30 Summer Foods You Should Never Eat

Summertime is marked by lazy days, fun in the sun... and food. Just like you can't have Christmas without ham, it's not really summer until you've had a freshly grilled burger or drippy ice cream cone.

Not every warm-weather staple is worth chowing down on though. While it's fine to treat yourself once in a while, there are some summer foods that you might be better off avoiding-both for the sake of your waistline and your health. Here, 50 picks to steer clear of (at least, most of the time).

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Nachos

Even with a sprinkle of lettuce and tomato, tortilla chips smothered in cheese, ground beef, and sour cream do not a healthy snack make. In fact, a basket of nachos can have upwards of 3,138kJ (750cal), 38 grams of fat, and around 1,300 milligrams of sodium.

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Potato salad

It might have the word “salad” in the name, but that doesn’t make it good for you. Thanks to all that gloppy mayo, you’ll get 1,497kJ (358cal) and more than 20 grams of fat from just one cup of this starchy side.

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Processed cheese slices

Resist the urge to add these to your burger. They’re basically a splash of real milk combined with preservatives, thickeners, and salt. If you’re looking for some gooey goodness, top your patty with a handful of fresh cheddar or mozzarella, recommends dietitian Vanessa Rissetto.

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Anything left out in the sun

It doesn’t matter if the item in question is grilled meat, a creamy side, or even a refreshing bowl of fruit salad. If it’s been sitting outside in the heat for more than an hour, it could harbour bacteria that could make you sick. Unless you want to run the risk of food poisoning, steer clear.

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Coleslaw

How bad can a shredded cabbage side dish be? Pretty bad. Not only are most slaws loaded with creamy ingredients like mayo and sour cream - they also sneak in a surprising amount of sugar. Case in point? You’ll get 15 grams of fat and more than 2 teaspoons of sugar from a cup of slaw.

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Frozen cocktails

They might be happy hour staples, but you won’t be feeling too good after you drink them. An 250mL frozen margarita, for instance, packs around 1,673kJ (400cal). “Not to mention, the more you drink, the less you end up caring about what you eat,” dietitian Amy Goodson says. When you want to booze, consider sticking with cleaner options like vodka and soda water with a splash of lime.

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Diet soft drink

It might not be a healthy alternative to sugary drinks after all. Even though it’s kJ-free, a growing body of research links diet soft drink consumption to obesity. It also contains chemicals like phosphoric acid, which impairs the body’s absorption of calcium. “So it isn’t good for your bones,” Rissetto says.

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Potato chips

Having a handful of this summer staple isn’t terrible. It’s polishing off the whole family-sized bag (easy to do!) that can get you into trouble, says Goodson. All that grease will likely give you a bellyache, and the sodium will leave you bloated for sure. (You’ll get 170 milligrams from a big handful of chips - but who eats just one?) “Try bringing snack-sized bags to the pool, or baggie up a big bag into individual portions,” she recommends. If a bowl of chips is out a party, make things easy for yourself and don’t start munching if you don’t think you’ll be able to stop.

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Corn on a cob

What happens when you slather corn on the cob with mayo, butter, and cheese? You turn a healthy veggie into an indulgent treat that packs around 1,815kJ (434cal), 29 grams of fat, and 670 milligrams of sodium. This is one snack that you can skip.

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Fried chicken

Ah, another example of a perfectly healthy protein turned into a diet derailer. 120g of simple grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast has just 715kJ (171cal) and 4 grams of fat. But battered and deep fried, it manages to deliver a meal’s worth of kilojoules (467!) and fat (25 grams!).

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Pasta salad

Refined carbs from the pasta and fat from the mayo turns this summertime side into a kilojoule bomb that’s virtually void of nutrition. The good news? You can make it healthier. Swap the white pasta for whole wheat (it’s higher in fibre) and make a creamy, protein-packed dressing with nonfat Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic powder, Rissetto recommends. .

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Pulled pork sandwiches

With nearly half a day’s worth of saturated fat per 120g serving, the pork shoulder used to make pulled pork isn’t exactly lean. It only gets worse when you drown the meat in sugary barbecue sauce, stuff it in giant, fluffy white bun, and pile on the coleslaw. The total damage? Nearly 3,221kJ (770cal), 27 grams of fat, and 61 grams of sugar. You might as well have an ice cream sundae instead.

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Snow cones

Like cotton candy, these icy treats are pure sugar - a standard 120g snow cone packs about 48 grams of sugar. All that sweet stuff can cause your blood sugar to spike and crash, which can leave you weak and jittery. Factor in the sweltering weather, and you’ll likely end up feeling even worse, Goodson says.

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Lemonade

That sweet flavour isn’t coming from the lemons, it’s coming from sugar - and lots of it: Just one cup of lemonade can deliver up to 4 teaspoons. If you can’t live without it, cut the sweet stuff by mixing half a cup of lemonade with half a cup of soda water instead.

