Janice

Summer will be here soon, and with it comes the onslaught of sun, sand, fun... and lots and lots of food.

While our diet choices in the winter may often be used to comfort or soothe, come summer, it's weaved into events that celebrate the arrival of the sun and warmth. The dreary "I'm eating again on the couch" in winter is often replaced with "let's eat and drink!" on the deck in the warmer months.

Though we tend to be more active in the summer months due to better weather and more hours of daylight to get in that after-work walk, our splurges may negate the extra activity.

There are five foods I see most often dominating the diets of my patients during the summer, and although these foods surely fit into "the devil that they know" category with no real surprises, it's the overconsumption of these foods that create the devil they don't know. Come fall, many of my patients have gained weight from having too much of a food blast.