Summer Diet Ideas for a Beach-Ready Body

Summer season’s the perfect time to rev up your weight loss efforts to maintain a svelte figure. But don’t be intimidated into depriving yourself to achieve a beach-ready bod! Starving yourself to maintain your weight will have serious repercussions to your health. Instead, keep these nifty diet tricks in mind:

Indulge on Broth-Based Soups

Thanks to the warm temps, summer’s the best time to enjoy chilled soups. Chilled soups are the perfect meal starter. They are filling, delicious and low in calorie. Research shows that a low-calorie, broth-based soup taken at the beginning of a meal can fill you up so you take in fewer calories.

Because broth-based soups will fill you up before the actual meal, you’ll end up eating less. Instead of buying canned soups, make your own instead! We recommend gazpacho or cucumber dill soups or soups with lots of fresh veggies like minestrone.

Eat Water-Rich Fruits and Veggies

The warm weather makes you prone to dehydration. And if you don’t drink at least 8 glasses of water daily, you’ll have to get your fluids from other sources. Your best bet? Fruits and veggies with high water content. Summer fruits like watermelon, pears, apples, peaches and grapes contain water, fiber, and antioxidants. These fruits are extremely filling while satisfying your thirst. As for veggies, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, celery and radishes are just several examples of vegetables with high water content.

Grill the Veggies

Summertime is the best time to enjoy grilled veggies too! Some types of veggies develop more flavor as you grill them. Zucchini, eggplants, asparagus and bell peppers are some of the best summer veggies to grill. You can add seasonings like dried herbs, a dash of lemon juice or pita bread for a tasty meal! Give your grilled veggies a nutritious punch by adding cottage or feta cheese, ricotta or Greek yogurt!

Eat a Salad

For a quick, easy and filling meal, make your own salad. Simply put, garden salads make for a healthy and nutritious meal. And you don’t have to bother with overly complex recipes. You can whip a salad on your own within minutes.

All you need is a bowl of shredded or rinsed leafy vegs, juicy heirloom tomatoes, a handful of nuts, and a vinaigrette of your own choice and you’re done! That’s almost a complete meal. You can either add a couple of strips of grilled chicken breast or a whole grain roll to complete your meal. To keep the calories down, focus on beefing up on vegetables, not lean meat. Think of meat as a mere accessory to the vegetables, not the main meal.

Trade Ice Cream and Smoothies for Sherbet, Sorbets, and Plain Yogurt

Nothing like a heaping bowl of ice cream or fro-yo to cool down during the summer season right?

We all know ice cream is incredibly fattening because it’s high in fat and sugar but did you know most smoothies, frappes and fro-yo are extra fattening too? Instead of indulging in these frozen treats, turn to plain yogurt and sorbets instead!

High-calorie frozen desserts and drinks are laden with whipped cream, sugar and fattening trimmings. But sorbets and sherbets are just as satisfying without the unwanted calories.