Smart Beach Eating

7 pointers to plan ahead

The key to smart eating is to plan ahead. Leaving things to chance is risky, as most fast food choices are a nutritional disaster.

1. Start with a good-sized esky or cooler—you'll need one to fit foods, drinks and snacks for the entire day.

2. Pack plenty of bottled water (allow 2 litres per adult). Prefreeze, so you have icy water all day long. Remember to leave space in the bottles for expansion before freezing! Take individualsized bottles too, which you can refill during the day for each person. Add lemon slices for a refreshing flavour. Smaller pop-top bottles are great for kids!

3. Cut up fresh vegie snacks—carrot and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas—and pack into small sized boxes. Include a cooling yoghurt dip, which you can make with non-fat natural yoghurt, chopped mint and cucumber pieces.

4. Prepare easy-to-eat finger food, such as salad wraps or peanut butter sandwiches. If you prefer to go gourmet, create salads—such as lentil, mixed bean, roasted vegetable, tomato, barley and basil salads—and complement with grainy bread.

5. Wash, peel and dice fruits of the season into separate containers so they are ready ‘to go' (like watermelon, pineapple, small bunches of purple grapes, mixed fruit salad and berries). These sweet and juicy snacks also pack a powerful antioxidant punch, much needed when you expose yourself to radiation from the sun.

6. Precook corn on the cob—allow one per person. Great for a hungry tummy when appetites start to peak again during the afternoon.

7. An occasional ice-cream won't rob the calorie bank but having several each week during the summer can promote weight gain (especially if you are not very active). Icy poles are fatfree and supply about one fifth of the kilojoules of cream-based ice-creams.