Sweet Healthy Summer Weight Loss Foods
It’s just easier to make better food choices in summertime, when heavy, high-calorie dishes seem less appealing. With all those temptations, it’s definitely easy to forget about your weight loss program and healthy nutritional plan. Just in time for swimsuit season, here’s a list of delicious foods that’ll help you lose weight without sacrificing taste.
The Best Summer Weight Loss Foods
- Watermelon: Who doesn’t love diving into a crisp, juicy slice of watermelon when it’s hot outside? Also, get your daily water intake since half of the watermelon comes from water! So watermelon for weight loss is perfect fruit.
- Pineapple: This sweet tropical fruit is the perfect ingredient for summer smoothies and juices. As an anti-inflammatory super food, pineapple can help reduce swelling and in turn, you’ll have a flatter belly.
- Rosemary: Flavor your meal with rosemary instead of butter or sour cream to protect your heart from saturated fat and your waistline from excess pounds.
- Salads are refreshing, nutritious and very versatile! There are so many different ways to create a salad that you’ll never run out of options. Fruits, nuts, and cooked meats can be added; it’s not advised to add cheese though if you’re trying to lose weight.
- Plum Pick: Whether eaten whole, dried or pureed into sauces, plums are low in calories and a good source of both dietary fibers and Vitamin C. Plus, they can help suppress appetite thanks to their low glycemic load.
- Chilled Soups: Chilled soups like gazpacho or cucumber-dill that contain lots of chunky vegetables are a great way to start a meal.
- Bitter Melon: This bitter and slightly sweet melon is typically found in Asian markets and helps improve digestion and lower blood sugar. Too much sugar in the blood stream sends a signal to the pancreas to release the fat storing hormone insulin.
- Grilled vegetables are really great for barbecues, perfect straight from the grill. You can grill practically any vegetables and they’ll taste just fantastic! The best oils to grill them with are either extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil.
- Peachy: Why pass up dessert when the “stone fruits” of summer (think peaches and nectarines) can make for a guilt-free sweet treat? Tossed on the grill, peaches and nectarines get even more flavorful as the heat caramelizes their natural sugars.
- Mangoes are high in fiber, magnesium, antioxidants, and iron (making them a great snack for women who may have iron deficiency or anemia), says Batayneh. “And because mangoes aid in digestion, you want to focus on eating the fruit versus just drinking the juice.
There you have it! Use summer’s wonderful fresh fruit and vegetable bounty in your weight loss program and you’ll be definitely on your way to fast and easy weight loss for the summer!
