Celebrating Father’s Day the Healthy Way

It’s time to celebrate fathers everywhere! Read below for a few helpful tips for keeping dad healthy this Father’s Day and beyond.

This past year has put so many of us through the wringer, both emotionally and physically. As we slowly find our way back to normal, we can finally look forward to the future.

So vow to make this year’s celebration different. This year - and every year after - make it a point to prioritize your husband’s or father’s health.

Men face a higher risk of several chronic health problems, but there are so many easy and enjoyable ways to encourage the man of the family to stay active and eat healthy to keep these conditions at bay.

Simple ways to keep dad healthy this Father’s Day

Lighten up your BBQ! If your cookout is not complete without hot dogs, burgers, and all the fixings, be sure to make wise, healthy choices along the way.

Beef hot dogs: choose hot dogs made of lean, nitrate-free, uncured beef, preferably organic if available. Hot dogs can be packed with sodium, so look for ones that have less than 370mg of sodium per dog.

Hamburgers: select 95% lean ground beef over traditional 85% lean ground beef to slash your saturated fat and calorie counts, and choose grass-fed if possible for its heart-healthy dose of omega 3s. Combine finely chopped veggies like onions, mushrooms, and colored peppers into your patties for an extra nutrition boost.

Buns: ditch the empty carbs found in refined, white wheat buns for your burgers and dogs and opt for higher-fiber whole grain buns. Look for “whole wheat” on the package to know you are getting the real thing.

Veggie burgers: skip the meat entirely and grill up plant-based burgers instead. But not all veggie burgers are created equal - look for whole food ingredients you can recognize on the package label.

Wings: Spicy, sweet wings and cookouts go hand in hand, but skin-on chicken wings can be loaded with saturated fat. Lighten up your wings by skipping the store-bought sauce and smother them in an herb and spice-infused marinade that will enhance the flavor without all the extra calories. For an added health boost, substitute breaded cauliflower florets or tofu triangles for chicken instead.

Ketchup and barbecue sauce: some of the most popular brands of these favorite condiments hide high fructose corn syrup in their bottles, an additive that can boost our appetite.

Soda and beer: got to have a bubbly drink with dinner? If so, consider kombucha, a fermented tea that is said to promote gut health.  This popular drink contains vitamins, essential minerals, and antioxidants, and is enhanced with juices to lend a smooth flavor.

Dessert: Indulging in ice cream or cake on Father’s Day might be a family tradition, but change things up this year. Chop up summer’s finest fruits - sweet cherries, apples, apricots, strawberries, cantaloupe, plums, watermelon, and honeydew melon - into a giant fruit salad your whole family will love. Fruit salad is not only bursting with antioxidants and fiber, it is also seriously refreshing on a hot day.

Keep moving: Instead of retreating indoors to watch the game after a festive dinner, make some Father’s Day memories by treating your family to some active, outdoor fun. Take a long walk around the neighborhood, bring along your bikes to a nearby trail while there is still light out, check out playgrounds in a neighboring town, or initiate a water balloon fight. Find any reason you can to make being active a fun and regular part of your family’s lives.