Healthy Foods
Are you stressing out about the beach trip planned by your friends this weekend? Have you been designated the responsibility of bringing food and snacks? If so, then this is the perfect time to try something new. Instead of loading up on store-bought potato crisps, carbonated drinks, and cookies, having healthy foods can help make the beach trip more memorable and fun.
Healthy Foods for The Beach
Here are 8 healthy foods and snacks that go perfectly with a relaxed day at the beach. Read ahead to find out what they are.
Energizing Drinks
When it comes to energizing drinks, your sugary drinks from the nearest grocery store don’t cut them. Here, to get the best nutrients and keep yourself hydrated at the beach the right beverages are important. Some of the options that you can go for are as follows:
- Kombucha
- Freshly squeezed fruit juice – pomegranate and orange juice works best for the beach
- Coconut water
- Lemon waterDried Fruits, Nuts and Seeds
Make your trail mix by tossing in a variety of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. They are full of omega 3 fatty acids, protein, and carbs, helping you stay charged up for the long day at the beach.
Here’s a pro-tip, avoid adding chocolate to your trail mix. It will only make things messy as it melts and is only going to give your kids a sugar rush. With this item in the trail mix, everyone is going to overlook the cashews, peanuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. However, you want to be careful of leaving the trail mix unattended – you don’t want anyone with a peanut allergy having it by mistake.
Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
You can never go wrong with fresh fruits. They’re filling, energizing, and the perfect addition to your beach food basket. Pack fruits that don’t perish that easily under the sun such as apricots, watermelon, and oranges. They are refreshing and contain beneficial phytochemicals that help shield the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. It’s like having an additional coat of protection for your skin apart from your sunscreen of course.
In addition, you can even pack up some vegetables. Cucumbers, carrots, and beets are the perfect combination. Have them pre-cut into bite-size pieces – if they’re cut, they’re sure to be eaten!
String Cheese and Greek Yogurt
This is an ice-box must-have. String cheese and Greek yogurt are healthy foods that can give the right boost in energy levels. Compliment them with grapes, cucumbers, and carrots to make for the perfect mid-day snack at the beach. Remember to keep them stored next to the water bottles in your icebox.
Pasta Salads
Instead of a potato salad that is sure to make everyone feel sick on the ride back home, opt for a cold and fresh pasta salad. The make it even more healthy, throw in a bunch of vegetables and replace the white pasta with whole wheat pasta instead. Keep the dressing as light as possible – a simple lemon vinaigrette is what you want to go for here.
Vegetable Sandwiches
Skip the turkey and tuna sandwiches that are full of mayo and other sauces loaded with calories. Instead, go for vegetable sandwiches that are made using multigrain bread and fresh vegetables. Throw in some cucumber, carrots, pesto, avocados, or tomatoes – they’re sure to finish within minutes.
Edamame
This snack is perfect to munch on at the beach. You can get it in its shell or without it, the preference depends on you. It’s packed with the right nutrients and loaded with protein. A handful of edamame contains the same amount of protein that you would get from 2 eggs!
To keep them fresh, packed frozen edamame in your icebox. By the time you reach the beach and keep them out in the open air for a bit, they will thaw and be ready to eat in no time.
Air Popped Popcorn
Air-popped popcorn is a light snack that can help keep you full for long. It is devoid of greasy flavorings and butter that can make your fingers greasy, thus making it the perfect snack to eat while playing volleyball or Frisbee at the beach.
Foods to Avoid at The Beach
With healthy food options for the best by your side, there are some snacks you want to stay clear of. They can cause dehydration, make you feel sluggish, and be hard on your gut. Here are some of them.
- Carbonated beverages – they can cause bloating and are not very hydrating under the hot sun.
- Pizzas – they are loaded with calories, sodium, and sugar. And, by the time you reach the beach, pizzas are sure to get cold and hard – no one likes to have cold pizza, that’s for sure.
- Frosted cookies and cupcakes – packed with sugar, these summer treats can get messy to eat at the beach.
- Hot dogs – they may be easy to make, pack and carry to the beach. However, this highly processed food is loaded with unsaturated fats that you should probably stay away from.
- Potato crisps – they’re greasy, prone to cause bloating, and are high in sodium. Replace potato crisps at the beach for popcorn or kale chips.
The Bottom Line
A day at the beach is your opportunity to relax, unwind and de-stress. This also extends to giving your gut a break and helping it rejuvenate itself. To make the most of your beach trip, eating healthy foods matters.
So, reorganize your food list for the beach and replace all the unhealthy snacks you had planned out for healthier alternatives. Trust us, all your friends and family members will be sure to enjoy both the healthy foods and soak up all the goodness at the beach for sure.