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4 Simple Tips for Staying Lean This Summer

by | Jul 14, 2017 | Nutrition, Wellness

By Nutritionist: Kelly Carter BASc (Hons), CNP

Staying on track with healthy eating habits is a task that many people struggle with, and during the summertime, this task can prove to be even more challenging!

But fear not! There are still ways you can enjoy yourself and still stay on track during your summer vacation.

Follow these 4 simple tips that will make it SO easy to stay lean this summer!

1. Pack the Snacks

Packing travel food for your trip will go a long way! This simple act will not only save you money, it will save you calories as well! Make sure to pack healthy, easy to consume snacks for that long car ride or plane friendly foods. Here are some of our favourites that we would recommend:

  • Kind or Cliff bars
  • Kale chips or Snap Pea Crisps
  • Trail mix
  • Veggie sticks
  • Fruit

Costco is quickly becoming the leading health food retailer with the best prices around. All of these snacks can easily be found at your local Costco!

2. Have Your Beer and Drink It Too

Enjoy a nice cold beer on a hot summer day, THEN… drink a glass of water. This is a simple hack to keep a healthy balance. The beer/water beer/water pattern will limit your calorie intake while keeping the social aspect and enjoying a few cold ones. It may also help with the hangover the next day!

Remember alcohol is a toxin and the body will put focus on detoxing the body, potentially storing all food consumed in fat for later use!

3. Always Think ‘Nutrient Dense’

The more nutrient dense a food is, the longer the body will stay satisfied. If you feed the body processed convenience foods that contain empty calories, your cells will stay hungry for the nutrients they originally wanted. This is the reason we are never fully satisfied and continue to reach for the bag of chips or cookies that are fulfilling in the moment. The result is over consumption of calories and weight gain.

In order to stay lean, the food group to focus on is veggies. They contain fibre, vitamins and minerals that your body requires daily.

Here are some more nutrient dense options that will keep you satisfied longer and promote healthy habits:

  • Eat mashed cauliflower INSTEAD OF white potatoes
  • Dried fruit INSTEAD OF candy
  • Salsa INSTEAD OF ketchup
  • Lettuce wraps INSTEAD OF wheat wraps
  • Sliced zucchini INSTEAD OF spaghetti

4. Enjoy a Treat and Don’t Stress About It

For some reason when we go on vacation we think it’s a time to completely disregard normal eating habits and we begin to eat processed foods. Changing your state of mind to the complete opposite may not be realistic, so allowing yourself to have ONE treat and enjoying that treat, will help prevent the weight gain during vacation.

Keep in mind that excessive of anything, treats, beer, chips, etc. will not support a lean and healthy body. Moderation is the key. Now we recognize that the concept of moderation is always easier said than done so you decide – what does moderation mean to you?

Allow yourself to indulge this summer and when on vacation! Apply these above 4 tips and your experience will be enjoyable while staying lean and healthy.

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