You don’t need to starve yourself on a wacky fad diet if you want to look look better in your shorts or swimsuit this summer. The secret to weight loss is to choose healthy foods and take in fewer calories than you burn. And it’s just easier to make better food choices in summertime, when heavy, high-calorie dishes seem less appealing. The best foods for weight loss in summer are light, refreshing and, most important, keep you out of the hot kitchen.

The single easiest way to trim calories from your summer diet, experts say, is to load up on nature’s bounty. Produce is at its peak in summer. Delicious fruits and vegetables abound at farmers’ markets and in your local grocery. Besides being low in calories, produce is loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.

“Enjoy fresh produce in season. You will be thrilled at how fresh, delicious, and satisfying it tastes,” says Susan Moores, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Save the oranges and apples for fall, and load up on fresh berries, melons, greens, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, pea pods, and all the super-nutritious and low-calorie fruits, greens and vegetables that grow in the garden this time of year.”

To keep your cool and cut your time in the kitchen, start with prepared produce, such as cut-up fruit and washed greens. Add rotisserie chicken, prepared soups, and pre-threaded kabobs when you need something a bit heartier. Pre-prepped foods may cost a little extra, but they save time in the kitchen.

Here are dietitian’s picks for some of the best foods to help with weight loss during the summer.

1: Chilled Soups
Moores loves all kind of produce but says cold soups are among her favorite low-calorie dishes. Chilled soups like gazpacho or cucumber-dill that contain lots of chunky vegetables are a great way to start a meal. “Research shows that a low-calorie, broth-based soup at the beginning of the meal will fill you so you eat less at the meal,” says Moores, a St. Paul-based nutrition consultant.

2: Watermelon
Who doesn’t love diving into a crisp, juicy slice of watermelon when it’s hot outside? “Half of the watermelon comes from water. It’s a wonderful way to satisfy thirst and a yen for something sweet,” says Moores.

3: Grilled Veggies
For registered dietitian Dawn Jackson, a plate of grilled vegetables is a summertime must-have. She recommends keeping a plate of grilled onions, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, eggplant, asparagus, and garlic in your fridge.

4: Salads
Salads make for quick, healthy meals  with no recipes required. “Just give the produce a quick rinse; slice, dice, toss fruits, vegetables, low-fat cheese, a handful of toasted nuts with some salad greens and a light raspberry or ginger vinaigrette, along with a whole-grain roll, and you have a meal in minutes,” says Moores. Or try bean or whole-grain salads, such as wheatberry and tabouli.

5: Low- and No-Calorie Beverages
Smoothies, sweetened specialty coffee drinks, sweetened teas and sodas they all go down so easily, especially when it’s hot outside. But the calories add up just as easily. “Beverages can be the Achilles heel during summertime because we need to drink lots of liquids to stay cool, but liquids quench thirst and don’t usually impact our hunger,” says Jackson.

6: Fruit-Based Desserts
“Cravings don’t take a summer vacation and your hot-weather sweet tooth can wreak havoc on your weight loss efforts,” says Jackson. “Ditch high-calorie desserts and opt for these naturally sweet treats that can tame the most ferocious sweet tooth.”

via webmd

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