For most people, summer is synonymous with rest and relaxation. This means that discipline is partly “on the wane”…and this can also affect our diet! Here are some tips on hydration and nutrition during hot weather, so that we can maintain a stable quality of life in the summer and of course not gain weight.
Hydration
- To prevent your body from saying “water is water”, make sure to drink enough water before you feel thirsty, since by then you are already partially dehydrated.
- Aim for 2-4 liters of fluids per day and increase it if your work is manual or you spend a lot of time outside every day.
- Prefer cool water rather than excessively cold water. It is absorbed faster and one can drink more.
- Another way to drink more water is by adding pieces of fruit to make it taste good, such as a slice of lemon, lime, or 1 slice of cucumber or a little mint.
Alcohol and other beverages
- Avoid sugary drinks as a means of hydration, eg commercial juices, milkshakes, soft drinks, caffeinated drinks with whipped cream. They may contain water, but their calories often reach the content of a meal. For example, a 240 mL coffee with whipped cream contains approximately 330 calories, while plain coffee contains no calories at all and at the same time you gain all the benefits of the antioxidants it contains. After all, regular consumption of sugar in liquid form through drinks is associated in many studies with the occurrence of obesity.
- Alcohol increases urine production in the short term, causing dehydration, although one study found that the effect is temporary and the body’s water balance returns to normal the next day. However, alcohol should not be used as a means of hydration due to the high calories it contains (especially in cocktails with sugar and syrup) and its adverse health effects.
Good beverage choices: unsweetened iced coffee, unsweetened iced tea, natural fruit juices, homemade smoothies with milk or yogurt and fruit.
- Save the many spices for winter cooking as they make digestion difficult in the summer, especially for people with gastrointestinal problems, eg reflux. Many spices also increase food-induced thermogenesis, the production of heat by the body during digestion, which worsens the… “feeling hot”.
- Summer is a good time to enjoy a salad as a main meal every now and then. Turn it into a complete meal by adding, in addition to vegetables, a source of protein (eg chicken, egg, cheese, etc.) and a source of starch (eg corn, rusk, some bread, etc.), forming a food triad.
- Avoid ready-made standard salads. Their calories exceed those of a typical home-cooked meal, eg a Caesar salad can exceed 600 calories. If you have no other option, choose one with a light dressing, eg based on lemon or vinegar or a simple vinaigrette, and avoid those containing mayonnaise or other high-fat ingredients.
Convert other foods into cold salad form, eg legume salad, pasta salad, cold vegetable soup.
Cool snacks for the heat
- Fruit should be our number 1 choice for snacks when it’s really hot. Hydration, antioxidant protection, low calories. Three in one!
- However, caution is needed by those suffering from diabetes due to the increased amount of sugar they contain. So 2-3 fruits a day between main meals is enough.
- Ice cream can be a good solution and also easy when we are out of the house, eg at the beach. To reduce its caloric content, it is good to avoid parfaits or the addition of nuts and syrup and to prefer yogurt ice cream or fruit-based flavors (eg strawberry ice cream) over chocolate. Portion always counts, so one scoop is enough!
Other good choices: fruit jelly, homemade rice pudding, yogurt with honey or a fruit, granitas or sorbets, fat-free ice cream and/or with sweeteners such as stevia.
Katerina Lymberopoulou is a Dietitian – Nutritionist with an additional postgraduate specialization (M.Sc) in Clinical Dietetics. She provides dietetic services in her private office in Argos.
