The summer season is finally here, which likely means changes to your daily routines, favorite hobbies, and how you take care of your body. What you eat and how you plan your meals should be part of this transition, especially to prepare your body for hot days and to reduce the dangers of summertime risks.
Here are some tips for adjusting your diet for the summertime and some delicious summer foods to eat more of when the days are long, sunny, and hot.
Focus on Hydration
When many people think of hydration, images of never-ending bottles of plain, boring water come to mind. But you can get a lot of hydration from delicious foods that make you feel refreshed and keep you feeling satisfied. Examples of water-rich foods are watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, lemons, lettuce, and cucumbers.
But back to beverages for a moment, it’s fun to create fruit-infused water creations to add more flavor into your life with berries and citrus fruits. You can also turn your favorite hot tea drinks into iced tea by allowing the beverage to cool after brewing and simply adding a few ice cubes for a morning, mid-day, or evening treat based on the caffeine level of the tea.
Choose Lean Proteins
Although you might be saving those hearty entrees and stew recipes for later in the year, it’s still important to get enough protein in your daily diet for energy, metabolism, and nutritional balance. Rather than loading up on heavy red meats, like beef and pork, choose fish, chicken breasts, tofu, beans, and nuts instead. Lean proteins will help you stick to your healthy weight goals by helping you feel full and less prone to snacking on unhealthy treats.
Embrace the Almighty Salad
There’s a good reason why salads are served at picnics and summertime menus at restaurants. Depending on what you put on salads, they won’t weigh you down with lots of heavy ingredients but rather keep things light, fresh, and colorful. It’s easy to make your own salads at home when you do a little prep work in advance to wash and cut up the vegetables. It’s also fun to tailor salads to your own tastes by adding pieces of fruit, nuts, seeds, cheese, protein, and perhaps a simple homemade dressing made with 100% extra virgin olive oil.
Go Out to the Grill
Grilling out is one of the best parts about the summer season, especially when you host backyard family gatherings or invite friends and neighbors over for a party. However, you don’t have to stick to traditional burgers and hot dogs to have a great grilling session. Instead, start experimenting with fruit and vegetable kabobs, fish, and plant-based proteins on the grill this summer. Some fresh foods to stock up on before grilling day are asparagus, bell peppers, pineapple, zucchini, and onions.
What are your favorite foods to eat during the summer? For further reading, check out these other Seagate blogs about healthy eating in the summertime.