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You don’t have to starve yourself to feel good in a bikini this summer. And you don’t have to spend hours fussing over faddy meals, either. Eating healthy portions of healthy foods is the best way to stay slim. Fresh fruit and vegetables, which are easy to get hold of in spring and summer, should form a big part of everyone’s diet. The best thing about fresh fruit and vegetables, besides being low in calories, is that they’re very quick and easy to prepare if you know how.

Chilled soups

Cold soups are light, cooling and very quick to prepare. As cold soups are made from fresh, raw ingredients, they’re also packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The only kitchen equipment you’ll need is a knife and a blender. Try a spicy gazpacho with fresh tomato, avocado and corn or cucumber and dill soup.

Salads

Salads don’t have to be boring. Experiment with ingredients you wouldn’t normally use. Try grated carrot, raw sweetcorn, thinly shaved courgette, dates, apples, and thin slices of orange in your salad. Experiment with different salad leaves. Try cress, iceberg lettuce, cos lettuce, radicchio, rocket, or even raw baby spinach leaves. Add low-fat sources of protein like skinned chicken breast, ricotta cheese, hardboiled egg or chickpeas, which will help you stay full for longer, and dress with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and a little bit of salt and black pepper.

Desserts

The simplest – and healthiest – quick summer dessert of all is fruit salad. Try combinations of fruit with different colours, flavours and textures to keep it interesting. Or simply dress strawberries with balsamic vinegar and a little sugar. Pavlova is also an excellent summer dessert that uses plenty of fresh fruit and, as long as it’s served with vanilla yoghurt rather than cream, is low in calories.

Tags: eating healthily, food, Healthy diet