How to Eat Healthier This Summer: 7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Diet

Most of us have done it - dieted and exercised heavily in anticipation of swimsuit season, trying our best to slim down before the summer arrives.

But once the summer arrives, filled with vacations, busy schedules and social obligations, our regimen goes right out the window.

It can be challenging to adopt or maintain a healthy diet in the summer, but it's not impossible. In fact, summer is a great time to make healthy eating a part of your lifestyle.

Eating healthy on a consistent basis is a great way to look and feel your best during the summer and any time of year. Here are a few suggestions for how you can start eating healthier this summer - and keep your diet healthier even as summer comes to an end.

1. Take Advantage of Fresh Fruits and Veggies

Fresh produce is super easy to come by during the summer months whether you frequent the farmer's market, the grocery store or the farm stand down the road. Take advantage of these fresh fruits and veggies by making them a part of your diet when they are readily available during the summer - and then keeping them in your diet throughout the rest of the year. Once you start eating them regularly, you'll be surprised by how much you miss them when you leave them out of your diet!

Fruits and vegetables are good for your diet, but many of them are also good for your skin! Check out how many are on our list of the top 10 foods that are great for your skin!

2. Avoid Eating Out All The Time

For many people, summertime eating involves a lot of eating out. While this can be fun and is great to do on occasion, it can also lead to the consumption of lots of calories you wouldn't normally consume - not to mention it gives you less control over exactly what you are putting into your body. This summer, try picnicking sometimes instead of eating out. Picnics are a fun, easy and inexpensive way to eat healthier! Plus, they are a great summer activity for the whole family!

3. Drink Lots of Water

Water is an important component of a healthy diet all year round, but it's especially important in the summer when temperatures are hot and it's easy to become dehydrated. Keep a water bottle on hand throughout the summer and take a sip whenever you're thirsty - or even when you are not. If you make drinking plenty of water a part of your routine during the summer, it will make it easier to keep it as a part of your routine year round!

4. Try Smoothies

If you're not a huge fan of certain fruits or veggies but you'd like to work them into your diet, try making smoothies! They are a delicious, refreshing option when the weather is hot and they are a great way to pack healthy nutrients into your diet (and disguise healthy foods you don't love but know you should be eating)!

5. Keep Meals on Schedule

For many people, summer is the time to escape the regular routine and enjoy being free from the typical year round schedule. While this freedom is wonderful, one thing that is important to keep on schedule - especially if you're making an effort to eat healthy - is your meals. Eating regularly helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable, preventing intense feelings of hunger which could result in overeating. This will help you to avoid snacking excessively before or after meals and consuming more calories than you should.

6. Sit Down and Eat

Summer is a busy time of the year, but that doesn't mean you should be grabbing food to go all the time. Even if your schedule is incredibly busy, make sure you make time to sit down and eat regularly. This can ensure that you slow down and enjoy the food you are eating, and can also help to make you more aware of how much you are eating. Plus, most of the time at-home dinners that you sit down to eat are things you have prepared, meaning they are likely healthier than something you'd grab on the run to go or snag from a fast food place.

7. Eat Breakfast

Eating a healthy breakfast can help you to jumpstart your metabolism and get you ready for the day. Plus, you won't be tempted to snack excessively during the day if you've eaten something healthy and filling to get you started in the morning. While schedules tend to go by the wayside in the summer, if you want to eat healthier make sure you keep breakfast a part of your daily routine!

Start Eating Healthier This Summer

Summer is actually a great time to make a lifestyle change and start eating healthier. Keep these tips in mind and improving your diet can start today!

Looking for more ideas on how to improve your diet and love the skin you're in this summer? Check out our blog for even more ideas for looking and feeling your best!