The Healthiest Food Options for Summer (2024)

Hamburger vs. Hot Dog
Winner: Hamburger
With 24 grams of protein and 15 percent of your daily iron needs, a burger makes for a great postrun meal. A wimpy dog has just five grams of protein and four percent of your daily iron needs. A hot dog-and-bun combo has fewer total calories than a burger-and-bun but packs the same amount of saturated fats.

Ketchup vs. Mustard
Winner: A tie
Both of these condiments are mostly good news: Each supplies fewer than 20 calories per tablespoon with no fat. Ketchup packs nearly as much cancer-fighting lycopene as a fresh tomato, and mustard contains glucosinolates, an anticancer compound found in mustard seed (and other relatives of the brassica vegetable family).

Salsa vs. Guacamole
Winner: Guacamole
Salsa is fat-free and lower in calories than guac, but avocados contain more vitamin C and K, crucial in skin and bone health. Guacamole also supplies more potassium, a mineral key to maintaining healthy blood pressure, and more fiber (half an avocado actually packs seven grams). In this case, it's okay to have both!

Potato Chips vs. Tortilla Chips
Winner: Tortilla Chips
A one-ounce serving of tortilla chips instead of potato chips will save you about 20 calories and four grams of fat while providing additional carbs and more iron. Still, keep your chip count in check, as all varieties pack more than a third of their calories from fat.

Sweet Tea vs. Lemonade
Winner: Sweet Tea
Sweet tea narrowly takes the win, thanks to a health-boosting flavanol in tea called EGCG, which may help lower risk for certain cancers and heart disease and has been shown to boost metabolism and aid weight loss. Both drinks are high in sugar-about eight teaspoons in sweet tea and six in lemonade-so limit intake.

Potato Salad vs. Coleslaw
Winner: Coleslaw
Both can be high-fat disasters, but the cabbage in coleslaw supplies a wealth of cancer-fighting compounds. Studies show that people who eat cabbage and other brassica vegetables have significantly lower risk of certain cancers. Cup for cup, coleslaw also typically has fewer calories (94 versus 357) and less sodium than potato salad.

Baked Beans vs. Bean Salad
Winner: Bean Salad
Either side is loaded with fiber (about 12 to 14 grams per cup) and protein (about eight to 12 grams per cup). But baked beans typically contain added sugar. Homemade bean salad, on the other hand, often contains other vegetables, such as corn, bell pepper, and onion, which all add extra vitamins and minerals. Drain off any excess oily dressing.

Pulled Pork Sandwich vs Sausage Sandwich
Winner: Pulled Pork
Reach for the pulled pork over a sausage sandwich and you'll get half the fat and a few extra grams of protein (30 versus 27). Pulled pork is also typically lower in sodium than sausage (the latter can contain more than the recommended daily intake for adults).

Strawberry Shortcake vs. Peach Cobbler
Winner: Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberries contain ellagic acid, a potential cancer fighter and powerful antioxidant. Recently a study in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that people who ate a hefty serving of strawberries daily for one month lowered their LDL cholesterol and blood-fat levels.