Foods that cool you down in summers

Summer is perhaps the only season when one doesn’t want to think about food. All you want to do is drink chilled beverage.

Consequently, the heat and perspiration acts like double edged sword on one’s constitution. Rather, if you think smart, you can come up with cool food combos and ensure a fitter body to counteract heat damages. Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, a consultant with Godrej Nature’s Basket, Mumbai says, “not only have our mangoes gotten even sweeter, but you can really take the heat off by dipping them into cream. You can also take your pick from cold cuts. If you are a wine drinker, opt for white wine.” Purwa Duggal, head, nutrition therapy, Wockhardt hospital, Mumbai points out how one has to visualize enjoying food and then simple food also look more appetising.

For example, curd which is a very good summer food as it cools you from inside and also it could be consumed in varying options. From chaas , to lassi to curd rice… just take your pick. You must include one member from the gourd family in your daily intake. Pumpkins are not only cooling, but also good for people suffering from stomach upsets.

Summer just doesn’t mean only mangoes, but loads of cucumber as well. It not only beats the heat, but is also low on calories. It not only beats the heat but is very low on calories. So, here goes a recipe from Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal –

Wasabi cucumber Salad
 
Ingredients

2 Cucumber – diced fine
1/4 sheet Nori Seaweed
1/2 tsp Wasabi olive oil
1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Delhi-based image enhancer Rita Gangwani offers her ten culinary commandments to beat the heat –

1. Eat a diet that helps to cool and helps purify and hydrate the skin. Start by eating at least one sweet, juicy fruit a day. Ripe summer fruits such as peaches, nectarines, plums and pears are exactly what your skin craves in the hot season. Not only do they provide an excellent source of moisture, but they help purify the skin at the same time.

2. To cool the body through sweating, add small amounts of hot spices to food while it quickly sautés or steams. Hot peppers, fresh ginger, and black pepper are all great spices to warm you up and cool you down.

3. To avoid too much heat in food, focus on fast cooking methods this summer. Steaming, blanching (plunge into boiling water briefly, then into cold water)

4. Extremely cold foods and drinks are actually known to interfere with digestion and sweating, the body’s natural cooling mechanism. So, however tempting it may be to sit on your porch licking an ice cream cone or sipping a cool glass of tea, try a wedge of watermelon instead.

5. Among fruits almost all citrus foods are cooling. You can extract juice and store it for a day without any preservatives. Citrus fruits offer you more cooling if you can mix these to make a mock tail and also add in some lemon juice.

6. A lemon and honey drink combination has the power of instantly replenishing your body’s lost water and also work as energizers.

7. Some foods are especially beneficial in the summer heat. Eating vegetables with high water content will help you stay cool. Leafy lettuce and summer greens, corn on the cob, cucumbers, watermelon are delicious ways to stay cool. They all contain a significant amount of water and can actually thin the blood, which has a cooling effect. Eating these foods may assist your body’s own ability to release heat so the hot weather doesn’t make you feel overheated or exhausted.

8. If you are a non vegetarian, you should try and avoid red meat and instead go for fish and oysters.

9. The best summer diet solution includes large salads. Onions too are just great in summer, because of their ability to beat the heat and provide relief from summer ailments.

10. If you get burnt, seek relief by sipping on green tea. Green tea is a potent source of antioxidants that can neutralise cellular damage caused by the sun’s rays.