Summer is in full swing and usually this means festivals, sunny days out, and day trips galore. So whether you are planning on making a visit to Electric Picnic, Oxegen, or a long, active day out with the family, make sure you are well kitted out with nutritious snacks to keep fuel levels topped up for your body’s engine!
Dancing, walking, and running burn plenty of calories, but to keep you going that extra mile, your body needs carbohydrates.
So what to choose? Whether in your tent or on a picnic bench, munch on the following affordable, nutritious snacks: mini cereal boxes, cereal bars, fruit or wholemeal scone with your favourite jam, multigrain bagel and peanut butter, popcorn, fruit brack, fun-sized fruit pieces, and fruit tubs.
Choose wholegrain or wholemeal versions of the above breads and cereals. This will fill you up and keep you going with lots of energy for a lot longer.
Foods containing protein will feed the well-worn muscles struggling in wellies or runners. For the festival-goers mixed nuts are a useful protein snack option to have on hand, but you might just have to fork out an extra few euros for a hot main meal of chicken or beef!
Organised day trippers could bring the following protein rich snacks; just make sure they are kept well chilled until eaten: chicken/ tuna wrap; hummus with wholegrain crackers and raw carrot/ celery sticks; pitta pockets with tuna, light mayonnaise and salad; home made smoothies; and yoghurt drink/ pots.
And finally don’t forget fluid! In general we need about 8-10 glasses of fluid a day to keep the body healthy, but this need can increase with extra activity, warmer temperatures, and alcohol intake. Water, milk, fruit juices, diluted squash, and tea and coffee all count towards your daily fluid intake.
Why not check out www.safefood.eu for great advice on picnic food hygiene or try www.littlesteps.eu for day trip ideas for the family.
For more information on diet and nutrition, please contact Maria at the Community Nutrition and Dietetic Service, HSE Dublin-Mid Leinster at (044 ) 9353220 or email [email protected].
