By: Shahnaz Husain
Summer, the hottest time of the year is already underway and we can feel the temperature rising. The scorching heat may drain your body and affect how you look and feel. The sweltering heat and dry hot winds require that you make changes in your diet for your body to cope with the high temperatures.
The food and drink that you will be consuming during the summer are going to play a vital role to help you tide through the heat wave because even healthy people can succumb to heat-related health issues. There are so many delicious foods in summer, and many of them are naturally good for you.
Summer produce generally tends to have high water content. That helps keep you hydrated, which minimizes wrinkles because it’s plumping up your skin.
Summer bearings include a lot of green vegetables, melons, peaches, corn, mangoes, and other fresh and fragrant herbs. Local markets are at their best during summer, when fruits are abundant, and vegetables are as fresh as can be.
Are you looking for food to beat the heat this season? Here are a few summer-friendly foods that will help you cool down.
Tender Coconut Water:
This is the go-to drink in summer.
The cooling properties, together with its minerals and electrolytes, make coconut water an ideal energy drink provided by Nature.
Coconut water is filled with electrolytes which keep the body hydrated and the skin toned.
The power drink contains vitamins, minerals, calcium, potassium, and magnesium in its natural form to help beat the heat during summer while keeping one hydrated and energetic throughout the day and boosting your digestive capacity. After you drink the water, cut the coconut and eat the soft skin inside. It is tasty and also cooling.
Nimbu Paani:
Another way of meeting the body’s fluid requirement is “Nimbu Paani”. They boost the immune system, make your skin glow, and add a healthy dose of Vitamin C to your diet. So drink up as lemonade made with plain water or add a dash of lemon to your juices and salads
You can add one teaspoon of honey and a pinch of salt to Nimbu Paani. If you suffer from any specific diseases, like diabetes, you should take the advice of your doctor regarding additives, like salt, sugar, or honey, to cold drinks and fruit juices. Avoid aerated drinks and take fresh fruit juices instead. Fruit juices should be taken freshly extracted and diluted with enough water. They not only ensure a supply of valuable nutrients but also help to cleanse and purify the system, keeping the skin clear and healthy.
Fruits and Vegetables:
So, take a good look at your summer diet. A part of your daily diet must consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, eaten raw, with the skin, as far as possible. Fruit gives you a physical feeling of lightness while also being satisfying. Watermelon, musk melon, pears, papaya, plums, berries, apricots, cherries, mango, and oranges are found abundantly in the summer season. They supply the nutrients that keep our skin and hair healthy and beautiful.
Eat more fresh vegetables which are light on the stomach and easily digestible. Vegetables should be lightly cooked in summer. The health benefits of replacing a normal meal with a salad are immeasurable. All vegetables are fair game, fruit is welcome, and lean proteins (tuna, hard-boiled eggs, leftover poached chicken) and healthy fats (avocado and nuts) turn it into a meal. They ensure the proper elimination of wastes so that the skin is free from clogged pores and problems like pimples add acne.
Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, apples, oranges, pineapple, grapefruit and so on can easily be added to salads. Add nuts and seeds. Lemon juice, mint, and green coriander can be added as a low-calorie dressing. Yogurt is also a wonderful beauty food, while buttermilk and paneer can be included. They supply protein, which is so necessary for healthy hair growth and healthy supportive tissues of the skin, like collagen.
Avoid heavy, spicy, and fried food, especially during summer. Nature provides us with the fruits that are suitable for summer. Melons (Kharbuja), Water Melons (Tarbooz), Cucumber, and “Kakri,” are all available during summer. They eliminate toxins from the body and work as an excellent coolant that keeps the skin healthy. They contain more water and help to replenish the water which the body loses through sweating. Instead of having rich desserts, take yogurt with honey, or fresh fruits. It can be consumed as spicy buttermilk, a sweet lassi, or as cold yogurt. Rich with Vitamin B and gut-friendly bacteria, curd soothes the body from within. Add flavour to it by mixing it with mangoes, strawberries, and other fruits.These make delicious desserts too. During summer, you can end your meal with lassi. This is not only cooling but helps digestion too.
Your summer diet should cleanse the body of toxins and wastes. As far as the looks are concerned, this is bound to reflect on the skin and body. The skin will look clearer and fresher, while the hair will look healthy and lustrous. Such foods can help to lose excess weight and maintain a slim figure. Most important of all, it will make you feel better. Beauty is not just a matter of how you look, but also how you feel.
(The author is an international fame beauty expert and is called Herbal Queen of India)
