With so many “temptations” throughout the summer, it can seem difficult to maintain a balanced diet. It could be packaged dishes that save time in the kitchen, sweet ice cream cups, or street cuisine served by the beach. However, you don’t have to give up enjoyable or stress-free dinners in order to eat healthily in the summer. Here are some Healthy Eating Guidelines for Summer.
Drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day at regular intervals
There is no better way to begin a list of healthy eating advice than with water. Especially on hot days, it’s critical to keep older people and children adequately hydrated. Headaches, dizziness, and chapped lips, mouth, or skin are some symptoms of dehydration. Be mindful of the indicators.
Replace sugar-filled soft drinks with flavored waters and infusions
On a sweltering summer day, nothing beats a refreshing soda with lots of ice and a slice of lemon to quench your thirst. However, preservatives, chemicals, and the amount of sugar included in typical soft drinks are not appropriate for a balanced diet.
Choose fruit-infused water like nectarine, citrus, or blueberry-infused water or herbal infusions like chamomile and pineapple. You may even freeze some fruits, chop them up, and use the pieces as “ice” in the water to get instant flavor.
Prepare fruit ice cream with minimal or no added sugar
Ice cream is a must throughout the summer, but not all varieties are healthy. Chocolate and milk ice creams are low in other vital elements and high in fats and calories. Making your own mashed fruit and yogurt ice creams with the right freezer shapes is the best approach to preventing it.
Have light and frequent meals
It is common for hot weather to make people feel less hungry and summertime makes it easy to forget meals. Eat lighter meals more often during the day to prevent stomach discomfort and from fasting for extended periods of time.
Consume an abundance of raw fruits and vegetables in salads, utilizing seasonal produce. Moreover, provide precut fruit in the refrigerator to motivate children to eat better snacks at home.
Give wholegrains preference
Select wholegrain products over refined ones when it comes to bread, rice, pasta, and breakfast cereals. Unlike refined cereals, wholegrain goods maintain a significant portion of the nutrients, especially fiber. Thus, even though whole grains include more calories, they aid in maintaining a healthy weight, balancing blood sugar levels, and increasing calorie burn.
Focus on fish and lean meat
Light meats are the best option for summertime because they are healthier and easier to digest. Pick fish, lean red meat, and white poultry meat. Steer clear of pork, visible fat meat, skin-on poultry and heavy meals in general.
Enjoy special baked, grilled, and boiled foods. Avoid clear of frying.
Consume soups in summer
When it comes to dietary advice, we just cannot overlook soup. A mainstay of the Mediterranean diet is soup. It’s a fantastic method to reduce calorie intake and keep hydrated without sacrificing any nutrients.
Because of the heat, soups are typically abandoned in the summer, but this is a problem that can easily be solved with a cold soup like gazpacho or cold pumpkin or cucumber cream. They are hydrating, light, and energetic.
Drink alcohol cautiously
Due to their diuretic properties, alcoholic beverages are high in calories, have little nutritional value, and promote dehydration.
Since alcohol is also a diuretic, if you do consume it, do so in moderation and always replace it with water or a sugar or caffeine-free infusion.
Make healthy snacks for picnics and beach days
Bring your own healthy snacks for beach days, picnics, hiking trips, and other out-of-town experiences rather than depending on the fast food or sugary, fattening snacks that are typically available at the venue.
Even for those with a sweet craving, fruits are the sweetest, tastiest, and nicest summertime snacks. Some healthy options to pack for outings are wholegrain pasta or quinoa salads, veggie sandwiches, and raw vegetables like carrot sticks, cucumber slices, tomato salad, etc.
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