Hot days have arrived and with them temptations of eating snacks and having drinks that can lead to weight gain. Check out some simple strategies to avoid falling into this trap and keeping those extra pounds at bay.
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1. Don't fall into the trap of eating lots of ice cream. Eating ice cream on a hot summer day is a delightful ritual. However, it's not something we do often if we want to avoid weight gain. An ice cream can easily have almost the same amount of calories than a whole meal. Eat ice cream only occasionally and satisfy your palate with ice cream substitutes made at home.
Try these alternatives instead:
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In a blender, mix 1 cup coconut milk with 1/2 cup fresh strawberries and 1 tablespoon of pure honey. Divide the mixture into 2 suitable containers for the fridge and freeze for 2 hours. Makes 2 (yummy!) servings.
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In a blender, mix 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt with 1/2 a banana and 1 cup of raspberries. Divide the mixture into 2 containers suitable for the fridge. Blend 1 cup raspberries, fresh juice of 1 lemon and 1/4 cup water. Pour this mixture over each bowl. Freeze for 5 hours. Makes 2 servings.
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In a blender, mix 2 squares of sugar free dark chocolate, 1/2 banana, 1 cup of almond milk, 4 walnuts and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Put the mixture into 2 containers suitable for the fridge and freeze for 2 hours. Makes 2 servings.
2. Don't try to quench your thirst with any kind of lemonade. The best drink to quench your thirst is water. Don't be fooled by the cool soft drinks sold in restaurants and markets. They almost always contain sugar.
Make some fresh lemonade at home without sugar or with only a little pure honey. If you enjoy the taste of lemon when you're on the street, drink water with lemon or mineral water with lemon.
3. Keep in mind the caloric content of fruit. Fruit are extremely beneficial for health and weight loss. However, you should not eat them in excess, especially if they are tropical fruits. Make sure that your fruit-based snacks do not exceed 100 calories. If they are very sweet fruits, like mangoes, eat half a fruit. Eat fruit without adding other ingredients that increase the calories.
Focus on fruits that are higher in water and lower in calories, such as cantaloupe, strawberries, kiwi, raspberry, peach, watermelon and apricot. If your snack consists of one cup of these fruits, you will not exceed 100 calories.
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