The summer is here – and while that may bring you excitement for enjoying the warmer weather, longer days and fun by the beach, it is also an alarm to change your nutritional habits.
Eating a well-balanced diet, rich in minerals, metals, proteins, and vitamins can help you respond to the increased dietary needs of the summer, and avoid health issues such as dehydration, skin allergies, and vitamin and mineral insufficiencies that are common during the summer months.
Hence the most appropriate way to stay fit, healthy and cool during the summer is to include the right foods in your diet at the right time and in the right proportions.
Mediterranean diet emphasizes on eating plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, replacing butter with health fats such as olive oil, using herbs and spices to flavor foods, and including dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and traditional Greek cheeses. These products have the appropriate amount of trace minerals, vitamins, and proteins that are needed to balance the losses created by extensive heat and sweating.
Vitamins
Vitamins intake is essential during the summer months, as they help the body to respond to heat stress and create physical protection. More specifically, vitamins work as powerful antioxidants that help protect skin from UV damage and may help reduce the severity of seasonal allergies. Research indicates that the vitamins that the body absorbs mostly during summer months and thus needs to supplement are Vitamins B and C. Some of the best food sources of Vitamin B are: dairy products, legumes, and seeds and nuts. To increase your Vitamin B intake, we propose you to add in your diet the following products: FOS Greek Feta Cheese, FOS Greek Organic Goat Cheese, FOS Giant Beans plane or in tomato sauce and FOS Green Olives stuffed with Almond. Respectively, in the best sources of Vitamin C supplement are included the vegetables and herbs. FOS Sun-dried Tomatoes, FOS Red Sweet Peppers, as well as FOS Wild Thyme, are excellent sources of Vitamin C.
Trace Minerals
In higher temperatures, mineral levels decrease significantly especially due to regular sweating. Thus, in summer time that temperature increases it is important to eat foods rich in minerals such as calcium, and potassium, which are the minerals that are affected mostly from the extensive heat. Moreover, the supplementation of those minerals will help control the water balance in the body and stop dehydration. The richest source of calcium is dairy products. Therefore it is important to add in your diet milk, cheese, and yogurt products of your preference. We would propose you to taste our new range of dairy Greek traditional cheeses, FOS Feta Cheese P.D.O., FOS Feta Cheese P.D.O. Organic, and FOS Organic Goat Cheese, that is a healthy and delicious option, and also rich in calcium. Regarding potassium intake, foods that include bigger amounts of this trace element are vegetables and legumes. We propose you our renewed antipasti range of products and also our traditional ones, such as FOS Sun-dried Tomatoes, FOS Giant Beans plane/or in tomato sauce, or our Pepper variety of FOS Red Sweet Peppers, Fos Red Heart Peppers, FOS Peppelino Peppers, or FOS Macedonian Peppers plain or stuffed with cheese.
Energy & Proteins
Protein intake is important during summer months, as in combination with the amino acids, contribute for a quite significant proportion of the total energy, and both are affected by extensive heat. Products from our range that are rich in proteins are: FOS Feta Cheese P.D.O., FOS Feta Cheese P.D.O. Organic, and FOS Organic Goat Cheese, and FOS Green Olives stuffed with Almond.