Summer is approaching and it is the perfect time to get smart about your diet, watch your pennies and make a healthier you.

Longer days make for a more active and outdoors lifestyle, and even office workers have some extra light to get a game of tennis or a swim in after work.

Nicole Kuhl, CCN, Director of Nutrition and Health Coach at LifeSpan, www.lifespanmedicine.com spoke to Monsters and Critics and gave us some common sense rules for you to adopt to feel and look better for the sunny seasons.

Nicole has her Masters inhuman Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. She is an expert when it comes to healthy and realistic weight loss that promotes healthy liver function, maintenance of muscle mass, increased metabolic rate and she creates anti-inflammatory and serotype-based diets tailored to the individual.

Nicole is also certified by the Clinical Nutrition Certification Board (CCN). She has directed corporate wellness programs for numerous businesses and has taught at Brown Mackie College for more than 5 years, and has worked in clinical practice providing nutrition counseling to groups and individuals for over ten years.

Nicole’s programs employ lifestyle modifications, nutrition, diet information and recommendations for nutritional supplementation. She works face to face, by telephone and will work on site to help you or your designee cook, shop, stock your pantry, design recipes, menus and meal plans that will help you achieve your goal of having better health and more vitality.

Along with moderate exercise (walking, take stairs, do some basic yoga at home), here are some simple guidelines she shared with M&C to help you feel lighter, faster.

Seasonal Eating Tips for Summer

Eat foods from the garden.

Even if you have a patio and apartment, you can grow veggies in pots. Summer is the time to eat garden fresh foods. It would be ideal to eat foods from your own garden. No worries if you’ve never tended a garden, even a novice can grow a basic one.  Upside-down container gardens (Topsy Turvy) are a great option for those who live in an urban setting. These are economically hard times for so many, make a pact with a neighbor to exchange produce and make it a collaborative victory garden!

Don’t forget the herbs.

Salt free flavor and nutrition come with fresh herbs. Summer provides the opportunity to use the abundance of fresh herbs. Herbs not only add flavor and pizzazz to your meals, they are also therapeutic.  Growing your own basil would allow you to make homemade pesto on a dime. You could also add spearmint to your water for a refreshing beverage. Juice them too for fruit and beggie blended drinks, fresh mint and parsely are perfect.

Eat raw foods.

Invest in a juicer, try the Breville juicer we reviewed, it’s amazing and reasonable in price. When the temperature outside is hot, the last thing you want to do is heat your home with the stove or oven. Likewise, summer is a great time to eat raw foods that don’t require heat.  An easy way to incorporate raw foods into your diet is to prepare trays of crudités such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, celery and grape tomatoes, and serve with hummus. Crudités trays are a great for summer gatherings with your friends and family.

Use little heat.

Juicing and raw rule. But certain foods do taste better when they’re slightly cooked.  For foods you don’t prefer raw, use light heat such as steaming, blanching, and sautéing.  These cooking methods help retain moisture in food which also helps to keep you hydrated.

Eat carbohydrates with a clear conscience.

Know your carbs! Cake and cauliflower are both considered carbs, but one will make your Cortisol and Insulin Levels go haywire, and one will flood you with good antioxidants and fiber. Because people are typically more active in the summer, they are more likely to use carbohydrates as energy instead of storing them as fat. It’s best to get your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables.  Starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, and potatoes should be eaten in moderation. Think of them as a compliment to a meal instead of the basis of a meal.

Eat lighter.

In winter we crave lasagna, stews, casseroles and richer calorific foods for a reason, survival! Conversely summertime is “salad days” as we bare more skin and naturally want to feel cooler, and fat is an insulator no one wants. Most people notice that their hunger level decreases in the summer.  This is good news for anyone looking to lose weight. Take advantage of the natural appetite suppressant effect of summer by eating lighter, low calorie meals such as salads with fish or seafood.

Boost your nutrition.

Juice it, slice it, steam it, buy it- Vegetables and fruit! Research shows that when foods are in season, they have higher levels of nutrients. By adding copious amounts into your summer diet, you’ll be giving your body a large number of the nutrients it craves. Examples of summer foods include: eggplant, green beans, zucchini, peppers, swiss chard, peas, corn, cucumber, okra, cherries, berries, nectarine, apricot, mango, plum, fig, rhubarb, melons, and tomato.

BONUS!

Get to bed

You heard Nicole, you need to sleep! Once you’ve eaten and done a lot of activity, you should rest. Nicole tells us, “The cornerstone of health is actually sleep – not eating. We are much more the products of light and dark. Nutrition is based on carbohydrate metabolism, and we are better equipped to consume more carbs in the summer because that is when we’re programmed to be more active and need more carbohydrates. This is why summer is when the Earth provides the most natural sugars in fruits…If you eat between 7 and 7 – you WILL lose weight, even if you do not change your current diet for the better. You lose weight when you sleep.”

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