Achieve Your Ideal Beach-Ready Body With Our Healthy Eating Tips

Summer is a great time for fresh, seasonal foods, making healthier eating easy. Try these nutrition tips to shape up for summer.

Drink Up

Your body needs plenty of water to digest and absorb food. Aim to drink at least 2 litres of water a day, more if you lead an active lifestyle. Start the day with hot (or cold) water with lemon, carry a water bottle with you and sip during the day, and enjoy herbal or fruit tea in the evening.

Protein With Every Meal

If your goal is shaping up or losing weight, protein is important. Eat protein with every meal or snack. Not only will it give your body the amino acids your body needs to get in shape, it will actually make you feel fuller for longer. Protein plays a huge role in satiety. Think eggs or a protein powder smoothie for breakfast. Meat, poultry, fish or seafood with lunch. Mince or any cut of meat for dinner. Snacks can include nuts, hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese or Greek yoghurt, or even a quality protein bar.

Try The Protein And Fats Breakfast

Many fitness experts like leaving the carbohydrates of cereal, porridge or toast behind and instead eating breakfast like our Mediterranean counterparts. Think eggs (scrambled, poached, boiled or an omelette), salmon, lean bacon or even red meat like lean steak, cooked in butter or coconut oil, with a side of avocado or nuts. It will give you more nutrients than a bowl of cereal, keep you fuller for longer, and even out your bloody glucose levels leaving you less likely to snack.

Choose And Time Your Carbs

Even a weight-loss nutrition plan needs carbohydrates, but the key lies in choosing the right carb sources, and knowing when to eat them. Ditch the processed carbs like baked goods, pastries, pasta and cereal. Choose rice, quinoa, potatoes, squash and other root vegetables, fruit and berries. And eat your carbohydrates when you are most active: before and after workouts, or for breakfast if you have an active job.

Keep An Eye On Portion Sizes

Simply reducing portion sizes slightly can help you drop a few pounds for summer. It's very easy to let bad habits creep in, especially if you eat with a partner or if someone else dishes up dinner for you. Take a step back and assess how much is on your plate. Try reducing your serving of carbohydrates or fats by a small amount and see how your energy, hunger and mood changes.

Load Up On Vegetables

You can't go wrong with vegetables. They pack your diet full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and add plenty of healthy and useful fibre. Load half your plate with vegetables, especially leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard and salad leaves. Then add variety with brightly-coloured vegetables (whatever you like). Your body will thank you.

So Here Are The Best Foods To Shape Up For Summer

• Protein food: eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, seafood, fish, Greek yoghurt, quark, cottage cheese, protein powder
• Healthy fats: oily fish, real butter, coconut oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, egg yolks
• Good carbs: potatoes, new potatoes, sweet potato, rice, quinoa, wholemeal wraps, oatmeal/porridge, root vegetables, fruit