Summer is here. Almost. Holiday time! Lighter dresses, shorter skirts, strapless tops 🙂 We are want to feel lighter and healthier too! We have spoken about detoxes, juicing, 5:2 and other diets enough – there are no miracles, the point is not to starve oneself but to change daily food habits for the better, helping one’s body to get into shape and function better.

Here are the 3 things that are definitely worth trying out. Simple, realistic, sustainable things. Give these 3 tips a try for 2 weeks, and let us know how did it go for you:

Overnight oats for breakfast

Eating oatmeal for breakfast has many benefits – it is filling, nutritious, healthy. Cold/Lazy/Overnight oats hit many extra points: super-quick, super-easy as no cooking involved, and a great solution for those, who struggle with texture of porridge! 🙂 It is very fashionable now but I remember it from childhood days. Before muesli and granola were invented (yes, I am THAT old).  It used to be called the “beauty salad”: plain oatmeal, add some water, store overnight, in the morning add kefir and toppings. Why beauty? Because by working with your gut it did wonders for your skin. And it still does. Provided the toppings are kept under control. Get your nutrients, reduce your cravings, improve digestion, lose weight AND get the glow – what’s not to like?

Things to remember:

Gluten – oatmeal does not contain gluten but most oatmeal brands on the market are not pure, they contain oats with a tiny bit of wheat, barley and rye, and some people might have a reaction. Best to check the producer.  Also people with Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity can have reaction to avenin – a protein in the oats.

Portion size –  40-50g. Maison jars are very pretty but deceiving size-wise. Go for 250-300g mugs/glasses/mini-jars, these will be perfect for the oats + milk + enough topping.

Toppings – best to stick to fresh fruits. Honeys, jams, nut butters, dry fruits are all very tasty but can add too many unwanted calories and do not help if looking to reduce sugar cravings.

Greens for every lunch and dinner

Have two handfuls of greens with every lunch and dinner. Fresh salads, cooked greens like kale, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, courgettes, asparagus…  And start your meal with these veggies and your protein first, getting to your rice, pasta, tatoes later, if at all.

Greens – no limit. Starchy carbs – control.

Fresh fruit at coffee/tea breaks

Whether you grab take-away coffee at a local shop or prep a cuppa at the kitchenette, say no to the tins/packs/boxes of the usual tea-time suspects. Always have some fresh fruit around and snack on it. If feeling really muchy try having 3  apples, the likelihood is you’ll only manage 1 🙂  There’s nothing wrong with buying a banana to go with your coffee. Yes, it might be overpriced, but so is any sponge cake, however which one is your waistline’s favourite? 😉 Tea-time snacks, especially in coffee shops, are purchased mainly from habit – there MUST be something to go with coffee, so once you are chewing on something, the issue is sorted. Chew on fruit 🙂 If feeling properly hungry, then best to have a proper filling meal, delaying meals makes you snack more.