9 Best Foods to Eat This Summer – Top 5 Deadly Foods to Avoid and Be Cool

Summer, it’s hot, it’s humid and it’s too long! With each day getting hotter, we seem to be draining ourselves now. Most of us feel really tired too soon because of the summer heat. We get dehydrated and feel our energy levels are so low that the whole day’s productivity goes for a toss! Like a lot of other things, we want food to be very easily accessible. Junk food is the worst thing you can put inside your body in this hot weather. All our favourite foods like burgers, pizzas, sugary snacks, and fizzy drinks are very addictive and completely destructive for health! The first thing is they don’t fill you all. You don’t feel satiated and reach out for food again, all too soon! And the process continues! Summer or no summer, always prefer health over taste.

There are lots of favourite foods that we crave all through the year. But in the hot months of summers, the craving towards food, in general, goes down. We need foods which are cooling. But the heat and humidity don’t make us feel like eating anything at all. Rich and spicy foods don’t appeal to us at all during the hot summer months. If you are mostly outdoor for work or recreational reasons, you are bound to feel slothful! In fact, all the foods and drinks that you ideally want to have in summer, are the worst of all, you can eat for feeling better. Instead of feeling nice and fresh, we feel lazy and laggardly.

Here is What you Should Completely Avoid Eating this Season:

Ice-Creams:

Don’t we all scream for ice creams? Well, we probably shouldn’t now! These are the first things that we and our kids turn towards. This sweet treat is absolutely loved and people of all ages have a strong affinity towards ice creams, but these treats are around a whopping 500 calories on an average each! Also, loaded with sugar and full of saturated fats, these treats should be completely avoided. Go low on sugar and make your own healthy ice-creams at home with yogurt and bananas as a base.

All Fried Flour Foods:

While we all love the taste of flour based snacks like donuts, there’s no denying the fact that they aren’t too good for our health. Fats that are unimaginably bad for us. They fill your blood with cholesterol and make you feel hungry very soon. You end up eating a lot more than you would usually eat. Don’t let this inflame your body, so go for more baked than fried, or whole-wheat than white ones!

Macaroni:

Pasta, macaroni and spaghetti are our all-time favourites! We love eating our old mac and cheese, mac and potatoes and more, don’t we? But our beloved macaroni recipes, mayonnaise, and flour in the white sauces are sadly extremely fattening and responsible for a sharp insulin spike, leaving you craving for more and more!

Beef or Pork:

Whatever you do to make this healthy, the saturated fats in them will always remain. When at the restaurant, you really should overcome the desire to eat beef or pork meat. Opt for chicken and turkey instead. Even at home, choose healthy options and try to avoid too many sauces.

Fizzy Drinks:

These might sound like the best deal in summers. They are cheap and very easily available. But they are also packed with unnecessary calories which do not give our bodies anything except for more fat and a high rise in insulin levels! Those were some top picks that we should very thoughtfully avoid, especially in these hot months to help our body and mind feel better and refreshed. It helps us be more efficient all through the day.

Having said that, this is the reason most of us choose light, healthy and refreshing foods in the summer months. Summer foods are usually made light and that’s why they are excellent for health. A lot of heavy dressing or ingredients irritate the digestive system. More heavy foods also make us feel extremely lethargic. Hence, clean food is the way to go for summers.

You do not need to take a lot of pain and put a lot of thoughtfulness into making your summer meals. All meals can be made lighter, healthier and very delicious. Read ahead about some lip-smacking recipes that you will love in these heat-filled days!

Here are some good ideas of foods to opt this summer.

Foods to keep cool and satiate hunger in Summer:

Main course meal recipes:

For our main three meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, we usually have a plate full of goodness like steaks, rice, pasta, sandwiches, noodles and sloppy joes. Check out these top three different options for your main course meals!

Slow Cooker Turkey BBQ Burgers:

Aren’t burgers so filling and the most versatile of all dishes? The list of foods to fill your burgers with is endless. Turkey is the cleanest of all meats possible. It’s a super lean meat that is loaded with proteins and therefore light for your summer appetite. When turkey is combined with the all-time favourite BBQ sauce, this meal becomes a must have for everyone in no time. The slow cooker BBQ turkey burger is the cleanest and the most lip-smacking burger you will ever eat.

Ingredients:

• 25 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp (smoked) paprika
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt and ground pepper
• ¼ cup barbeque sauce
• 1 slice smoked cheese of your choice
• A couple handfuls of
• 4 Sandwich buns or slices.

Method:

• In a bowl mix up the ground turkey, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and ground pepper according to your taste.
• Make patties out of this of all equal sizes.
• Drizzle a little olive oil on a pan and heat it up.
• Cook these patties and cook well till brown on both sides.
• Before removing from the pan, put some BBQ on the top and top with some cheese.
• Put a lid on the pan just for the cheese to melt.
• Now remove the patties and place on the burger bun with lettuce of spinach or any greens.

