Summer has arrived and everyone wants to enjoy the wonderful time of the year, and if you want to look great in your swimsuit, maybe you have to lose some pounds! Yes, while you don’t need to starve yourself, you can choose healthy foods smartly instead of force yourself on a wacky fad diet. The secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you take, and it’s easy to find an abundance of fresh, healthy and tasty fruits and vegetables in the market in summer days.
Following are some summer foods which will keep your body cool as well as ward off some health issues such as dehydration, digestive problems and heat stroke.
Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 1: Watermelon
Watermelon is an excellent choice for many people to keep cool in summer days, including children as its sweet and refreshing taste. Almost half of the watermelon comes from water, and it’s a wonderful way to keep the body well hydrated.
Besides, watermelon provides several other vitamins and minerals, which help lower the risk of getting diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure. One single cup of watermelon, around 152g, including:
- vitamin C16.4%
- vitamin A4.8%
- vitamin B14.1%
- pantothenic acid6.8%
- copper6.6%
- biotin5%
- potassium4.8%
- magnesium3.8%
Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 2: Cucumbers
More than 90% of cucumber is water, making it another great cooling summer food. The enzyme called erepsin in cucumbers has been shown to improve digestion effectively. Cucucmbers are super low in calories, one cup of sliced cucumbers contains around 13.52 calories.
Plus, cucumber is with good cleansing properties because of it contains powerful antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A, C and E which help to remove toxins from the body. So cucumbers can help you get your weight loss goals, try to add it in your plate as salads or soup, or just eat it as a snack during summer days.
Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 3: Tomatoes
One tomato is around 95% water and keeps the body hydrated, and tomatoes are high in lycopene like other red vegetables and fruits, which is with antioxidant properties to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Tomatoes detoxify your body due to the high content of antioxidants such as vitamin A and C, and detoxification is an important step to flush the fat from your fat cells.
And you may know that tomatoes are on the negative calorie food list, means tomato is with lower calories itself than the number of calories it takes to digest it, on average, a red, medium, ripe tomato (around 150g) is with 25-35 calories. You can enjoy this nutrient-dense fat-burning food as salads, soups or juices in summer months.
Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 4: Grapes
Grapes are a low calorie tasty snack in summer months from July till October, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one cup grapes contain around 104 calories.
Grapes, particularly purple ones are rich in antioxidants, which help to clean your body and protect us away from cancer as well as other diseases. While grapes contain a lot of sugar, so eat it in moderation, 1 to 1.5 cups daily are recommended.
Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 5: Avocado
Yes, they are high in fat, while two-thirds of which is monounsaturated, and the monounsaturated fat is easily burned for energy, they are also a rich source of almost 20 essential nutrients, including vitamin C, E, B6, potassium, magnesium, iron and folic acid.
According to a study, one cup avocado contains 40% of your daily fiber needs and eat just one-half of a fresh avocado with lunch will give you a feeling of fullness and prevent unnecessary snacking.
Best Summer Weight Loss Food No. 6: Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt has twice as much protein as other low-fat yogurts and rich in calcium of course. And Greek yogurt contains probiotics which help to keep the digestive system running smoothly and boost immunity as well, making Greek yogurt as an excellent summer treat for weight loss.
For better weight loss result, you should choose plain Greek yogurt instead of fruit-flavored yogurt for lower calorie intake.
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