The season of summer is comin’ in hot! If only every day could be a summer day! I think I was made just for sunny summer days. Warm sunshine, swimming, sandy feet, and summer foods!!! Even if you aren’t a fan of the sun or the beach, the summer season will find you + turn schedules upside down with travel, parties, and changes in routines. Just like any other holiday season, we don’t need to let it get the best of us. Let’s find a way to embrace all that summer has to offer + ride the waves right into pumpkin spice season healthier + happier with my 10 nutrition tips for a healthy summer.
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
10 Nutrition Tips for a Healthy Summer
Healthy summer habits can be a real challenge. Mealtimes change, snacks are more abundant, and social gatherings tend to pop up more regularly. If you know me at all, you know I’m famously known for saying there are no bad foods + everything is ok in moderation. Summer indulgences are necessary + fun + part of life! My nutrition tips today will help you keep your health in check while still dipping your toes in all that summer has to offer!
1. Summer Kitchen Cleaning
I know you have heard of spring cleaning, let me introduce you to summer cleaning. A clean kitchen is the first step in making healthy choices, no matter what time of year. After the school year is done or you get back from travel, junk tends to pile up + this can lead to other unhealthy behaviors. Identify the clutter areas, remove everything + place it all on the biggest table you have. Then, involve everyone that lives in your home to identify their things + find a home for the stuff – donation, trash, or back in its rightful place. Next, do the same thing in the pantry and refrigerator, discarding anything spoiled or expired. Finally, clean! Vacuum everything everywhere, then wipe everything down, finally, toss your old sponge. Now, you are ready for summer with a (literal) clean slate.
2. Summer Meal Prepping
As the routines of school + work days, practices + meetings shift into summer mode, it is so easy to get thrown off of your meal prepping schedule. However, a long day at the beach or pool, a few fun days of summer in + the drive thru will be calling your name. Don’t let this be you! Maybe your prep day is a different day of the week for summer, pick a day + stick with it. Don’t stop preparing your foods just because it is summer! These might help: Go-To Lazy Vegetarian Meals, 10 Things To Do On Weekends To Make Weeknight Cooking Easier.
3. Stay Hydrated
My favorite tips for keeping hydrated in summer are first of all, carry a reusable bottle with you and secondly, prioritize watery fruits. Fruits such as watermelon, grapes, kiwi, grapefruit, and pineapples are great choices. Summer hydration is essential for preventing heat stroke, dehydration, cravings, headaches, kidney stones, and constipation.
4. Don’t Forget Electrolytes
This one is especially for my fellow athletes but not only for athletes. Exercise in summer months is not the same as in cooler months. Neither is hiking, fishing, bike riding, yard work, or long days at the lake or the beach. We lose lots of sodium and potassium in our sweat with exercise or being out in the sun at the beach or pool or sporting event or party. If we do not replenish these electrolytes, we set ourselves up for headache, cramping, fatigue, even confusion, cardiac arrhythmia and seizure in severe cases. Buy an electrolyte beverage or simply put some salt plus sugar/maple syrup/honey/fruit in your water to make your own.
5. Eat Seasonal
Our bodies are very smart! In winter we crave heavy, filling, fatty foods. In spring we tend to crave lighter meals + have less hunger cues (spring cleaning!). Summer cravings are for lighter + fresher + cooler foods. Don’t silence the cues your body gives you. Craving something cold? Make nice cream, fruit salsa, or corn salad. Eat instinctively + naturally in summer and every season! Don’t forget the watery fruits for more hydration. You might enjoy reading this for more summer food ideas: Guide To Eating Seasonally In Summer.
6. Pack Your Lunch
Having your food with you will ensure that you + your crew have healthy options with you when you are busy doing all the summer things. Packing a bag before you head out might take a few extra minutes but it will ultimately lower stress levels, not raise them. You don’t need to derail all your healthy habits just because it is summer and you are going on a road trip or a day trip. Read this: The Vegetarian’s Guide to Packing Food For a Roadtrip.
7. Try to Maintain Routine
You do you + keep doing it regardless of the to-do list! Sleep, hygiene, exercise, nutrition, etc. With so much to do, it is so easy to exchange your hour of yoga or your walk with your bestie for one more thing on the to-do-list for the party, vacation, picnic, or event. Do your regularly scheduled activities first – whatever “regular” is for you (run, meditate, yoga, walk, bike). Then, and only then, move on to the to-do list! These tips might help you maintain routine when life wants to derail you: Tips For A Merry Healthy Holiday, Hacks For a Healthy Holiday.
8. You Don’t Need a Summer Body
We only get one body. Love it, move it, feed it, thank it, respect it. You don’t need a new body just because the calendar turned to June. If you are looking to change something, great! Let summer weather + cute summer clothes be that inspiration. Whatever inspires you to move more, and eat foods that make you feel good, grab onto that and let it be your inspiration. Don’t let it shame or guilt you into thinking you need to change something because you might spend some extra time in a bathing suit. Read this: The Vegetarian’s Guide to the 80/20 Diet, The Truth Behind Clean Eating.
9. Summer Food Safety
Did you know that you are more likely to get a foodborne illness in the summer months more than any other time of year? It’s true! Why? For starters, bacteria love warmth to multiply. The number of outdoor activities we go to also multiply exponentially in summer. Above all, cross contamination coupled with less food refrigeration are ideal for expansion + transmission of food borne bacteria. Keep your cold things cold, your hot things hot, avoid cross contamination, and always travel with some sort of alcohol based hand cleaner. Check out these tips: Picnic Survival Guide For Vegetarians, BBQ Survival Guide For Vegetarians.
10. Be Intentional
Choose foods because you want them, not just because they are at a party. Pay attention to hunger cues and eat when you are hungry to prevent overeating after you have reached a level of over-hunger. Say no to events if they just don’t suit you. Above all, say yes to things that make you feel whole + happy. This might help: What To Do After Overeating, Your Health Goes Way Beyond Food.
Food For Thought
Oh how I love summer! But I do know that finding peace with any season of the year can be difficult. For me, that is winter, because I just don’t like the cold weather. For you, that might be summer, and that is totally ok if you are aware of it + do something about it. The best advice I can give is to be prepared. Continue to keep your pantry + refrigerator stocked, your meal basics prepped, and your water bottle full. Above all, try to maintain some sort of routine even when things seem out of control. You don’t need a summer body, you need to be present + healthy + happy + at your best to do all the things you set out to do. Happy summer, fam 🌞
All the best,
Tara 🌊🏖️
😎 Did you learn anything new from these nutrition tips for a healthy summer?
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