What's in Your Picnic Basket?

Beautiful scenery, good food, and great company – these are the makings of a good picnic. It’s one of the better ways to soak up the summer sun and spend some quality time outside with friends and family.

Besides being a great way to enjoy a summer afternoon, picnics can also help elevate your mood, reduce mental fatigue, and decrease cortisol levels. Eating in the presence of nature is a great way to connect with your inner-self and bond with those closest to you. So, what can you bring and do on a picnic for a fulfilling, wholesome afternoon?

Pack Your Basket with Bone-Healthy Foods

Some would argue that no picnic is really worth it without a charcuterie board. And they wouldn’t be wrong. You can customize your charcuterie board however you’d like, but some key ingredients include cured meats, a wide variety of calcium-rich cheese, fresh and dried fruits, crackers, and small slices of bread, jelly, and olives. For a healthier charcuterie board, go heavy on plant-based foods and incorporate lesser amounts of minimally processed meats and cheeses. You can also throw in some cucumbers and red and green bell peppers which are delicious dipped in hummus or mango salsa.

Sandwiches are another must-have for picnics. If you want to try something a bit different, fancy up your sandwiches by making sardine sandwiches with mustard and yogurt butter. These sandwiches are healthy, packed full of vitamins and minerals, and are guaranteed to wow any audience of food lovers.

Since picnics involve some time in the sun, make sure to pack some bone-healthy foods in your picnic basket to go with the Vitamin D. Bring a ton of fresh fruit and vegetables, such as oranges, bananas, papayas, raisins, and strawberries. Need some recipe ideas for burgers, appetizers, salads, and the like? Check out bone-healthy recipe ideas from the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) here.

Don’t forget to pack cold drinks and some finger foods, such as tortilla chips, chocolate chip cookies, or fudgy brownies. Classic sweet treats don’t necessarily need to be left out of a healthy picnic, but they should be eaten in moderation.

Plan Healthy Activities for the Whole Family

While you’ll spend plenty of time eating, chatting, and bonding with loved ones, there are many activities you can engage in to help you de-stress and give your mental health a boost.

Soak up the sun. Fresh air can do wonders for your health and mental well-being. Spending time outside can help you get a healthy dose of Vitamin D, which is essential for strong bones and muscles. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to loss of bone density, osteoporosis, and mineralization deficits. Osteoporosis, in particular, is quite common, resulting in an estimated 2 million broken bones per year. One in every two women and up to one in four men above age 50 will break a bone because of this disease. As it turns out, some moderate basking in the sun – as little as 15 minutes – can be great for your physical health.

Play some old-school games. Picnic games are fun – they lighten the mood and will make your special day more exciting. If there are kids among you, some fun picnic games include:

  • Wheelbarrow race

  • Water balloon fights

  • Tag

  • Redlight/Greenlight

  • Simon Says

  • I Spy

And who says games are only for kids? Adults can benefit a great deal from playing games. They can help you get in touch with your inner child and give you a much-needed boost of serotonin. Additionally, you remember favorites from your own childhood that you can teach to new generations, such as "Red Rover." A great move to get everyone involved is to have grandma and grandpa teach the grandkids their favorite childhood games, too.

Do some exercise. Try to take a fifteen-minute walk sometime during the picnic. Weight-bearing exercises are helpful to increase bone strength specifically, and here are some to explore. Hiking is a fine option. Jump rope is a family-friendly "weight-bearing" exercise, and you can pack the rope right into your picnic basket.

Getting grandparents involved with grandchildren is a great way for everyone to find and maintain peak health. Children and young adults are building bone as they develop, heading steadily toward Peak Bone Mass, or PBM. The higher the youthful PBM a person has, the stronger they are in later life. It isn't until our thirties or forties, depending on personal genetic profiles, that bone mass starts to decline. If you're neither grandchild nor grandparent, you're not off the hook! You need exercise, vitamin D, and bone-healthy foods as well.

Meditate and practice mindfulness. Picnics can also be great for gentle exercises like yoga. Chair yoga can be a great way to get some movement in the sun. And what’s life without a little introspection? A picnic is a perfect escape from your daily routine. It’s also a great opportunity to step back and reflect on what truly matters. The benefits of nature-based meditation cannot be overstated – they have resounding effects on your physical and mental health alike.

Pack Your Basket… Pack Your Blanket… Pack Up the Car

Now, all you’ll need is a blanket and a shady spot in the sun to get those endorphins up. Plan that picnic. Look into bone-healthy foods. Explore different recipes. Get ahead of osteoporosis. Fun-in-the-sun not only helps bone health, but it also helps you live a more full, joyful life. Find your balance and it's fun for the whole family, too.