Healthy Eating for Summer

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With the warmer weather fast approaching, summer brings longer days and an abundance of fresh flavours after a winter of comfort foods and plenty of time inside. Naturally, summer often leads to more socialising, looser routines, plenty of sunshine and higher temperatures. Focusing on nutrient-rich foods, plenty of fluids and choosing low-calorie sweets or snacks are all great ways to help you feel your best and stay on top of your health goals. 

Check out my top three tips to stay healthy during the summer months. 

  1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! 

It might seem like an obvious one, but many of us fail to drink enough fluids during the day. Summer days are longer and hotter and if you don’t stay on top of your hydration, you may be left feeling drained, tired and too exhausted to really get the most out of the day. Being thirsty can sometimes be confused as hunger, so you may end up eating more too.

TRY THIS: 

  • Aim to drink small amounts of fluid (mostly water) regularly throughout the day. 

  • Have a glass of water at each main meal and grab an insulated drink bottle when out and about.

  • Experiment by adding in citrus slices, herbs or berries to your water to mix things up. 


    2. Choose cool refreshments

Warmer weather will naturally lead us to crave refreshing, cool snacks and meals. Summer is a great time for plenty of fresh salads, fruit platters, fresh smoothies and snack plates. Choosing smaller, more frequent meals may help with appetite control and help maintain stable blood glucose levels, lessening the risk of a ‘sugar high’ and subsequent energy slump. 

TRY THIS: 

  • Experiment with different grains and enjoy these both hot and cold. Chill some quinoa after cooking and then pop it in your next salad, or whip up some freekeh for my famous Pumpkin, Pomegranate & Freekeh Salad. 

  • Substantial salads make an easy dinner option. Include lean proteins, healthy fats, plenty of vegetables and a low GI carbohydrate source. 

  • Make my Frozen Coconut Balls, made with Twisted Mini’s. These are perfect for a sweet treat after dinner or to share with friends.

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RECIPE

4 x @twistedhealthytreats Chocolate & Coconut Frozen Yoghurt Mini’s 

1 tbsp desiccated coconut, plus extra to sprinkle 

100g dark chocolate 

  1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place in the freezer to chill. Place the frozen yoghurt in a medium mixing bowl, leave for 10 minutes to soften.

  2. Add in coconut and mix to combine. Using a tablespoon, scoop out 10 evenly sized balls and place on the chilled tray. Return to freezer and allow to firm for roughly two hours. 

  3. Melt chocolate over moderate heat. Remove frozen balls from freezer and roll each ball in melted chocolate. Sprinkle with coconut and then return to freezer for 15 minutes. Store in the freezer until ready to serve! 

3. Eat the rainbow 

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‘Eating the rainbow’ simply put, involves eating a range of different coloured fruit and veg each day. Different plants contain different phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Phytonutrients give plants their natural colour and eating a variety of plants is one of the easiest ways to ensure you are eating a well-balanced diet. 

TRY THIS 

  • Aim to have 3 different colours on your plate for each main meal

  • Consider trying a new vegetable each week. Purple sweet potato, Kumatos, Yellow capsicums or Blood Oranges are all easy ways to start diversifying your diet. 

  • Fresh fruit makes an easy snack to enjoy throughout the day or for dessert. Serve some fresh berries with a Chocolate & Vanilla Twisted Mini  - for a fresh take on choc-coated strawberries at just 95 calories! 

  • Counting colours is a great activity to complete with children as well. Encourage the littlies to draw a rainbow on paper and colour in each arc once they eat a fruit or vegetable of that colour each week. 

This blog post was brought to you in collaboration with Twisted Healthy Treats.