Swimsuit season is officially upon us. The holidays and failed New Year’s resolutions leave many of us with a little extra fluff. It’s really easy, while enjoying life on the beach, to overindulge in cervezas, margaritas and local dishes cooked in oil – and can we just say…tortillas. However, it’s pretty easy to counteract that with very little effort. Luckily Rocky Point is one of the best places in the world to stay beach ready. You have an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh seafood, and staples like frijoles y arroz. Not to mention, you can literally exercise barefoot.
Of course, for the healthiest eating, you’re going to have to prepare your own meals. A trip to the local market will get you the most fabulous produce. Fresh fruit doesn’t even require cooking – maybe just some cutting or blending. You can eat it plain for breakfast or take it with you to the beach for a cool refreshing snack. I love smoothies, you can easily blend up a tropical delight of seasonal fruit for a portable meal. Fresh vegetables – lots of them don’t require cooking either. There are plenty of veggies that can be chopped up and taken with you to eat throughout the day.
My absolute favorite way to cook vegetables is to roast them in the oven. I can’t stand two of the most nutritious veggies, broccoli and cauliflower; however, roast them in the oven until they’re browned on the top, and I’ll eat the whole pan. I just tried asparagus in the oven, WOW, it was the best! In the summer if it’s too hot for the oven, roast your veggies on the grill. To keep it super healthy, just use a small amount of cooking spray to keep the veggies from sticking to the pan. I usually just stick to salt, pepper, and garlic for seasoning. Beans and rice are Mexican staples, they’re inexpensive, filling, and when cooked without any added fats, totally healthy. And don’t forget the eggs! You have all those great veggies to make an omelet (awesome easy dinner).
After the market, stop by your favorite seafood vendor for shrimp or fish and bake it or grill it without oil. I keep my spices pretty simple, but sometimes I’ll add hot sauce to my shrimp for “buffalo shrimp”. If I’m eating out, I stick to ceviche (seafood cooked in lime) for a light, super fresh meal with no added fat.
When I need to cut back on those cocktail hour calories, my favorite “mocktail” is Topo Chico mineral water with ice and lots of lime (vodka/soda, hold the vodka please!) or spicy V8 juice.
Exercise is really easy – just walk – you don’t even need shoes. Just head to the beach, get your toes in the sand and go. Not only are you getting great exercise, but the sound of the ocean, especially combined with early morning quiet, or a sunset stroll, and any stress that you’re feeling just melts away.
So as you can see, Rocky Point, has all of the best elements for a healthy lifestyle: fresh food + fresh air = physical and mental fitness.
