Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Picnics

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Who doesn’t love a good picnic? Picnics are one of the best parts of summer and a great chance to spend some well-deserved time outside enjoying the sunshine. The average person picnics around three times a year, so that’s 94 million picnics that happen each year! Dining al fresco doesn’t need to be boring or unhealthy, use this as an opportunity to continue your healthy habits and eat a range of nutritious and heart healthy foods. Why not combine a picnic with a nice walk in the countryside and increase your physical activity levels too?

Here Heart Research UK share some tips on how to enjoy a healthier picnic.

Be Prepared

Theres nothing worse than tasty food that’s been spoilt in the heat. Use this as the perfect time to invest in cool bag/box that’ll keep your food cold and fresh for optimal enjoyment. You might also find it useful to get a picnic blanket too. This will not only give you somewhere more comfortable to sit, but it will also help to protect you and your food/drinks from insects and damp ground.

Make Nutritious Foods

We all know the food at picnics is the main event, so by preparing your own at home you can have an array of heart healthy tasty foods to nibble on. If you’re wanting to eat a classic sandwich, then make sure you choose a healthier wholemeal bread option and fill it full of salad and vegetables. Fruit skewers, roasted chickpeas and homemade hummus with wholemeal pitta breads are all great picnic options that are easy to prep in advance.
Heart Research UK’s Greek salad or cheese and courgette savoury muffins also make tasty heart healthy choices.

Enjoy Time with Friends and Family

Picnics are great for socialising with friends and family and unwinding from the stresses of life. Stress can increase both your heart rate and blood pressure which puts an increased strain on your heart, so taking time out from your busy schedule to relax and socialise over a picnic can be great for your health.

Add in Some Physical Activity

Why not use this designated time outside to increase your physical activity levels too. You could do this by making the picnic halfway through a nice walk or bike ride in the countryside. Alternatively, you could take a frisbee or ball with you and play a group game of catch. By increasing your physical activity levels and eating healthier picnic food, you’re keeping your heart healthy.

Heart Research UK
Proud to stand out from the crowd, Heart Research UK is the charity dedicated to your heart. They inspire and invest in pioneering medical research, ground-breaking training and education, and in communities to improve their heart health for themselves. For over 50 years they have driven advancements in the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease to benefit patients as soon as possible.

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