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A healthy summer diet What to eat and what to avoid

Homepage Articles A healthy summer diet What to eat and what to avoid

A healthy summer diet What to eat and what to avoid

What are the best foods to include on the summer menu? How to avoid the typical dietary traps associated with holiday relaxation? Summer brings with it a wealth of fresh fruits, vegetables, and light foods that not only refresh but also promote a healthy lifestyle. How can you effectively adjust your diet to maximize its health benefits? We answer! On hot days, the body is naturally focused on fewer calories, which, coupled with more physical activity and longer-lasting days, motivates a more conscious approach to diet and health.

Table of Contents

1. What to eat on hot days

That's why it's essential to eat foods and beverages that not only satisfy your thirst, but also provide the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to support your body's proper functioning. High temperatures can lead to faster loss of fluids and electrolytes, which can result in dehydration, fatigue, and even heat stroke.

2. Water-rich products

Its sweet, refreshing flavor makes it an ideal summer snack. [citation needed] Tomatoes are also low in calories and high in fiber, which increases the feeling of satiety without straining the digestive system. These vegetables work great as a salad and sandwich supplement, but also as a stand-alone snack (Z. tomatoes are another great element of summer meals. Tomates are also high in lycopene a strong antioxidant that supports heart health and against some types of cancers.

3. It's a light meal

A good example would be a Greek lettuce with feta cheese and olive oil, a grilled chicken salad with yogurt-based soft sauce, or a fruit salad with nuts and a Greek yogurt crushed with butter and citrus dressings. One example might be a classic Spanish gazpacho made with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic and olives, as well as a roasted chicken sauce with a light sauce added to yogurt or a nut salad with a nut sauce and garlic sauce. Quickly but also with a good dose of coconut, cocktails and sausages, which provide a high content of fresh fruit and vegetables, but at the same time with plenty of nutritious yogurt and yogurt.

4. It's a refreshing drink

It's also a great choice to make homemade iced tea, made with green, black, or fruit tea, served with ice and fresh fruit, as well as homemade lemonade with lemon juice and a little honey. In the summer, watering plays a key role, but unfortunately many of us don't consume enough water, and proper watering is essential for proper body functioning. Natural coconut water, high in electrolytes, is also appreciated by many for its nutritional and flavor enhancing properties.

5. What products are worth giving up in the summer?

During the summer, it is advisable to discontinue certain products or limit their consumption in order to take better care of your health, well-being, and comfort on hot days.

6. Heavy and fatty foods

So it's better to give up fatty meats, deep-fat fried foods, and heavy cream sauces to enjoy comfort on hot days. The body, already overloaded with high temperatures, doesn't need any extra trouble. In the summer, eating fried and fatty foods isn't the best choice because they burden the digestive system, cause weight, fatigue, and discomfort.

7. Sweet drinks and alcohol

This, in turn, leads to an increased feeling of fatigue, drowsiness, and mood swings (J.P. High sugar levels in these drinks may also promote dehydration, as its excess in the blood promotes the release of water through the kidneys (M. Tucker 2014). Additionally, it burdens the liver and can interfere with the body's detoxification processes, which in combination with high temperatures can lead to a feeling of weakness and fatigue (B. Lagente, T. Latem give up sugary drinks and alcohol for several important reasons. Drouin-Chartier et al. 2019).

8. It's a big meal

This way of eating not only helps maintain a steady energy level but also promotes better digestion and well-being. Instead, it is better to eat more often but in smaller portions.
Source

Drouin-Chartier J.P. et al., Changes in Consumption of Sugary Beverages and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Results From Three Large Prospective U.S. Cohorts of Women and Men, „Diabetes Care” 2019, 42(12), 2181–2189.
Ganio M., Tucker M., Sugar Sweetened Beverages and Hydration, Nowy Jork 2014, 277–291.
Juul F. et al., Ultra-processed Foods and Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes: from Evidence to Practice, „Current Atherosclerosis Reports” 2022, 24(11), 849–860.
Le Daré B., Lagente V., Gicquel T., Ethanol and its metabolites: update on toxicity, benefits, and focus on immunomodulatory effects, „Drug Metabolism Reviews” 2019, 51(4), 545–561.
Li N. et al., Tomato and lycopene and multiple health outcomes: Umbrella review, „Food Chemistry” 2021, 343, 128396.
Nadeem M. et al., Watermelon nutrition profile, antioxidant activity, and processing, „Korean Journal of Food Preservation” 2022, 29, 531–545.
Naureen Z. et al., Foods of the Mediterranean diet: citrus, cucumber and grape, „Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene” 2022, 63(2–3), 21–27.