One of my favorite things about summer is usually travel. My family often takes a vacation together, I do lots of interesting travel for work, and everywhere I go, I get to enjoy delicious, unique cuisine. 

This summer isn’t like most summers though. As we continue to traverse pandemic life, it’s pretty clear that most of us won’t be going anywhere over the next few months. This stillness begets boredom and (if we aren’t careful) boredom eating. Coupled with the fact that summer is full of traditional “splurge foods,” and we could be in for some nutrition trouble if we don’t play our cards right.

So how can you prioritize your nutrition and eat healthy this summer—and actually enjoy doing it??

As with most inconveniences in life, I think the secret to focusing on our nutrition this summer is going to be a combination of turning lemons into lemonade, getting creative, and establishing good habits. In this week’s blog, I’m offering you a little peek at what this looks like in my family right now—and hopefully these ideas inspire you to come up with a few fun ways to eat well this summer, too!

Traveling By Stomach

As I mentioned, I’m pretty bummed about the lack of travel plans in my summer calendar. But I realized early on during this pandemic—that doesn’t mean I can’t still enjoy the yummy, international faire I usually look forward to! My family has a lot of fun choosing dishes from around the world to prepare for dinner. We’ve recently done a good bit of Asian style cooking, featuring sesame oil instead of regular oil, and an array of uniquely Asian spices. From stir fry to steamed dumpling, we are definitely getting more creative in the kitchen.

Fire Up the Grill

If there’s one activity that defines summertime in the United States, it might just be the backyard barbecue. We always love grilling out, but this year, we’ve amp’d up our backyard oasis and it’s been a special treat. We get to break up the monotony of our routine, be outside for a while, and sometimes, we even end up playing backyard games as a family (which makes this a win in the eat, move, and recharge categories!).

Your Food Can Be Both Fun & Healthy

Reading about the activities above, you might be wondering how all that fits into my healthy eating plan. It would be easy to take something like an international food night or a barbecue night and turn it into a reason to go off plan.

This is where the “making it a habit” component comes in. As I’m preparing for these fun activities, I simply do so with my PFC Every 3 guidelines in mind. We still plan our meals around lean proteins, lots of veggies, and healthy fats—but the diversity in experiences, spices, side dishes, etc. helps keep the PFC Every 3 program from ever getting dull.

Even if we end up occasionally using a sauce that might be a little sweet or having some deliciously chewy bread on the side, I still consider this a net win. After all, prepping Asian food or grilling at home keeps us from, say, ordering Chinese takeout or hitting up a local rib joint—both of which would be far more liberal with the fat, sodium, and sugar than we are in our homemade recipes.

Quick Tips To Help You Lighten Up Your Meal & Stay On Plan

As you prepare for traveling by stomach, firing up the grill, or whatever other fun meal options you have in mind, here are a few simple swaps/alterations you can make to lighten up some of your favorite meals:

1. Nix super-sweet sauces

I’m specifically thinking of barbecue sauce here, but this is really true of any sauce or marinade. Pay attention to your ingredients, and act accordingly. If you’re used to using a really sticky, sugary barbecue sauce, for example, consider swapping to a North Carolina barbecue style, which is more vinegar-based . . . or make your own reduced-sugar sauce!
 

2. Everything in moderation.

Lots of summer foods revolve around fat and salt— I’m thinking of corn on the cob, coleslaw, macaroni salad, potato salad, and other traditional picnic-style food. In a lot of these cases, you don’t really need all the extra stuff to make your food delicious. Corn on the cob for example, doesn’t require a lot of butter and salt if you buy high quality corn and cook it fresh. Coleslaw that’s more focused on vinegar and spices rather than mayo can scratch a similar itch without loading your plate with fat. Potato and macaroni salads can be made with way less sugar and mayo than you were probably taught to use as a kid.
There are no hard and fast rules here, but be conscientious about what “extras” you might be adding to your food, and look for opportunities to eliminate them.
 

3. Substitute Healthier Options for Traditional Favorites    

Sometimes, just subbing in a healthier option really is the best choice you can make. We end up doing this a lot for dessert: Instead of having a summer cobbler or cake, we feast on things like watermelon salads. If you need to sweeten something up a little bit, try using a drizzle of honey or agave instead of white sugar.
Apart from dessert, you could also try swapping out buns for spinach leaves, or stuffing your burgers with veggies (I’m a big fan of jalapenos and roasted peppers!).
 

What are some of your favorite summer foods? And what are some ideas you have around putting a fun, healthy spin on them this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Need some additional accountability, fun food ideas, and virtual camaraderie this summer? Join my Facebook Community, Never Diet Again! It’s free, and it’s a great way to meet other women who are making a commitment to living healthier lives in this season and beyond.