda water to natural fruit juices, freeze until slushy and eat with a spoon. Try to limit alcohol intake, as alcohol can be dehydrating and is high in calories.

Be active in the outdoors: Being outside is a great opportunity to get some exercise and stay fit. Enjoy a brisk walk in the park or a bike ride or play a game of baseball. See the Truestar Exercise Program for more information.

Important tips to follow to keep safe:

• Always wash your hands with soap and water before handling food and after handling raw meats or poultry, using the bathroom, changing diapers or touching pets.
• When going on a picnic or camping, research the destination before your trip to see if there is a source of clean water. If not, bring enough water for preparation, cleaning and drinking. You can also pack disposable wipes or antibacterial hand sanitizing lotions.
• Choose your picnic foods wisely. Bacteria prefer foods high in protein and moisture. These foods include milk products, eggs, poultry, meats, fish, shellfish, mayonnaise (tuna salad or potato salads), cream pies, custards, salad dressings and gravies.
• Pack food, especially raw meats, in separate containers to prevent cross-contamination. Pack meats at the bottom of the cooler to prevent juices from dripping onto other foods.
• Use separate utensils and plates for raw meats and cooked meats.
• Be sure to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold until ready to eat them.
• Carry your cooler in the air-conditioned car—not the trunk. At the picnic site, put it in the shade with the lid closed. Remove food just prior to serving. Replace melted ice.
• Consider packing one cooler for beverages and another for food, as the beverage cooler is likely to be opened more frequently.
• Serve food quickly and return food (including leftovers) to cooler within one hour. Discard all cooked food left unrefrigerated for more than one hour.
• If using the BBQ, be sure to cook meats until they’re hot all the way through, the meat is no longer pink and juices run clear. Cook meat to 160 F, poultry to 185 F and ground poultry to 165 F (use a meat thermometer to check temperature). However, do not cook meats until they are charred and black. If they are charred or black, throw them away as these meats could contain harmful cancer-causing substances called heterocyclic amines (HAs). See Healthy Summer BBQ for more information.
• Keep food covered whenever possible to protect it from insects, birds and pets, which can carry bugs.
• Wash fruits and vegetables carefully in clean water to get rid of any bacteria, which may be on the outside skin.

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