Shish kebab, chicken bravas with garlic aioli and calamari with seasoned rice: Why eating healthily this summer just got a WHOLE lot more fun

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With bikini season well and truly on the horizon, most of us are keen to look and feel our best in time to enjoy summer fun to the maximum. 

And thankfully, the days of calorie counting, joyless salads and unhealthy crash dieting are over.

Summer, come rain or shine, lends itself to alfresco dining – enjoying colourful, fresh dishes with company. This summer – look forward to what you can eat more of!

We have become more knowledgeable about how to make healthy choices that also happen to taste utterly delicious – and nobody does it better than on the Mediterranean.

Helen Seward, M&S Nutritionist agrees: 'The Mediterranean diet is a perfect example of how we should be eating. It is intrinsically lower in saturated fat and instead includes more of the good fats which explains why it's linked with better heart health and lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

The sheer range and variety of ingredients means that Mediterranean food manages to be both scrumptious and good for you at the same time

Helen explains: 'Its high plant based ratio naturally lends itself to colourful dishes of fresh, vibrant ingredients so it's easy to enjoy a diet that doesn't only taste amazing but is truly nutritious too.

'Refreshingly it concentrates on what you can eat more of, rather than what you should reduce so you don't feel deprived.'

And the good news is, M&S have come up trumps this summer to help us achieve those health goals, whatever the occasion…

Guilt-free Grilling

Barbecuing and grilling is one of the tastiest methods of cooking meat and fish – creating a deliciously smoky flavour as any excess fats drip down onto the coals or tray during cooking. 

Barbecuing and grilling is one of the tastiest methods of cooking meat and fish

We can't get enough of the new M&S Skinny Beef Shish Kebabs; four aromatic, spiced beef skewers ideal for outdoor grilling and begging to be wrapped in flatbread with piles of crisp salad – for an incredible 81 calories a pop. 

The cinnamon and cumin infused Chicken Shawarma skewers also deserve an honourable mention here, with all the flavour of the Eastern Med packed in to some seriously lean protein. 

The sumptuous sizzling Piri Piri King Prawns are naturally lean with more ‘good’ fats than saturated fats

The Spanish inspired Chicken Bravas with Garlic Aioli for another hit of those heart-healthy fats is set to be a real family favourite whatever the weather

Similarly, the Spanish inspired Chicken Bravas with Garlic Aioli: with naturally lean chicken – fresh and light yet packed with protein is set to be a real family favourite whatever the weather, as are the sumptuous sizzling Piri Piri King Prawns –naturally lean with more ‘good’ fats than saturated fats

Nourishing al fresco dining 

Say goodbye to soggy sandwiches and sad sausage rolls, because M&S has everything you need to make the most mouth-watering – and healthy – picnic around. Exotic Freekeh, Couscous and Cauliflower Salad, heady scented Schawarma Chicken & Fruity Grains and perfectly balanced Butternut Squash & Tabbouleh Wrap all deliver tongue-tantalising sunshine flavour benefits of being packed with the goodness of wholegrains and to top it off, it is vegan! 

The perfectly balanced Butternut Squash & Tabbouleh Wrap delivers tongue-tantalising flavour with the added benefit of being low GI (so you'll stay fuller for longer) and vegan!

Pimp your picnic with exotic Freekeh, Couscous and Cauliflower Salad and Sardines with Garlic, Lemon and Peppers which both also boast loads of healthy benefits 

The naturally low fat, high protein Calamari with Seasoned Rice is also perfect to pack in your picnic basket, along with Sardines with Garlic, Lemon and Peppers which will transport you straight to Portugal with a serious dose of good fats for those all-important omega-3s and vitamin D for heart, brain and skin health. 

Not-so-naughty desserts 

No meal is complete without a quick look at the dessert menu, and now even those watching their figures needn't miss out

Pick up a carton of the cool, creamy Greek Style Frozen Yoghurt with Honey, or the gorgeously fruit-filled Greek Style Frozen Yoghurt with Peach & Apricot Ripple from M&S 

No meal is complete without a quick look at the dessert menu, and now even those watching their figures needn't miss out. M&S have taken their cues from the life-loving Greeks and have come up with two fantastic frozen treats that satisfy a sweet tooth sin-free. Pick up a carton of the cool, creamy Greek Style Frozen Yoghurt with Honey, or the gorgeously fruit-filled Greek Style Frozen Yoghurt with Peach & Apricot Ripple – both incredibly only 3% fat and just 73kcals a serving.  

Alcohol is often the secret saboteur of good diet intentions, but helpfully, M&S has an answer for that too this summer

For a celebration the Spanish inspired Murcia Lemon Bucks Fizz is your saviour at just 4%

We absolutely love the tangy, citrus of the Grapefruit Frizzante and will be drinking it all summer instead of our usual sugar-laden rose. White lovers should try the gently sparkling Peach Frizzante (both at just 5.5%) and for a celebration the Spanish inspired Murcia Lemon Bucks Fizz is your saviour at just 4%.

Tee-total Tipples and Gorgeous Juices

Fruity mocktail fans should pick up the Orange, Lemon & Mint Agua Fresca for guilt-free sipping on balmy summer evenings

Start the day as you mean to go on with the virtuous, fruit-packed Pressed Apricot & Doughnut Peach Juice or the Lemon & Honey Greek Style Yoghurt Smoothie; both full of antioxidants and count towards your five (now ten) a day. For weekend brunch, we'd highly recommend the Gazpacho Juice Drink which makes the perfect serve Virgin Mary – just add ice and a slice.

The Gazpacho Juice Drink is perfect for summer brunches while the Sparkling Sangria Inspired Spritzer is a great non-alcoholic option for parties 

If you're avoiding booze right now, then never fear, as our favourite supermarket has something for every teetotaller too; for parties, look for the gloriously sundrenched Sparkling Sangria Inspired Spritzer, or the sweetly floral Turkish Pomegranate & Hibiscus Iced Tea. Caffeine addicts will welcome the cool, refreshing Coffee Spritzer as an alternative to fat and sugar-heavy takeaway frappuccinos, and fruity mocktail fans should pick up the Orange, Lemon & Mint Agua Fresca for guilt-free sipping on balmy summer evenings.

Nutritionist Helen sums up: 'Summer, come rain or shine, lends itself to alfresco dining – enjoying colourful, fresh dishes with company. This summer – look forward to what you can eat more of!'