30 Best Summer Foods to Add to Your Seasonal Dinner Menu

Lycopene gives tomatoes their bright red color and helps protect them from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Turns out, that same substance can also help protect your cells from damage. Tomatoes also have potassium, vitamins B and E, and other nutrients, which are known to lower blood pressure.

Get the recipe: Tomato & Watermelon Salad

Part of the summer squash family, zucchini contains a fiber called pectin, which is linked to increasing heart health and lowering cholesterol.

Get the recipe: Corn and Herb-Stuffed Zucchini

As its name implies, this fruit is a hydration hero, and fluids are exactly what you need when the heat is on. "Watermelon's high water content keeps you cool and hydrated," Janel Funk, MS, RD, LDN, a Boston-based registered dietitian who runs the website Eat Well With Janel, tells Woman's Day. That same high water content will also keep you feeling full. As an added summer bonus, "watermelon also contains lycopene, which protects skin cells from sun damage," Funk explains.

Get the recipe: Watermelon and Feta Salad

This sweet citrus fruit is rich in potassium, a nutrient that's crucial in the summer.

"You lose potassium through sweat, which puts you at risk for muscle cramps," Erin Palinski, RD, CDE, LDN, CPT, and author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies, tells Woman's Day. "Eating oranges replenishes your supply and keeps muscle cramps away." Oranges are also about 80% water, so popping a few juicy slices will keep you hydrated during your sweatiest summer days.

Get the recipe: Crunchy Turkey Salad with Oranges

"The protein satisfies your growling tummy," Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, president of Nutritious Life, tells Woman's Day. Glassman recommends brands that are low in fat and high in protein, like Oikos non-fat Greek yogurt which has twice the protein of regular low-fat yogurt. Yogurt also adds a dose of probiotics, beneficial bacteria that keeps your digestive system running smoothly.

Get the recipe: Curried Tomato Coconut Lentils with Gingery Yogurt

"Celery act as [a] diuretic, helping you lose excess water weight without causing dehydration," Glassman says. How? The ingredients in this vegetable stimulates your kidneys, causing them to flush waste and extra fluid from your body, which decreases bloating in your stomach.

Get the recipe: Celery Snails & Caterpillars

Both fennel and its seeds are jam-packed with important nutrients, including but certainly not limited to: fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Fennel seeds are also known to boost your metabolism.

Get the recipe: Crispy Chicken Thighs with Buttermilk Fennel Salad

Cantaloupe — like honeydew and watermelon — is a diuretic, meaning it can help the body get rid of extra fluid and salt. This is particularly important for women, "because we're so affected by hormonal changes," Sherry Ross, MD, women's health expert at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, tells Woman's Day.

Get the recipe: End-of-Summer Gazpacho

Honeydew is naturally low in both fat and cholesterol, making it a quick and healthy source of energy. It's also packed with vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C and Vitamin A.

Get the recipe: Minty Pear-Honeydew Smoothie

Blackberries contain a wide array of important nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and E. They are also a healthy source of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant that create a blackberry's rich purple color.

Get the recipe: Berry Oatmeal Crumble

"Raspberries are a food that goes unnoticed a lot — they can be very expensive off-season — but there are a lot of awesome qualities in the powerful little raspberry," Ross says. "They're very high in vitamin C and have 8 grams of fiber per cup."

Get the recipe: Raspberry Smoothie Bowls

Apples are high in soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, and contain polyphenols, which have been linked to lowering blood pressure and the risk of having a stroke. If you keep the skin on the apples, you'll maximize the amount of important nutrients you consume.

Get the recipe: Crispy Pork Milanese with Apple-Ginger Salad

Pears are packed with fiber, vitamins, and vital plant compounds. These nutrients are believed to help reduce inflammation, promote gut and heart health, and protect against certain diseases.

Get the recipe: Pear & Walnut Salad

Two medium-sized dried figs contain more than 1.5 grams of fiber, according to the Mayo Clinic. Figs are also rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper.

Get the recipe: Fig Bruschetta

Nectarines are a solid source of dietary fiber, and are rich in vitamin A and the antioxidant betacarotene. Nectarines also support the normal function of the immune system, as well as skin and eye health.

Get the recipes: Pork, Nectarine & Scallion Kebabs and Red Cabbage and Nectarine Slaw

Peaches are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain plenty of antioxidants, which can help protect your body from aging and disease.

Get the recipe: Peach, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Salad

Sweet, juicy strawberries are filled with flavonoids, powerful disease fighters found in many fruits and vegetables. "They [also] increase blood flow to skin and decrease sensitivity to light, which improves skin's appearance, structure and texture," Glassman says.

Get the recipes: Red, White & Blue Berry Pizza and Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumbles

Blueberries are high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they can also reduce inflammation, according to WebMD.

Get the recipe: Pomegranate and Blueberry Jars

Ross recommends snacking on handfuls of almonds, cashews, and peanuts to get your fill of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are thought to lower bad cholesterol levels.

Get the recipe: Fruit and Nut Bars

Although avocados could be lumped in with nuts as a healthy source of monounsaturated fat, Ross says it's such a superfood it deserves a placeholder of its own. "If I were on a desert island, I would want to be there with an avocado tree because they're so good for the heart and overall wellness," Ross explains.

Get the recipe: Avocado Tomato Toast