A fun day in the sun always throws off my diet if I am unprepared. There is nothing like having a cold beer, snacking on chips, eating some ham and cheese wraps and enjoying the water. Unfortunately, these items can quickly add up and turn into a not so healthy sunny day. One chip really means “mindless eating” aka when you eat so much and don’t notice it. You end up eating half the bag! Those delicious wraps are usually filled with nothing but processed foods and unhealthy gunk like mayo. Not to mention that spinach wrap that you think is healthy is actually not. It’s loaded with calories and food coloring to mimic spinach. There is really no beneficial nutritional content to any of these items.
Here are some tips for your next beach or boat day so you can rock that bikini and keep the bloat away!
Dips: Hummus, Fresh Pico De Gallo and Guac
Paired with: Dipping veggies like celery, carrots and cucumber. Buy pre sliced to save some time. Stacy’s pita chips are also a great option!
Homemade sandwiches: You’re better off making a big batch of sandwiches from scratch! Incorporate things like roasted turkey breast, low fat cheese, hummus, vegetables and mustard base spreads. Pack some tomato slices on the side to avoid soggy bread.
Homepage Light Pasta Salad: Check out my recipe here which incorporates chickpea pasta and a light dressing to keep calories down. Pasta salad is easy to pack and transport for a beach day!
Crunchies: If you love chips like me, there are plenty of options to avoid the deep fried kettle ones. Opt for baked chips and brands such as Pop Chips and Stacy’s.Careful to avoid branding such as “made with avocado oil” or “veggie chips”. These are still deep fried unless otherwise noted.
Sweet Finish: Stick to fresh berries such as strawberries and blueberries which contain the lowest sugar content of all fruit. Some really cold chunks of watermelon are also so epic on a hot day. One cup of watermelon chunks rounds out at about 10 grams of sugar making it a summer friendly treat!