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Sweet tea

It might feel more virtuous than a soft drink, but don’t kid yourself. A single glass of sweetened iced tea has 510kJ (122cal) and a day’s worth of sugar. Which is about the same as what you’d get from a small can of coca cola.

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Charred meat

Meats like beef, pork, fish, or poultry that are cooked using high-temperature methods like grilling can form heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic carbons (PAHs) - chemical compounds thought to be potential carcinogens. For safer grilling, flip your meat frequently to help keep the surface from getting too charred. You can also cut away any blackened bits before eating.

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Guacamole

“Everyone thinks that because avocado is a good fat, you can eat as much as you want,” says Rissetto. Fact is, a serving of guac is just 2 tablespoons. To avoid turning a wholesome snack into a calorie bomb, scoop out your portion instead of eating from the bowl or container. And pair your guac with sliced raw veggies instead of salty chips, Rissetto recommends.

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Self-serve frozen yogurt

It might seem like a healthy alternative to ice cream, but flavoured fro-yo tends to be loaded with added sugar. And once you start piling on the unlimited toppings (Chopped cahocolate bars! Crushed cookies! Syrupy walnuts!), there’s no telling how bad things can get.

Hot chips

Fried potato slices aren’t the worst thing in the world. The problem comes when they’re served in a bucket the size of your head. A large order of chips delivers a mind-blowing 11,087kJ (2,650cal), 132 grams of fat, and nearly a day’s worth of salt. If you really want a fried side, “try getting a kid’s size,” Goodson recommends. And maybe share with a friend.

Trail mix

Smart snack to bring to the beach or pool, right? Probably not. In addition to good-for-you ingredients like nuts and dried fruit, most store-bought trail mixes also include sweet ingredients like yogurt-covered pretzels and chocolate chips. A measly handful can pack around 627kJ (150cal) - and we all know how tough it can be to stop at just one. Instead, make your own trail mix at home with raw nuts, seeds, and dried fruit or whole grain cereal. Measure out a ¼ cup serving to bring with you and leave the rest at home.

Sugar-free ice cream

Those low-cal pints are often sweetened with erythritol, a sugar alcohol that can cause abdominal bloating and cramping, says Rissetto. (Not exactly what you want when you’re gearing up for a day at the beach.) “I’d say just have half a cup of real ice cream once in a while and savour every bite,” she says. Your belly will likely thank you.

Barbecued sausage

They’re often highly processed and contain potentially carcinogenic preservatives like nitrates and nitrites. Plus, they’re loaded with fat and sodium - think 19 grams of fat and more than 500 milligrams of sodium in just one pork sausage link. When you really want to indulge, consider going for chicken or turkey sausage. “They’re still processed, but they’re a better alternative fat- and salt-wise,” says Rissetto.

Slushies

Cool and refreshing? Yes. Good for you? Not at all. Slushy drinks are just crushed ice and sugar syrup - in other words, snow cones that you can sip through a straw. Unless you want to drink 10 teaspoons of sugar and 882kJ (211cal) to quench your thirst, steer clear.

Milkshakes

These oversized dairy concoctions might be the worst thing you can have to wash down your burger and chips. In addition to tacking on an extra 1,673kJ (400cal), a 350mL chocolate shake packs nearly three days’ worth of sugar and more than a third of your daily saturated fat to your meal.

Iced blended coffee drinks

You might call it a drink, but with gobs of whipped cream and flavoured syrup, these frothy concoctions count as dessert. The nutritional damage varies depending on what size and flavour you get. But a large made with whole milk and whipped cream could serve up as much as 2,510kJ (600cal), 22 teaspoons of sugar, and nearly a day’s worth of saturated fat.

Ice blocks

They might seem like harmless refreshers, especially if they’re made with 100 percent fruit juice. But juice is still loaded with sugar and devoid of fibre, meaning these frozen treats will cause your blood sugar to spike and crash quickly. You’re better off having fresh chilled fruit instead - like frozen grapes or a cold wedge of watermelon.

Deviled eggs

Plain hard-boiled eggs make for a lean, satisfying snack. But when you add gobs of mayo into the mix, you turn a perfectly good-for-you nibble into a backyard BBQ fat bomb. Just two little deviled egg halves manage to pack 14 grams of fat - and around a quarter of your daily saturated fat.

Fast food smoothies

While grabbing a smoothie to cool you down while you’re running errands in the summer heat may seem like a good idea, these aren’t like the blended fruit drinks you might make at home. Many fast-casual chains rely on sugary flavoured mixes and throw in unnecessary extras like sweetened yogurt, plus thickeners and stabilisers. A typical large fast food smoothie has more than 1,255kJ (300cal) and 68 grams of sugar. That doesn’t sound worth it, does it?

Cordial

You might savour the memory of those sweet, colourful drinks Mum used to mix up for you when school was out for the summer, but there’s no need to wash them down today. Store-bough cordials contain zero real fruit and tons of sugar - around 4 teaspoons per 250mL serving.