Summer can be a busy time for everyone, but 9NEWS wants to make sure you have all your Summer Health Essentials.
Registered Dietitian Pat Baird says many summer meals are notorious for being loaded with fat and cholesterol.
"The Center for Disease Control says that about 76 million people get some sort of food contamination. Summer is however a great time to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables," Baird said. "You want to wash them completely. Summer is such a prime time because most of the produce is local and inexpensive. You want to look at color. Red, yellow, green, orange. What's important about color is it gives you an idea of the antioxidant in the fruit or vegetable."
Summer health isn't just about exercising and eating right. Taking care of your skin while out in the sun is an important factor of staying healthy during summer.
"We want to protect against skin cancer but here is the health angle: when you use an SPF above 8, you block the absorption of Vitamin D. So, you want to wear the sunscreen and protect your skin but the Skin Cancer Foundation says you can safely be out in the sun for 10 to 15 minutes of unprotected sun," Baird said.
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