Summertime brings a sense of excitement and vibrancy—fireworks, fireflies, lounging by the pool, and grilling delicious food. It's a perfect time to enjoy family, friends, fun, and nature. 

If you have recently begun metabolic therapies, you might find you have increased energy and are more excited to socialize and spend time with friends and family than ever before. Navigating social situations with carb-heavy foods and alcoholic drinks can be tricky for some, but rest assured, you can attend barbecues and social gatherings without veering off course. Get ready to enjoy a summer filled with joy, fulfillment, and healing! 

1. You Can Still Have Fun with Food on a Medical Keto Diet

Adapting to a keto lifestyle can be challenging. Emotional and mental attachments to certain foods can make it hard for some to enjoy summer gatherings without indulging in traditional comfort foods. 

To enjoy summer social gatherings, I purposefully enhance my experience of food and drink by preparing delicious keto foods to consume and share, as this is one of life’s great pleasures. I am planning a “deviled egg off” with my family, where we will compete with exotic and unique flavors like wasabi and Thai red curry. Why feel deprived when there's so much delicious keto food to relish? I have more fun with food than ever before, because everything is more enjoyable with good metabolic health.  

Focusing on savoring food, not on restriction, can reinforce positive choices while enhancing pleasure. 3 Neurogastronomy Tips For Happy, Healthy Holidays In Ketosis provides strategies to enjoy festive keto foods over the winter holidays that apply equally to summer gatherings. Here are the key takeaways: 

 Enjoy Flavor Mindfully as a Multisensory Experience:

• Focus on the sensory experience of eating by savoring the appearance, aroma, and taste of food.

• While eating socially, consciously appreciate the connection with others and the surrounding atmosphere. 

• Create festive and visually appealing keto alternatives to traditional treats.

• Enhance dishes with more complex flavor profiles from fresh herbs and spices.

Use Descriptive Language to Enhance Enjoyment of Food:

• Apply mouthwatering descriptions to keto dishes.

• When you describe keto dishes to yourself and others, emphasize deliciousness and indulgence, focusing on pleasure, not restriction or deprivation (i.e. “rich and creamy” instead of “gluten-free,” or “low-carb”). 

Savor the Healing Power of Food:

• Positive self-talk about a keto diet's physical and psychological benefits can reinforce healthy habits.

• Recognize the mind-body connection and how perception can influence physiological responses.

2. Savor Summertime Non-food Activities

As you distance yourself from negative habits like binge eating unhealthy foods or excessive drinking, some relationships could fall away; others may evolve in wonderful ways, becoming healthier and deeper. You might even positively influence your loved ones, inspiring them with your success and ability to transform your life.

I find a ketogenic diet highly satiating and am no longer controlled by hedonistic urges and cravings, so I find myself inviting friends and family to bond in more life-enhancing ways. Instead of going out to a restaurant or bar, I opt for a variety of activities, like walking through our local Japanese gardens, attending a free concert in the park, or visiting an art gallery. Not only are these activities fun, they help me bond with friends and family in a more stimulating, enriching way.

While I hope most people have friends and family who support their metabolic treatment regime, offering love, support, and encouragement, I realize this is not always the case for everyone. In situations where your social environment is not ideal, it can be helpful to seek out new connections based on positive shared interests. Joining a book club, taking a class in something that has always interested you, or joining a hiking or exercise group can help cultivate an environment that reinforces positive behavior and leads to positive relationships.

3. Embrace Summer Solitude

While summer is a great time to engage in a robust social life, especially when metabolic therapies have re-energized you, there is also something to be said about carving out time alone.

Few experiences are as profoundly transformative as undergoing metabolic therapies to treat a psychiatric disorder. This process, despite its challenges, can unfold with captivating beauty. Throughout the years of my healing journey, I realized that I needed more time and space for reflection and self-development. I learned to love and cherish my time alone, which has been central to my ability to adhere to all of my metabolic therapies, including a medical keto diet. This solitude has allowed me the space to process my journey–to weed out the psychiatric symptoms I often mistook for my identity, discover my true self, and begin to define who I can become now that I am well.

I often wander to the forest alone to take a therapeutic jog or walk, do some breathwork meditation, or sip coffee while I journal. I see the immense value in these practices, and they will always be an integral part of my life moving forward. There is no shortcut to the recovery process, but it starts with giving yourself grace and realizing it will take time and work. Embrace solitude, bask in the sunshine, take deep breaths, and keep your heart open to the wonders life offers as you heal and evolve. Have an amazing summer!