Navigating the Summer Diet
By: Ola Pabjas, Registered Dietitian, Reviewed & Edited by JM Nutrition Team
How do you navigate your summer diet? Well, we have prepared a handful of summer nutrition tips that you can easily implement in your daily life.
About Summer Diet
Summer is undoubtedly a favorite season that brings with it many enjoyable experiences. From short social gatherings and outdoor barbecues to beach picnics and hiking adventures, summer offers many opportunities for fun and relaxation. These frequent (but welcome!) disruptions to our routine can make maintaining a balanced approach to nutrition difficult.
A less consistent schedule, however, doesn’t mean you have to abandon your commitment to your established health goals (whether you’re managing acid reflux, blood sugars or cholesterol, or just making sure you feel better). It also doesn’t mean we can’t partake in the experiences summer has to offer. Not at all.
For that reason, we thought we should present some ideas to help you balance the enjoyment of seasonal activities and the foods that come with them in ways that make you feel better.
Related: Foods that Hydrate
Nutrition tips for summer
1. Prioritize hydration
No list of summer nutrition tips would be complete without the most obvious tip: the importance of hydration.
With the rise in summer temperatures and outdoor activities, our bodies lose more fluids through sweat. Distraction and busyness can also affect our ability to recognize our thirst.
As a result, dehydration can make us feel lethargic and sick. This can cause us to choose foods that are not aligned with our health goals. These foods usually provide a burst of energy and a spike in blood sugar, followed by an energy crash and a drop in blood sugar.
Related: How to boost energy
Dehydration can also be mistaken for hunger, leading to binge eating or overeating at mealtimes.
For this reason, try to drink water consistently throughout the day, whether you carry an insulated water bottle with you or regularly ask for (and drink) water at restaurants or coffee shops. If you’re feeling sluggish, ask yourself when was the last time you drank a refreshing glass of cold water.
Be intentional about using the restroom. Before leaving any indoor or outdoor location, take advantage of access to a restroom and use it. Do it even if you don’t touch you should go. Thinking ahead makes it less likely that you’ll get stuck in a situation where you need to use the bathroom when it might not be as easily accessible.
2. Take advantage of seasonal produce
To successfully navigate your summer diet, take advantage of seasonal produce.
Undoubtedly, summer offers an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables that taste best at this time and provide essential nutrients. Eating fruits and vegetables can also help hydrate the body.
Related: How to get more vegetables in
Embrace seasonal produce by experimenting with colorful recipes that showcase summer’s vibrant fruits and vegetables.
Additionally, we highly recommend stopping at roadside produce stands where you can pick up fresh seasonal produce.
Plus, this is a great way to support a small, local business.
You can also do your grocery shopping on Wednesday when new products usually arrive. Grocers can do great midweek deals on many foods to make room for new food shipments.
Finally, consider a visit to your local farmers’ markets just before closing time, when vendors are most likely to have discounts on remaining produce.
3. Practice the mindset and avoid the All or Nothing mindset
Remember that occasional indulgence is part of a balanced diet. You certainly don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in a treat once in a while. Indulging in seasonal delicacies and special meals is part of the joy of summer.
We also encourage you to take a cautious approach when eating or drinking. That is, try to be fully present with the experience and enjoy every bite or sip. No need to beat yourself up and make up later or punish yourself for “breaking the rules.”
In addition, it is important to enjoy what you eat and drink. Enjoy the wonderful people you do it with. Enjoy the beautiful place where you do it. Then get on with your life… Know that you had—and still have—plenty of opportunities that day to choose foods that nourish your body.
The more you cultivate this mindset, the less likely you are to engage with food in extreme ways. This applies to the summer diet, as well as any other time of year.
Related: How to create a healthy eating environment
4. Beware of alcohol intake
This is an essential summer nutrition tip.
The reason is that alcoholic beverages are often a large part of social gatherings and summer celebrations.
Excessive alcohol consumption, however, can undermine our summer health and nutrition goals.
It’s important to keep in mind that alcoholic beverages offer no nutritional benefits that you can’t get otherwise from food.
Alcohol can also reduce our gut microflora, lead to dehydration, increase inflammation and negatively impact our mental health and motivation. For these reasons it should be limited.
Related: Short-term effects of alcohol
Summer Alcohol Diet Tips:
- Go for low-ABV (Alcohol By Volume).
- Try non-alcoholic options.
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with water.
- Choose sugar-free options when possible.
- Never drink on an empty stomach.
5. Plan ahead
Planning also plays an important role in navigating your summer diet.
Arguably, the quality of the diet of those who plan and prepare food at home more often is higher than those who spend little time planning and preparing food. And this is a strategy that us weight management dietitians often use when advising their clients. So planning can go a long way in ensuring that attractive, nutritious foods remain available when you spend more time away from home in the summer.
Related: Meal planning and preparation strategies
You can simply take a cooler bag with ice packs and pack different foods to put together simple, balanced meals and snacks. Feel free to cut corners at the grocery store and buy pre-cut vegetables and fruits, salad kits, and nutritionally dense packaged items.
Related: Best ways to save money on groceries
Plus, it doesn’t have to be fancy. Just follow it Balanced Play sense; bring vegetables or fruits, proteins and carbohydrates from grain products or high-fiber legumes.
Here are some examples from each category:
6. Group meal planning
Another summer nutrition tip focuses on group meal planning.
Group meal planning and meal planning can help you share the responsibility of feeding friends and family.
Once again, use the Balanced Plate concept to decide which foods to include.
When you engage in group meal planning or dining, you effectively strengthen social bonds and foster a supportive environment for a balanced, enjoyable experience.
In these scenarios, each participant or family member can be assigned to bring a specific dish (ie, vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates, animal protein, plant protein). This ensures a diverse spread of nutritious options for everyone.
Remember to nominate someone for family favorite recipes and dessert too!
conclusion
Summer is about enjoying the moment and nourishing your body and spirit. So, when it comes to summer nutrition and eating, indulge yourself carefully and mindfully.
If you need the help of a registered dietitian with meal planning or any other nutrition issue, you can make an appointment with one on-site or online dietitian or simply request a free consultation.
bibliographical references
1. Wang, HJ, Zakhari, S., & Jung, MK (2010). Alcohol, inflammation and gut-liver-brain interactions in tissue damage and disease development. World Journal of Gastroenterology: WJG, 16(11), 1304.
2. Monsivais, P., Aggarwal, A., & Drewnowski, A. (2014). Time spent preparing food at home and indicators of healthy eating. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(6), 796-802.
3. Ducrot, P., Méjean, C., Aroumougame, V., Ibanez, G., Allès, B., Kesse-Guyot, E., … & Péneau, S. (2017). Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 1-12.
4. Warren, JM, Smith, N., & Ashwell, M. (2017). A structured literature review on the role of mindfulness, mindful eating, and intuitive eating in changing eating behaviors: effectiveness and related potential mechanisms. Nutrition Research Reviews, 30(2), 272-283.
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Ola Pabjas is a registered dietitian who focuses on weight-neutral approaches to health, digestive health support, prevention and management of chronic diseasesand more.
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