5 Ways to Eat Healthy in the Summertime
While your summertime living might be easy with all the barbecues, beach cocktails and buckets of ice-cream, your body might be craving a nutrition boost to keep your health intact and stay in good shape. Luckily for us, summer is brimming with superfoods and versatile menus just waiting for your skilled hand, while a few key tips can help you stay true to your diet goals even when you’re at work, taking care of your kids or on vacation.
1. Keep it juicy
And by that, I mean choosing foods soaked, drenched, immersed in water, so that your body can always restore its hydration levels during the sultry summer heat. In addition to keeping a bottle of fresh water always by your side, certain items on your grocery list deserve special attention during warm weather simply due to their high water content.
Think: berries, cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, tomato, spinach, celery, lettuce and cabbage, all of them 80% and above filled with precious water. Not to mention they are chock-full of essential vitamins and minerals, so keeping your plate veggie-rich will help you attain your hydration goals.
2. Lay off the spicy
When heat hits the fat, it’s also important to keep your digestive tract in good condition and your body temperature under control, which mostly means steering clear of spicy meals, especially those deep-fried items many love to munch on. Dishes with hot sauces and spices might be a good idea for a winter meal to elevate your temperature, but summer is not so spice-friendly.
These zesty ingredients can also cause your body to dehydrate faster, and it’s always better to stick to the foods that will replenish you with water than those that will cause you to feel parched. Many of these foods also have a diuretic effect, which is yet another way of depriving your body of water, so try to keep your menu more on the mild, Mediterranean side.
3. Be prepared
A half-an-hour lunch break might have you reaching for a delicious pastry from your nearest bakery or some other fast food meal, because, we all know, time is of the essence. But in all fairness, you will do yourself a favor if you make a delicious sandwich or a versatile salad the night before you go to the office, or if you choose healthy catering options to stock up on long-lasting energy without burdening your body.
Meal-planning every week can also help you curb those sugar cravings after a summer workout, and you will be less likely to grab a bite on your way home if there’s a protein shake or a cold smoothie waiting for you in the fridge.
4. Stay party-ready
There’s no need to avoid those lovely summer gatherings in your friends’ backyard, barbecue evenings and camping by the lake if you stay supplied with healthy bites. Bring your own home-made raw cake with fruits, prepare your own low-fat grilled goodies, and you can always keep your plate filled with fresh salad and leave just a little bit of room for the fat-heavy dishes.
Another way to keep your appetite under control is to eat a healthy, but satiating snack before you go to the party, and keep drinking plenty of fresh water so that you don’t mistake thirst for hunger, which often happens in summer heat.
5. Savor seafood
Finally, unlike chicken, beef or pork, which are all packed with protein and delicious, but heavy on your digestive tract during summer, you can introduce greater versatility with seafood meals! Visit your local farmer’s market and take your pick: smoked or grilled salmon is ideal for your omega-3-rich breakfast, while lobsters and calamari can be a true delicacy for an evening with your loved one.
Fresh caught fish and other seafood are lighter varieties of your standard protein sources, plus there is a whole array of different ways to prepare these dishes without overcomplicating the process. Go with mussels, oysters, clams and octopus to diversify your summer seafood buffet and enjoy the abundance of your summer menu!
