Drinks
The quantity and quality of what we drink is an issue I’ve tackled many times over the 25 years that I’ve been writing for the Kangaroo Valley Voice.
Summer obviously affects how much fluid we need because we sweat more in hotter weather. Lost fluids always need to be replaced although the quantity will vary from day to day.
We often hear claims that if you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Thirst can be a little slow in restoring fluids under some circumstances, such as in extreme heat or during endurance sports when you’re literally dripping with sweat. If such conditions are prolonged, it makes sense to drink a little more than you think you need, but in general, thirst is an excellent indicator of fluid needs.
A simple way to judge if you are meeting your fluid needs is to check the colour of your urine. If it’s a pale colour, you’re doing well. If it’s an obvious yellow, you need to drink more.
What you drink is also important. When we feel hungry, we don’t assume we’re suffering from malnutrition. The idea that thirst equals dehydration was planted by those marketing certain beverages. The ideal drink is water. From the tap is fine.
There’s no problem taking some water as moderate quantities of tea or coffee, say 1-3 cups of coffee or 2-4 cups of average strength tea/day, preferably without sugar. Tea and coffee have a slight diuretic effect, but they contribute much more water than they cause to be excreted. In any case, an important reason to consume fluid is to enable the kidneys to flush out unwanted substances that arise from food or our usual metabolism.
Sparkling water is fine. Although it is slightly acidic, it has little damaging effect on tooth enamel, unlike sweet drinks, especially cola, even if it has replaced sugar with artificial sweetener.
The sugar content in soft drinks means they are not an ideal fluid replacement, with an average can containing 9-12 teaspoons of sugar. Juice drinks have a similar sugar content, averaging 6 teaspoons/250 mL and even if they have no added sugar, the natural sugar in fruit juice provides 5-6 teaspoons/250 mL. When we eat fruit, dietary fibre in the fruit not only slows down the rate at which sugar is absorbed, but it’s also filling. Few people would (or could) munch their way through five apples, but if they’re juiced, it takes only seconds to take in all their sugar (and kilojoules).
A cold beer or chilled white wine may be a pleasant way to consume fluid, but it’s important to replace lost fluid with water before starting on alcohol. During many types of sport or hard physical work, small injuries occur in muscle fibres. These will heal spontaneously within 24 hours, but if you add alcohol to dehydrated and even slightly damaged tissue, repair can take around 5 days. So it makes sense to replenish fluid with water before starting on anything alcoholic.
Food
Cold weather increases the body’s need for kilojoules, although this is less significant for those whose lives are spent in heated environments. However, in hot weather, most of us need fewer kilojoules simply because we tend to sit around more. Ideally then, we should eat a little less of foods that are high in kilojoules.
Salads are ideal summer foods and, thankfully, with modern recipes and varied ingredients, salads have moved beyond the old ‘rabbit food’ salads of yesteryear. Lots of deliciously different recipes are available online from champions such as Yotam Ottolenghi or Jamie Oliver. Check them out for special occasion ideas.
Raw vegetables have the highest levels of vitamin C and folate. Not everything needs to be raw, however. Some of the carotenoids which function as antioxidants are more easily absorbed from cooked vegetables because the heat breaks down some of the starchy material that can prevent efficient absorption. A little extra virgin olive oil also helps the absorption of carotenoids from either cooked or raw vegetables.
Essential salad ingredients
Vary the vegies
- interesting greens (see list below)
- capsicum – red, yellow and green varieties are stacked with vitamin C and other nutritional goodies. For the sweetest flavour, roast capsicums and peel off the skin (also helps those who find them hard to digest).
- eggplant slices, barbecued or cooked on a heavy-based pan smeared with olive oil
- orange sweet potato or pumpkin –sliced and barbecued, grilled or cooked on a non-stick pan for a few minutes
- garlic –whole bulbs roasted so you squeeze out the soft flavoursome flesh
- baby beetroot – wrap in foil and baked, then peeled, halved or quartered
- broccoli – blanched, then plunged into cold water to keep the bright green colour
- asparagus – use raw or blanched
- cauliflower – blanched or cooked with curry spices, tossed with baby spinach with a dressing of yoghurt, lime juice and chutney
- mushrooms – slice raw buttons and marinate in a little dressing
- tomatoes – look for different varieties
- zucchini – slice lengthwise and grill on the barbecue.
Additions to make a meal
- Use the barbeque or a pan and cook strips of free-range chicken thighs, lamb fillet or haloumi cheese, toss with a little pesto and pile on top of a jumble of salad leaves.
- Add any kind of seafood – canned tuna or salmon, fresh fish (slice a fillet and cook on a pan with a little olive oil) or a few grilled prawns.
- Go vego and add drained canned chickpeas, white beans, bean mix or edamame (frozen and podded make this easy). Top with toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans or peanuts, plus sunflower seeds and green pepitas for even more protein, vitamins and minerals.
Dressing
- Mix a basic dressing using 2 parts Australian extra virgin olive (Australian oils will be fresher and therefore retain more beneficial ‘bioactives’) to 1 part lemon juice, wine vinegar or balsamic plus a good spoonful of Dijon mustard.
- For an Asian dressing (low in kilojoules) combine lime juice, chilli, lemon grass, fresh coriander, a pinch of sugar and a dash of fish sauce
- For a healthy alternative to mayonnaise, blend low fat yoghurt with lemon or lime juice, lemon zest and Dijon mustard.
- Grow fresh basil and make your own pesto, adding extra virgin olive oil, nuts (macadamia, unsalted blanched almonds or cashews), fresh garlic and Parmesan. Goes well with steamed new potatoes.
Great greens
- Lettuce – all varieties have folate, darker leaves give more beta carotene plus vitamin C
- Endive – good source of potassium, iron, vitamin C and folate
- Watercress – adds vitamin E, folate, iron and a bumper crop of carotenoids
- Baby spinach – more folate, fibre and vitamins
- Fresh asparagus – vitamin E, folate and beta carotene
- Rocket – the more bitter the rocket, the higher its level of valuable antioxidants
- Pea sprouts – folate, fibre and vitamin C
- Edamame – add protein, dietary fibre magnesium, folate, vitamin K, iron
