Happy Pride Month! It’s that time of year to celebrate being you — although you should be doing that all year, now is the time to do it in droves at an epic scale. It’s especially true this year, given that Pride events have been curtailed since the beginning of the pandemic. And although I don’t want to be a Mopey Myrtle, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you to keep your nutrition priorities straight (even if nothing else about you is).
Here are some other wellness reminders: Wear sunscreen. Drink lots of water. Keep a healthy snack in your pocket. Look both ways before you cross the street. Ignore the homophobic trolls who bring megaphones. Etc.
Back to the food.
The colors in fruits and vegetables are an important part of what makes them beneficial to your nutrition strategy. As with everything else at Pride, keep your food colorful, too. Get as much variety as you can. I have been telling clients for years to eat what I call a Rainbow Diet. It’s easy. Be sure to include one serving each day of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. You can combine them however you like, and the choices of fruits and veggies can change as often as you wish. Ideally you would have four or five colors as vegetables, and two or three as fruit. Mix and match to your heart’s content. Here are some colorful ideas for your Pride banquets.
Fruit Smoothie (You are what you eat!)
You will want to blend each of these into a purée, and then half freeze them separately: Strawberry, Orange, Pineapple, Kiwi, Blueberry, and Blackberry. Once they are relatively solid, they can be slowly poured into layers into mugs and then set to harden. Pour each layer without stirring them. The separate colors will sit in a stack, and will be a refreshing way to eat healthy while it’s so hot. Let this thaw for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.
Spectrum Salad
Your food should be beautiful. When you look at it, it should be pretty as a picture. One way to make salads beautiful is to treat them like a painting. Once you have your base layer, add colors throughout. Use a spring salad base, as this will include several shades of green and perhaps even some purple, depending on the mix. Include sun dried tomatoes, shredded carrot, diced yellow pepper, fresh berries, shredded purple cabbage, and whatever nuts or seeds you and your guests can tolerate. Flavor it with a handmade dressing, using a base of avocado oil. To this, add fresh minced basil, garlic, salt, black pepper, and a hint of clove.
Charcuterie Platter
Fresh finger foods arranged tastefully on a serving tray or platter can add lots of color to what might otherwise be a nutritional desert on your table. In place of crackers, offer celery, radishes, carrots, and sliced cucumber. In place of heavily processed condiments, offer hummus. A variety of cheeses is great for those who aren’t vegetarian. In place of processed meats (especially those preserved with sodium nitrate), offer cold cuts that have been cured only in salt. Prosciutto is an excellent example, and it pairs fantastically with cantelope.
There will likely be an overabundance of junk food at many of the events you will attend over the course of Pride. Consider ways in which you can participate in the festive atmosphere while also creating a reprieve from unhealthy snacks. These naturally colorful types of foods are not only good for you in general, they also help you recover from celebrating in the heat. This is especially true when the heat is mixed with alcohol. Having healthy snacks available will also promote hydration, and the phytonutrients in these treats will help you and your cohorts detox.