For most of us, summer means barbeques in the sun, picnics in the park, strawberries and cream on the lawn and a glass of wine or two. Summer offers us the opportunity for outdoor cooking and eating, and enjoying seasonal food and drink.

This is all good stuff. The problem though arises, as with many things, when moderation goes out of the window. Wonderful as summer is, there are dangers we need to be mindful of.

Anyone who has ever been on a cruise or a summer holiday with full-board will know of the dangers of free, ready and 24-hour access to food and drink. As wonderful as this concept may seem, the reality is that over-indulgence and weight-gain are almost inevitable, with only the most strongly-willed individuals being immune.

The fact is that we didn’t evolve to have ready access to food. We had to work for our food, whether through creativity, perseverance or sheer physical exertion, and episodes of food scarcity between catches were not uncommon. Recent evidence suggests that our metabolic health can benefit from having occasional breaks from food.

A particular problem that can arise with summer vacations, especially those with full-board, is that we can lose structure to the day, and end up eating at odd times like the midnight buffet for example. One of the problems with eating late at night is that calories ingested at this time have a more harmful effect on our metabolism. If we want to eat like a king, we should do this ideally in the morning.

As with most things in life, it seems that when it comes to calorie ingestion, moderation and timing are important for good health. Now it’s time for some strawberries!

Tom Barber, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist