Thursday, June 19, 2008

Refreshing Summer Diet as one of healthy lifestyle living

Diet is one of the habit of many people for their healthy lifestyle living. Summer is here and everyone is excited to wear not just their colorful flip flops but their skimpy bikinis and daring thongs to show off those hot bodies. Everyone wants to enjoy and to having muscle relaxant for there hot bodies. Speaking of hot bodies, many people are starving themselves on a wacky fad diet just to fit in those swimsuits. Come to think of it, weight loss is simply choosing healthy foods and taking in fewer calories than you burn. During summertime, it’s a lot easier to make better food choices because heavy, high-calorie dishes become less appealing. The hot season also keeps you out of the hot kitchen, that’s why.

Summer’s best foods are simply great for weight loss: they’re light and refreshing! Load up on nature’s bounty, whether fruits or veggies, which are at peak during summer. In addition to being low in calories, they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

Delight on fresh melons and berries! Savor on cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, beets, all those produce that abound in the garden this time of year! When it comes to fresh fruits and veggies, you can forget about portion control!

To cut your staying time in the kitchen, prepare cut-up fruits and washed greens. When you need something a bit heartier, just add rotisserie chicken, prepared soups, and pre-threaded kebabs.

Here are some picks from experts and dietitians of the best summer foods to help with weight loss:

Chilled Soups – low-calorie soups like gazpacho or cucumber-dill that contain lots of chunky vegetables are a great way to start a meal. It is filling and can make you eat less at the meal.

Watermelon – Since almost half of the watermelon is water, it’s perfect in satisfying thirst and your sweet cravings.

Who doesn’t love diving into a crisp, juicy slice of watermelon when it's hot outside?

Grilled Veggies – this summertime must-have is great even for non-vegetarians! A plate of grilled onions, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, asparagus, and garlic in your fridge can make a variety of healthy dishes, such as grilled vegetable and goat cheese salads, grilled vegetable pitas, and grilled vegetable, ricotta, and fresh herb pasta and frittatas.

Salads – with no recipes required, salads make for quick, healthy meals. Make sure you rinse the veggies well, toss some sliced fruits, low-fat cheese, toasted nuts with a light raspberry or vinaigrette, along with a whole-grain roll for a quick, easy meal in minutes.

Flavor your salads with herbs from the garden so you can go light on the dressing. And when adding meats or fish to your salad, think of them as an accessory to the greens, vegetables, and grains.

Low- and No-Calorie Beverages – While smoothies, sweetened specialty coffee drinks, sweetened teas and sodas all go down so easily, especially when it's hot outside, the calories add up just as easily.

Since we need to drink lots of liquids to stay cool, these refreshing drinks and treats will help you enjoy this summer without blowing your diet:

• Root Beer or Orange Dream Float. 1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt in 12 ounces of diet root beer or orange soda (100 calories)
• Tart Lemon Pom Spritzer. 12 ounces of lemon sparkling water mixed with the juice of 1 lemon and 1/4 cup pomegranate juice, served over ice (35 calories)
• Large Ice Skim Latte from Starbucks™ (130 calories)
• White Wine Spritzer. 5 ounces white wine mixed with 3 ounces lemon/lime seltzer water (120 calories)

Fruit-Based Desserts – Though you are on break from eating this summer, your craving are not. To replace those high-calorie desserts, opt for these naturally sweet treats that can tame the sweetest tooth:

• Grilled banana sundaes made with low-fat ice cream
• Grilled pineapple with rum and pecans
• Grilled white peaches with blackberries and honey
• Frozen, dark, sweet cherries
• A chocolate-covered frozen banana (such as Diana’s Banana™, with 130 calories)
• Frozen grapes

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