Foods to avoid in summers in order to prevent weight gain

Healthy eating is the most common approach we all should adopt to at all times. But, at the same time there are some foods which are meant for particular time or season only and should be carefully considered while we include them in our daily diets. And there are some food which are always bad and do more harm than good and should always be omitted from our diet. Here in this article we would be looking at certain foods that we should seriously avoid in order to prevent weight gain in summers.

Summers are the months of rising temperatures and outdoor activities. It is also the holiday season and nature also blesses us with its bounty of delicious and fresh produces, but at the same time there are a lot of high-calorie foods available in this season that make us gain considerable amount of weight. Beverages that are refreshing and cold salads are some foods that we enjoy a lot in the hot weather but these foods have surprisingly high amount of calories and fats.

Let’s look at what we should avoid eating during the summer months so that we do not put on the extra weight on to ourselves.

• Frozen Yoghurt

Don’t get fooled this summer with this summer delight. It is a common misconception that yoghurt is yoghurt, and is meant to be healthy. Yes, it is true, but not the frozen ones. They are loaded with added sugars and calories, even higher than what you generally find in an ice cream. Though yoghurt has some bit of protein in it, the probiotic factors are missing as it is there in natural and active yoghurts. Avoid them strictly.

• Packaged Fruit Juices

During the summers we tend to pick up everything that is a fluid and with the easy availability, attractive packaging and tastefully enticing packaged fruit juices, we all tend to pick them the first. Almost all packaged fruit juices are loaded with added sugar in the form of sugary sodas – the main culprit to a host of health issues including weight gain. Next time you want to stay hydrated and keep away from thirst, make a wiser choice with whole fruits or freshly squeezed juices out of them.

• Summer Salads

Salads are great foods for the summers, perhaps for all the year around – low in calories and super healthy. But there are the ones like the creamy pasta salads and the sweetened fruit salads could be equally dangerous and harmful. Refined flour, calorie rich creamy dressings, sugary syrups, whipped cream and what all – you have all the ingredients at one place to make you fat and unhealthy. Dressings in particular are pure fat.

• Lemonades and flavored sweetened teas

Water doesn’t seem to be appealing always, whereas a chilled glass of lemonade or a flavored cold ice tea seems to be the perfect solution. You are not alone, we all are with you. But these drinks are super high in calories and sweets – a perfect combination to make you fat and fatter.

• Bar-be-cue meats and burgers

This is one thing that we all wait for the entire year and come summers we love to have evening bar-be-cue parties very often. Research say that meats cooked over open flame and at unregulated temperatures causes the protein of the meat to break down into a compound that is not at all good for health and causes unprecedented fat gain.

Opt for lean meats with thinner cuts and cook over the grill to ensure that the meats stay healthy, yet delicious. Moreover, adding cheese and creamy topping on them add up to the portion of unsaturated fats along with higher levels of sodium and calories. Use herb and olive oil marinades to make them super healthy.

Being cautious about what you eat in any season is in your hands and so is your health. Make smarter choices and watch what you eat. You will be safe form weight gain in summers.

Source: Dietitian Ashu Gupta is the founder of Ashu Gupta’s Diet Clinic and an acclaimed dietician and nutritionist.

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