Summertime and the living is delicious! This is the season with the greatest variety of fruits and vegetables available, which are the perfect fuel for your active days (see sidebar, below). Whether you find yourself hiking, biking or playing a grueling tennis match, you need to stay well-hydrated and nourished to match your energy output. Fortunately, fruits and veggies are filled with water, clean carbs and fiber to keep you satiated for hours.

When choosing your produce this summer, keep in mind that some crops have a heavier residue of pesticides than others. This may influence whether or not you choose to purchase organic varieties instead of conventionally grown produce. The 2017 Dirty Dozen list put out by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) lists strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and potatoes as the types of produce with the highest pesticide usage.

By contrast, EWG’s Clean 15 includes sweet corn, avocados, pineapples, cabbage, onions, sweet peas, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplant, honeydew melon, kiwi, cantaloupe, cauliflower and grapefruit because these foods contain the lowest amounts of pesticides. Note that a small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash grown in the United States is from genetically modified seeds. You may want to choose organic versions of these crops if you want to avoid genetically modified foods.

Fruit                           Vegetables

Apricots                                        Arugula

Cherries                                       Avocado

Blackberries                                 Beets

Blueberries                                   Bell Peppers Butter Lettuce

Cantaloupe                                   Butter Lettuce

Figs                                              Corn (non-GMO)

Grapes                                         Cucumbers

Grapefruit                                     Eggplant

Honeydew                                    Garlic

Lime                                             Grape tomatoes

Lychee                                         Green beans

Mango                                          Edamame

Nectarine                                     Radishes

Passion Fruit                               Shallots                      

Peaches                                      Sugar Snap Peas         

Plums                                          Yukon Gold potatoes

Raspberries                                 Zucchini

Strawberries

Watermelon

Here are three of our favorite summer recipes featuring the bounty of the season. Enjoy!

Berry Smoothie Bowl

In a blender, combine 1 cup of frozen strawberries with ¼ cup unsweetened almond or cashew milk, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, half a frozen banana and 1 tablespoon vanilla protein powder (grass-fed whey or vegan). Blend to desire consistency and pour into a bowl. Top with fresh blueberries, blackberries, and hemp seeds.

Cucumber Avocado Mango Salad

Thinly slice one hot house (a.k.a., English) cucumber using a mandolin and place in a bowl with 1 diced mango, 1 diced avocado, zest and juice of 1 lime, one-quarter cup chopped cilantro and 1 cup shelled organic soy beans. Stir until well combined and serve.

Lemony Zoodles With Grilled Shrimp

For the sauce, combine the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon avocado oil, ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard and a pinch of cracked lemon pepper in a jar with a lid; shake to blend. Use a spiralizer to create noodles from 2 zucchini. Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large nonstick pan. When hot, add 1 clove minced garlic and the zucchini and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan to a serving bowl and toss the zoodles with the lemon sauce. Place the pan back over the heat and add 8 oz. peeled and deveined shrimp. Season with pink Himalayan sea salt and lemon pepper. Cook 2 minutes per side. Remove and place on top of the zucchini.