Healthy Summer 101: The Best Way To Kickstart Your Summer

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Damp spring is slowly fading to reveal blissful blue skies and a summer sun. It’s the perfect time to get your health back on track by moving your body, soaking in vitamin D, and eating healthy summer foods.

Stick around to learn the best diet for the summer season, including delicious healthy summer meals and summer health tips.

Eat a balanced diet in summer

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Platter of fresh fruit including mango, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and grapefruit, lime and orange slices.

Over winter, it’s common to indulge in a little too much chocolate and sweet treats. But as summer approaches, you start feeling more energetic and alive. The change in energy is the perfect time to switch to a healthier, balanced diet.

What to eat for a balanced summer diet

Fruit - A crisp, cold apple or a juicy watermelon makes a refreshing summer treat. Fruit is also rich in antioxidants and vitamin C to protect your skin against the summer sun for a luminous glow.
Vegetables - Beautiful veggie bowls filled with fresh spinach leaves and crunchy kale make light summer meals. They’re packed with fibre for a healthy digestive system and abundant in iron for a burst of summer energy.

Choose easy fresh summer meals

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You use less energy in summer, so your body naturally craves light summer meals. If your meals are too heavy, they make you feel weighed down and sluggish in the summer heat.

The best food for hot days is lightweight grains or veggies with a high water content. Our favourites include refreshing cucumber, dark leafy greens, quinoa, couscous, and bulgur cracked wheat.

Light summer meal ideas

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Save the sandwiches for a rainy day and experiment with these light summer recipes:

Bean Salad with Lemon & Mint Dressing - This bean salad gives you a light summer freshness with a zingy twist. Made with protein-packed soya beans, juicy cherry tomatoes, fresh mint leaves and a squeeze of lemon
Spinach Wraps - White bread can feel heavy in the stomach, especially when it’s hot outside. But these summery wraps are the solution. They’re made from fibrous chickpea flour and baby spinach, which gives them a naturally green colour. Add whatever you like inside and bite down into veggie goodness.

Satisfy your hunger with high-protein summer recipes

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The trick to clean eating summer meals is to get enough protein. Protein keeps you full for longer by gradually breaking down and releasing energy, so you’re less likely to snack on high-salt and sugar foods.

Add a helping of grilled chicken to your plate and enjoy a hot dog at the summer BBQ. If you’re meat-free, you can hit your vegan protein intake with plant-based proteins, like chickpeas and tempeh.

Cook heart healthy summer recipes

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A healthy summer diet shouldn’t be about weight loss. Instead, focus on health, including nurturing your heart with nutritious foods.

Eat easy healthy summer dinners with omega-3 for heart health, like tasty salmon. Or fill up on a large salad sprinkled with walnuts and flaxseeds. We also recommend adding a side dish like Biona’s Organic Sauerkraut for gut health and better blood flow.

Healthy summer dinner recipes

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Healthy summer dinners don’t have to consist of wilted salads that leave you hungry and craving ice cream. They can be as imaginative and tasty as you want! Here are some of the best summer dinner ideas:

Grilled Courgette And Walnut Salad With Macadamia Feta - Our courgette and feta salad is full of fibre for healthy circulation. We’ve also added a sprinkle of walnuts, which are high in omega-3 and antioxidants for heart health.
Quinoa Burgers & Simple Chunky Salsa - If you’re craving a burger but want to avoid high cholesterol, this recipe is for you. Bite down into a quinoa burger bursting with fiery paprika and cool down the spark with refreshing chunky salsa

Snack on healthy summer foods

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There’s no denying that summer snacks are delicious. Ice cream, gelato, and light panna cotta desserts are tempting when it’s hot. You can enjoy these treats, but make sure to consume them in moderation. Whenever you’re feeling peckish try opting for healthy summer snacks to nurture your body.

Our top healthy summer snacks

You're packing a picnic basket for a day in the park, and you realise you don’t have any snacks. Chocolate will melt, and you’re trying to eat less sweets. So, what should you take instead?

Dried fruit - Fresh fruit is great in summer but it bruises and goes off quickly. Stock up on sweet apple slices, juicy dried apricots, and crunchy banana chips to keep your tummy happy between meals.
Nuts - Nuts are abundant in omega-3, amino acids, zinc, iron, and magnesium. Pop roasted salted pistachios in your rucksack or keep it simple with tasty almonds.
Seeds - Seeds are the perfect snack food to bulk up a trail mix or garnish salads. We particularly love sunflower seeds in the summer because of their lightly sweet taste.
Popcorn - Popcorn is an airy, healthy treat you can nibble on while hanging with friends. Check out our Pretty Perfect Popcorn for a healthy recipe that uses olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Drink less alcohol

Sipping an ice-cold beer or a chilled glass of wine on a summer evening is bliss. But drinking too much alcohol can impact your heart health, blood flow, and digestive system. It can also cause inflammation, affecting your sleep, concentration, and skin health.

Healthy summer drinks

You don’t have to sit out at the party just because you’re not drinking. There are lots of delicious and health-enhancing summer options for you to try.

Cherry Juice Mocktail - Cherries in summer? Yes please! This cherry mocktail combines Biona’s Tart Cherry Juice with lime and a fresh sprig of mint for a tangy summer mocktail.
No-booze Piña Colada - A creamy, alcohol-free Piña Colada is a bougie drink and summer dessert in one. Sip on a luxurious infusion of papaya and pineapple mixed into dreamy, dairy-free coconut milk

Jump into a healthy summer diet with Grape Tree

A healthy body over summer equals a vibrant and sunny mood all through the season. Nourish your body with the best healthy summer recipes and find bliss with light summer meals. Relax with refreshing summer salads, sip on fruit-infused mocktails, and look after your health this summer with Grape Tree.

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