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Summer Eating
Kylie Andrew (Dietitian)
Christmas may be only a day or two, ok or let’s face it, a week or two out of the entire summer but it does have the habit of setting us into developing some poor eating trends. If this is the case, please read the earlier Christmas eating article and try and maintain some great eating habits by following these tips below.
For summer eating…
1. Take your own meat to BBQ’s. That way you can avoid the fat laden sausages and enjoy, marinated chicken breast, lean steaks or kebabs.
2. Don’t be fooled into thinking all salads are healthy and low in fat. Order salads with dressing served on the side.
3. Make your own salads with low fat dressings, such as a simple squeeze of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar or a tangy yoghurt dressing.
4. At parties, avoid standing next to the food table and only take from the plates being circulated every second or third time.
5. Need to cool off over summer? Instead of ice creams, freeze your own yoghurt or fresh fruit. Frozen grapes and berries make a refreshing and sweet treat, and a frozen banana is just like a banana ice cream.
6. Make the most of the summer fruits – snack on melons, berries, papaya, mango, pineapple and the wonderful stone fruits, like plums, peaches and nectarines.
7. Keep cool and replace sweat losses by drinking more water. Carry a water bottle to the gym, keep a bottle in your car, on your desk etc
8. When eating out, read the menu carefully before ordering. Look for sources of fat and don’t be afraid to ask the waiter how a dish is prepared and request a modification, such as jacket potato instead of fries, fish with the sauce on the side, plain rice instead of coconut rice etc
9. At restaurants always order a side of green salad (no dressing of course) or steamed vegetables.
10. Prevent overeating at BBQ’s by stimulating some activity – say a game of backyard cricket, or even some pool games such as team relays get the activity levels soaring.
11. If you anticipate a party or BBQ is going to be full of fabulous food you cannot resist, then be sure you;
12. Don’t arrive on an empty stomach and justify this as the one meal you’ll eat today. Binge eating such as this is a simple way of putting on weight
13. Eat normally for the remainder of the day, ie a healthy breakfast full of fruit and cereals, or after the function settle for a simple low fat salad to balance the days indulgence.
14. Take an early morning walk to ensure you’ve already exercised for the day and consumed some kilojoules in advance, it can be difficult to find the time or energy after a BBQ to exercise so doing so in the morning has this task ticked off for the day.
15. Mix or alternate foods much as you would mix drinks (ie one alcoholic – one water or soft drink). If you eat a fabulous deep fried snack at the bbq, then ensure your next food item is a salad or low fat item, such as a carrot stick (these are on the dip plate usually!), or a cherry or strawberry (often used in bowls as colourful decorations!).
Enjoy the summer, enjoy the fabulous food Australia has to offer and most of all stay fit and healthy.