The Diet Detective: 13 Tips to Stay Healthy and Fit This Summer

By Charles Stuart Platkin
For Active.com

Here are a few nutrition and fitness tips to keep you healthier this summer:
 
Don't Eat When You're Thirsty

We often mistake thirst for hunger, especially during the warm months. Don't eat when what you really want is to drink. Always ask yourself if you are really hungry.
 
Watch What You Drink

High-calorie beverages like soda, whole milk, juices, alcohol and sugared iced tea can add unwanted and under-appreciated calories. Drink water with lemon or mint, or try seltzer or unsweetened iced tea. Tea is loaded health benefits. Read more about tea here.
 
Bike Instead of Drive

Save gas, and get some exercise. A 155-pound person riding at a leisurely 10 to 12 mph can burn 423 calories in just one hour or about seven calories per minute. For more info, visit DietDetective.com.
 
Go Hiking

Trimbleoutdoors.com offers thousands of day hikes, while Localhikes.com lists local hikes around the United States. Recreation.gov is the U.S. government's outdoors guide to everything from hiking, canoeing, kayaking, water-skiing and rock climbing to wildlife observation and caving.
 
Make a Pop

Try the Banana & Date Pops from Pops (Quirk, 2008) by Krystina Castella. To make eight 6 oz. pops, you'll need:

Six large, ripe bananas, sliced
1 cup of chopped pitted dates
1 cup of nonfat milk (modified from original recipe)
1 cup of low- or no-fat yogurt (modified from original recipe)
2 teaspoons of honey heated for 30 seconds
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Put the bananas, dates, milk and yogurt in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add honey and vanilla extract. Process to combine. Fill the pop molds (or use plastic or paper cups). Insert sticks. Freeze for six hours. Remove from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for five minutes before removing the pops from the molds.

Enjoy Watermelon

It's low in calories (only 92 calories per 2-cup serving), and it fills you up because it's 92 percent water, which helps keep you hydrated. One cup of watermelon has 7.5 to 10 milligrams of the antioxidant lycopene, which is a good source of vitamins A and C, and also contains potassium, vitamin B6 and thiamin.