5 Tips for a good summer diet

Dr Aarushi Passi Bhandari, Head Aesthetics & Anti-Ageing, Intelligent Ageing.

In this sweltering heat, you surely know you need good and comfortable summer clothes and a good summer diet. More than the outer, taking care of inner self is even more important. Summers can be harsh. Even little time spent outdoors can result health issues such as dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and skin sensitivities. It is always recommended to follow the local and seasonal diet along with some other summer tips:

Keep yourself hydrated

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Water is a key elementto keep your body cool and hydrated. One very good solution is to drink infused water, where you get the goodness of water as well as the added ingredient. You can add mint leaves, tulsi leaves, coriander leaves, oranges, lemonsor any fresh fruits. In summers we tend to drink more rather eat more and it is a great time to have detox or energizer smoothies. You can add greens like coriander, celery, and mint which is generally not consumed enough. Having a detox green smoothie is good for digestion and to calm the gut. Coriander and celery, especially, have a good blend of potassium, magnesium and zinc. Greens vegetables like lauki and coriander have a natural chelating property – they have the affinity to bind heavy metals in your body and toxins and gradually flush them out.

Avoid chilled water and beverage

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Chilled beverages have a property to constrict blood vessels, which tends to reduce blood circulation to the external surface, thus preventing any heat loss from the body. As a result you tend to retain heat and feel hotter. So despite having temporary cooling effect on the body, drinking chilled water does not regulate body temperature. Therefore it is advisable to consume normal or room temperature water.

Getting away from caffeinated or carbonated beverages and alcoholic beverages

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These drinks contain sugarand preservatives and are acidic in nature and act as diuretics – they cause a lot of fluid loss through urine.As a result these drinks cause lot of dehydration. Instead of having caffeinated drinks, people can have alternatives like coconut water and green teas, chamomile tea or an herbal tea. 

Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables

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Although you may say these days all vegetables and fruits are available all year round, but it better to respect nature and its rules. It is always beneficial to eat seasonal and freshly harvested foods. Summer season calls to load up on water rich fruits like mangoes, watermelons, grapes, melons, oranges, apricots, peaches and plums. Although they are sugary in nature but it contains natural fructose so it is good for your body.

There is emergent concept of Hydroponic vegetables, where the produce is grown in water. In this type of cultivation, there is no use of any pesticides and there is no bacterial contamination that is usually found in vegetables when grown in soil. Such vegetables are also beneficial.

Add Khaskhas(Vetiver) to your diet

Following the age old Indian tradition, adding khaskhasin your diet is also a great tip. It is used to calm down your body. Since summer is the time when your body is prone to stomach infections and khaskhashas great antiseptic properties that prevents any ailments. It has three major properties: It is a natural antiseptic that keeps summer infections at bay and it acts like a nervine tonic that calms down your body and eases muscle tensions. It also gives you great shape.

In addition to these tips, one very common suggestion during the summer season is to go easy on your stomach. The mantra during summers should be to eat light, freshly made home-cooked meals and avoid non-fatty foods. These tips are extremely helpful for you to enjoy the summer season to the fullest, remain healthy and not fall prey to the blazing heat.