Healthy Summer Eating: 4 Mindset Tips

Now that sunshine and 70 degree days have come to New England, it finally feels like spring. And with spring comes the realization that summer will be here soon!

Summer is my favorite! I love the long days of sunshine with my sweaty, bronzed kiddos. I love trips to the beach and, of course, barbecues!

I hope your summer weekends are full of barbecues! These summer gatherings are about food, yes, but there’s also all about family, friends, and fun!

Memorial Day, the unofficial start of barbecue season, is coming right up. The 4th of July will be here before you know it, and I’m willing to bet your Independence Day celebration will likely involve a barbecue. And, if you’re fortunate, just about every other weekend will also come with its own barbecue opportunity.

What comes to mind when you think of a barbecue? I think of music filling the air. Volleyball and badminton. Lemonade and iced tea. Grills. And food! Glorious food!

You know the barbecue menu - hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips, potato salad, ice cream! Maybe some s’mores? But what do you do if you want to soak up the sun and socialize but … you want to eat healthfully? How can you honor your body AND be the life of the party?

Yes, you can have a summer full of good fun and good eats without sacrificing your health goals. So, I’d like to bring your attention to four ideas - priorities, pleasure, peer pressure and perfectionism - to help you.

If you were looking for some quick hacks like “eat the burger without the bun,” sorry. I’d like to go a little deeper than that. The bun - or bread, in general for that matter, or any food at all - is not your biggest challenge. Your biggest challenge … is your mindset.

Priorities

When you plan for the summer events on your calendar, I suggest that you keep your priorities at the forefront of your mind. One way to establish your priorities is to name and work toward a goal. Here’s an example of a summer health goal:

I want to be more health-conscious this summer.

Here’s an example of a better summer health goal:

I want to feel confident and fit in my swim suit all summer.

Isn’t the second one more powerful? That’s because it has several characteristics that the first one doesn’t. It’s specific. It’s  measurable. It’s relevant. And maybe it’s even a challenge.

When your goal is clear in your mind, your actions will align with it. If you have a swimsuit goal, you’ll be less likely to fill your plate with processed, sugary foods..

Once you establish your priorities through clear goals, it’s time to go get them! Check out my cheat sheet “5 Steps to Getting Any Goal You Desire.” It offers 5 science-backed tips to getting any goal you set.

One other thought about priorities is a bit more granular. When you’re invited to an upcoming barbecue,  think of the food that you’re most looking forward to. And be sure you eat that food. You don’t have to restrict your eating. Enjoy it! Just focus on your big summer health goal, and, about food, ask yourself, “how would eating that serve me?” And if you can’t come up with a good reason, then don’t eat it. It’s not a priority.

Pleasure

Understanding which foods bring you the most pleasure is another consideration. Food is fuel but eating is enjoyment. Food tastes good for a reason. It’s because it wants you to eat it. Food wants you to want to eat it.

So, when you decide to eat a food for pleasure, make sure the food is really delivering on its promise. It should be a positive experience. You should feel happy while you’re eating it. And after you finish eating it, for that matter. When you’re trying to decide if you should indulge in a food or not, if it’s not an absolute yes, say, “heck no!” For example, if you were psyched to have sausage and peppers on a roll, but it’s all gone, but you can have a hot dog even though you don’t really like hot dogs … heck no!

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

Do I love this food?

Is this food something I can enjoy any time of year or is this a special opportunity?

Is this food adding to my ability to experience this event?

My absolute yes is to my grandma’s biscuits. Plus apple jelly please. My grandma lives in North Carolina and I usually see her during the week of July 4th. And she makes the roundest, softest, flakiest, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits ever. Ever! And there’s no way I’m missing out on having at least one of my grandma’s biscuits when I see her. Period. I love them. Her making them is so special to me. And it’s an integral part of my visit.

Peer Pressure

While you are a grown adult, you are still susceptible to peer pressure. Especially at the hands of your friends and family. And food shaming is a common type of peer pressure - family-style. You may have heard something like this:

You’re just drinking water, honey?

You’re eating a burger without a bun?

Why no dessert?

This is tough. You don’t want to make your loved ones feel uncomfortable, but you don’t want to feel uncomfortable either. So, remember that your eating choices only affect you. Therefore, what you eat is only up to you. And to everyone else you can say, “MYOB.” That’s a flashback to my fourth-grade classroom posters … Mind your own business. What you’re eating is no one else’s business. You don’t have to explain yourself.

If you start explaining yourself, you may feel shame or guilt or embarrassment. And you don’t need that. You make your choices; no one else. Own your choices with confidence.

Perfectionism

So, first of all - perfectionism is a lie. Here’s how it might look regarding your summer eating habits:

When you look at your calendar between Memorial Day and Labor Day, you might think, How can I commit to watching what I eat with all these summer outings planned?!

And then your reply is, I won’t be able to watch what I eat 100% of the time.

But your conclusion is, I just won’t watch what I eat at all. It won’t be perfect; so, there’s no point.

And that is the lie! It assumes that your choices and your life, really, are purely black or white. But they’re not. There are many shades of gray. And that’s messy but it’s also freeing … and beautiful.

Again, perfect is a lie. Mere mortals can’t attain perfect. But, to paraphrase Vince Lombardi, you can chase excellence. And you should.

So, if you’d like to upgrade your eating habits, but you’ve been holding back because summer is coming … don’t. Don’t hold back. Your timing isn’t perfect. Your plan isn’t perfect. But your effort can be.

If you’ve decided to uplevel your health, the time is now - regardless of the season. You haven’t ruined your effort because you indulged in potato chips or a popsicle. It’s ok. Stay with it and keep making progress.

To make progress regardless of the season, stay aware of your priorities and pleasure. And avoid the pitfalls of peer pressure and perfectionism.

Summer is beautiful and so are you! And it’s your season to level up. And I’d love to help. Click here to work with me!