Summer Cauliflower Crust Pizza:

Who does not love pizzas?! What’s best is when we all get healthy versions that make us feel light and fresh during these hot summer months. No flour, no gluten! Made of a vegetable, no one will even complain of the missing flour with this thin crust yummy and fresh pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/3-cup goat cheese
• ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup pizza sauce
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut your cauliflower into small pieces and pulse them till you get a rice-like
• Put a pan to heat. Add water and bring to a boil. Cook the cauliflower in this for like 5 mins or until soft and strain!
• Place this on a kitchen towel and squeeze all the water from it COMPLETELY. Make sure this has NO WATER LEFT. Remember the drier it is, the better.
• Transfer to a bowl. Add the egg, cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning and salt. Mix!
• Now transfer the whole dough to a silicone mat.
• Press this dough to a quarter inch thick.
• Put this in the oven for 30 mins.
• When done, it’s time to use any toppings of your choice. Meat, veggies anything.
• Apply pizza sauce over the pizza crust. Add in shredded mozzarella.
• And pop back in the oven for the cheese to melt!
• Please let it cool and then cut the slices the size you want them.

Summer Harvest Soup:

One of the best ways to consume vegetables is making them into a soup. Local vegetables are tastiest when they are seasonal and procured from your neighborhood farmer’s market. All the vegetables are super tasty in this recipe and will make for a wonderful lunch or dinner for summer. Eat fresh and clean!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups of diced tomatoes
• 2 medium zucchinis chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 cups organic, low sodium chicken broth
• 4 ears of corn kernels cut off the cob
• ½ cup fresh basil chopped
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Method:

• Heat oil in a large pot over a medium-high
• Add chopped onion along with a pinch of salt and sauté till onion is fragrant and translucent.
• Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, garlic and some pepper and cool for 5 minutes.
• Add in chicken broth, crank up the heat and let everything come to a boil.
• Once you have your boil, reduce heat down to a simmer and stir in corn, basil, and cheese.
• Cook another 3-5 minute until the zucchini is fork tender and corn still has a fresh pop.

Those were three summer clean eating ideas.

Now, mostly, summer is also a lot of snacking. If the adults of the kids food (This should have been picked up in a proofread) do not want to eat a meal or want a simple snack for the late nights or some free time, snacks are always handy!

Read ahead for some yummy snack ideas that you and the loved ones will cherish.

Summer Snack Ideas:

Apple Cinnamon Chips:

While snacking, what can be better than fruits, and particularly, apples? Whole fruits, although healthy and light, in their basic ways are not always too much loved. Making something else out of the fruit is a yummy and creative way to have it.

Ingredients:

• Apples
• Cinnamon powder

Method:

• Cut your apples into very thin slices.
• Place then on your baking tray and bake until crispy or how you want them to be.
• When done, remove and sprinkle some cinnamon powder on each slice.

Yes, it’s that simple! They are great for summer snacking!

Yogurt Buttons:

We do find a lot of commercial frozen yogurts in the market. But I bet, this snack made from them are a step ahead. Fresh yogurt and a few fruits of your choice are to die for! Yogurt is known to keep your body cool and fresh. Plus, it’s VERY easy to make. No cooking involved at all.

Ingredients:

• Yogurt (any flavour of your choice)
• Fruits (any of your choice ex- all berries, citrus fruits, apples, pineapple, just anything will work!)

Method:

• Use a spoon and put one tablespoon yogurt on a tray like you do while baking cookies.
• Next, place your pieces of fruits on each.
• Freeze them in the freezer.

Your chilled buttons are ready to eat and finish!

Caprese Salad:

Let’s work with some vegetables now. Some fresh tomatoes and fresh basil is a match made in heaven! Classic Italian!

Ingredients:

• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Fresh tomatoes
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil

Method:

• Cut tomatoes into slices. About half an inch each.
• Cut the mozzarella. Almost the same size and width of the tomatoes. All round.
• Place the cheese and tomatoes slices alternatively.
• Take each basil leaf and place between tomato and cheese. So you see each in a row.
• Sprinkle dried oregano and salt & pepper.
• Drizzle the olive oil.

There you have your three healthy snack ideas to keep hunger at bay and to keep you cool and fresh!

Summer is never complete without some chilled drinks. Water is not always too exciting, so let’s look at the following summer recipes of drinks.

Summer Drinks:

Cucumber Lemonade:

Slice up 1 cucumber and juice 15 lemons. Grind these together. Add in 2 cups of sugar or any sweetener of your choice. Throw in 2 gallons of water and the sliced second cucumber. Add a sprig of basil if you fancy. Refreshing and cool!

Watermelon Slush:

Cut up some watermelons and place them in the freezer for about 2 hours. Place in a blender with some lime juice. Blend this all up, and your watermelon slush is ready!

Shirley Temple:

Add ice, half a cup of orange juice, sprite and ginger ale in a mug. Add a few drops of cherry syrup and squeeze some lime juice. Your beautiful, chilled, tangy summer drink is ready!

There are so many different healthy options for you to choose to feel healthy from within and satiated to the core. It is just the question of seeking some inspiration and tossing some fresh summer-friendly ingredients and you can enjoy your summers to the hilt. After all summer is the time when you really get into holiday mood and can have some fun and frolic, in the true sense of the word. Let these healthy options be a part of your scheme, and feel rejuvenated and refreshed like never before!

Best Food to Eat in Summer – Stay Healthy and Fresh – PDF