Summer at the Table: Golden Rules and Liquid Gold

With summer’s arrival comes a craving for lighter meals. Quick, fresh, simple dishes become the go-to choice as the heat rises and time spent in the kitchen shrinks.

But beware: relying too heavily on the usual suspects—cold cuts, cheese, and packaged foods—can backfire. In fact, during the summer months, your body needs essential nutrients to cope with high temperatures, protect your skin from sun exposure, and keep your energy levels steady.

One of the most valuable allies? Extra virgin olive oil. Bring it with you on vacation and seek it out when dining away. It’s not just about flavor—this “liquid gold” plays a vital role in helping your body absorb vitamins and stay protected.

Even on holiday, choosing what to put on your plate is an act of self-care.

Rule #1: Don’t eat mindlessly

On vacation, don’t just grab a slice of bread, an ice cream, or a sandwich without thinking. Be mindful of what you eat. Even at the beach, aim for a small, balanced meal: a tomato and avocado salad, two hard-boiled eggs, or 50g of aged Parmigiano Reggiano—always topped with extra virgin olive oil.

Otherwise, you risk eating poorly, relying too much on carbs, slowing down your metabolism, and arriving at dinner starving—making it harder to control your appetite.

Rule #2: Too much fruit won’t help you slim down

If your goal is to lose that stubborn belly fat, you need to keep sugar intake in check. Sweets, pizza, pasta, rice, potatoes—and yes, even fruit—contain varying amounts of sugar. Too much sugar in your diet spikes insulin levels, a hormone that promotes fat storage, especially around the abdomen.

Better choice? A crunchy mix of raw celery, cucumber, and carrots with EVOO—a great beach snack too.

Rule #3: Fat doesn’t make you fat

Avoid extreme diets that drastically cut out fats. Extra virgin olive oil is anti-insulin, antioxidant, appetite-curbing, and even supports digestion. Use it raw, in cooking, or even for frying.

Focus less on cutting healthy dressings and more on portion sizes of pasta, pizza, and ice cream. A flavorful, satisfying pasta dish made with quality EVOO is a far better choice than a bland, low-fat one.

Rule #4: Protein powers up your metabolism at lunch

Want to avoid dinnertime hunger? A quick, protein-rich lunch can make all the difference:

• 70g of prosciutto crudo with cucumbers dressed in EVOO
• 2 hard-boiled eggs with a mixed salad and EVOO
• 50g of Parmigiano Reggiano with raw celery and a slice of bruschetta with EVOO and tomato

Rule #5: Beware of sneaky sugar bombs

Fruit juices, smoothies, sodas, slushies, and popsicles may seem refreshing, but they don’t support your metabolism. Packed with sugar, artificial colors, and preservatives, they don’t nourish your body and contribute to weight gain and increased hunger.

Rule #6: Eat vibrant, living food

Your skin craves vitamins—especially those found in seasonal vegetables. Bell peppers, carrots, radishes, eggplant, leafy greens, radicchio, cabbage, onions, and tomatoes help detoxify, drain excess fluids, support kidney function, and provide antioxidants. They also help protect your skin and bones while supplying water and minerals essential for cellular metabolism.

Just aim to get at least three different colors on your plate at every meal: orange, green, and purple—like a salad with carrots, radishes, and lettuce; or white, orange, and green—like fennel, celery, orange, and olives.

Top everything with the “green gold” of EVOO, which enhances both the colors and the absorption of the nutrients in your food.

Vary your foods, eat seasonally, and combine ingredients to make your plate colorful—this is key to feeling good, staying in shape, and boosting your mood.