9 Ways To Eat Yourself Slim This Summer
Do you look forward to eating healthily this summer without feeling left out and can you truly eat yourself slim?
The answer is yes and yes! In the winter we look forward to comfort food, albeit the healthier version, so what can we look forward to in the summer? How can you make food interesting or exciting? Well, we’ve got the answers for you with 9 ways to eat yourself slim.
Choose Cold Over Hot
Forget spending time in front of a hot oven when it’s beautiful outside. A summer dish is best served cold! Grab some cooked cold lean meats like chicken or turkey and toss them in with a mouthwatering salad. The fiber from the veggies and protein from the meat will make you feel full. You can switch your dish up by adding a few walnuts or almonds in there too. These will give you a boost of heart-healthy omega 3 and help regulate your blood sugar.
Help Your Local Farmer
No, we don’t mean put on your wellies and get digging! We’re talking about farmer’s markets. Research shows, that the faster your food travels from farm to plate, the more nutrients they will give you. The other bonus about visiting your local market is that you will be burning calories as you walk around and browse the lettuce and tomatoes. Always look out for what’s in season, and in the summer you can’t go wrong with leafy greens, raspberries and strawberries for that high-fiber anti-inflammatory kick.
Spice Up Your Life
Natural spices are great for infusing flavour into your meals, and if you like it hot then look forward to a speedier metabolism. If you’re feeling decadent, then we suggest experimenting with saffron. It’s one of the more pricier spices but research suggests that it can help with weight loss. Early indicators have shown that saffron blocks fat digestion, makes you feel full, suppresses inflammation and acts as an antioxidant! We think it’s time to invest in this seasonally colourful spice, don’t you?
Feeling Fruity?
While you’re at your local farmer’s market, if you’re partial, then we suggest you pick up a grapefruit, kiwi, pomegranate, passionfruit and some tomatoes. Eating half a grapefruit before a meal can help reduce dangerous visceral fat (the fat hugging your organs) and lower cholesterol. And although research has proved this, scientists have no idea why!
Kiwi is a great source of prebiotic fiber, which helps with digestion and regular bowel movements. And when you digest properly, you avoid bloating and tummy troubles.
Pomegranate seeds and passionfruit are packed with protein, fat-fighting antioxidants and filling fiber – what’s not to love?
Tomatoes are great as their high water content will keep you hydrated and the antioxidants that give them their colour can help fight sunburn. Best of all, a published study found that they also help with burning calories too.
Fire Up The Barbie
Who doesn’t love a good bbq? You get to eat outdoors in the sunshine and grilling your meat is a super healthy way to cook. If you’re in charge of the bbq, you will have more control over how the meat is prepared and how much you eat. We suggest treating your meat to a rub rather than a saucy marinade which usually contains sugars. And when it comes to condiments, avoid the bbq sauce or ketchup. Instead choose mustard or even sauerkraut, to rev up your metabolism and balance the bacteria in your gut.
Taste the Rainbow
The more brightly coloured your diet is, the healthier you will be and your skin will glow. Scientists believe that people gain a sun-kissed complexion from a pigment in food called carotenoids. Think low-calorie fruit and veg like carrots, cantaloupe, bell peppers and berries. You’ll lose weight and look fantastic, so think rainbows (and unicorns) as you eat yourself slim!
Colour co-ordinate
Whilst we’re on the subject of colours, did you know the colour of your crockery can affect your appetite with a knock-on effect on your weight? Yep! According to boffins, the colour blue can be an appetite suppressant. It’s believed that this is a learned behaviour from our ancestors, who when foraging for food would instinctively avoid food that was blue, purple or black through fear of poison. Have you noticed that there aren’t that many naturally blue foods around? Maybe it’s time to bring some blue into the kitchen!
Fancy Some Chips & Dips?
You can picture it now, sitting on your patio on a lazy warm summer’s afternoon, a cool and frosty glass in your hand and of course chips and dips! Of course, the chips and dips you may have had in the past are not waste-line friendly, so we have an alternative that’s just as delicious. Try veggies dipped in houmous, spicy salsa or guacamole. Experiment with all sorts of dippable veggies like carrots, broccoli, bell peppers and green beans. These are full of fiber and will make you feel nice and full. Houmous is an excellent source of protein which also fills your belly. If houmous isn’t your thing, then grab yourself a refreshing and spicy salsa. Remember those tomatoes are fat burning and the spice will speed up your metabolism too. Not a fan of spice either, then how about that guacamole? It’s true that it will contain more calories than houmous and salsa due to its natural healthy fat content, but it’s for that very reason why it will fill you up a lot quicker than its respective alternatives. Also, scientists (we love scientists) have found that the unsaturated fats in avocados actually prevent the storage of belly fat. Next dress size down, here we come!
Something Fishy Going On
When it’s hot outside you don’t want to eat anything that might feel like it’s laying heavy in your stomach. Sometimes chicken or red meat can do this, so fish is an excellent alternative with many benefits. It’s the healthiest source of omega-3 which can combat inflammatory conditions associated with weight gain. The lean protein will also support your muscle mass and reduce fat storage.
Well done, you made it to the end! Hopefully, you found something to try from our list of ways to eat yourself slim. As you can see, summer doesn’t have to be a time when your healthy routine de-rails. There are lots of ways to enjoy your food and progress towards your weight loss or maintenance goals. And whilst you’ve got the bbq fired up, save us a chicken sausage!
