Heading to the beach is a perfect way to spend a summer day, but the wrong food choices can put a damper on your sandy escapades. Some snacks simply aren’t meant for the beach, where the sun melts, the sand sticks, and the seagulls swoop. From melted chocolate to sandy sandwiches, choosing the wrong beach eats can lead to more hassle than relaxation. Here’s a guide to some foods that are better of staying home.
Chocolate
Chocolate is a poor choice for a beach snack as it melts rapidly under the sun, creating a gooey mess that’s tough to clean off hands and towels. Whether it’s chocolate bars or chocolate-coated snacks, you’ll likely end up with more on your hands than in your mouth.
Cheesy Dishes
Cheesy concoctions like dips, nachos, or cheese sandwiches might seem like a good idea, but in the heat, they become oily and unappealing. The cheese can separate and become a magnet for sand particles, which complicates eating and cleanup.
Soft Fruits & Pre-cut Fruit
Bringing precut fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, or kiwi might save some prep time, but these fruits tend to degrade quicker once sliced. They lose their refreshing crispness, can become watery, and the exposed surfaces may attract insects, making them less enjoyable to eat.
Greasy Fast Food
Fast food items such as burgers, fried chicken, and fries are tempting but impractical beach foods. They can turn soggy from the heat, and their greasiness attracts sand, making every bite crunchy in the wrong way. Plus, they’re likely to draw seagulls and other pests looking for a quick steal.
Mayonnaise-Based Salads
Salads that include mayonnaise, like tuna, chicken, or potato salad, are high-risk choices for beach outings. Mayo warms quickly, which can turn your delightful dish into a breeding ground for bacteria, increasing the risk of food poisoning under the hot sun.
Sandwiches
Although sandwiches are convenient, those packed with layers of meats, veggies, and condiments can disintegrate easily. They often end up soggy, the fillings slide out with each bite, and they can be a chore to eat when you’re also juggling a beach towel and sunscreen.
Salads with Light Lettuce
Salads made with delicate lettuces like iceberg or romaine are a no-go for beach picnics. These greens wilt rapidly in the heat, losing their crispness and becoming limp and unappetizing. It’s best to opt for heartier greens if a salad is a must-have on your beach menu.
Sticky Desserts
Desserts with sticky components such as syrup, caramel, or jelly should be avoided at the beach. They can melt or become gritty with sand, which complicates eating them cleanly. Plus, they often leave sticky residues on hands, which isn’t ideal when handling beach gear.
Salty Chips
Chips are a beach go-to, but super salty snacks like potato chips can exacerbate thirst, especially on a hot day. They can also leave a residue on your fingers, which inevitably ends up coated with sand, making for a gritty and uncomfortable snacking experience. Opt for less salty, easy-to-handle snacks to keep your hydration levels in check and sand at bay.
Raw Meat or Fish for Grilling
Transporting raw meat or fish for a beach grill might seem like a fun idea, but it’s fraught with challenges. Keeping these items at a safe temperature during transport is difficult; if they warm up too much, there’s a high risk of bacterial growth and food poisoning.
Beer & Alcohol
While a cold beer might sound refreshing, alcohol dehydrates the body, which can be problematic on a hot beach day. The combination of the sun, the sea, and alcohol can lead to quicker dehydration and a diminished ability to cool down, which can spoil your fun in the sun.
Sugary Drinks like Soda
Sugary drinks such as soda or sweetened iced teas might seem refreshing, but they actually contribute to dehydration. These beverages can also become unpalatably warm under the sun, which diminishes their refreshing quality. Additionally, opened sweet drinks attract wasps, bees, and other insects, which could be a nuisance while you relax by the water.
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Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.