A healthy summer diet

Unlike other times of the year, during the summer we naturally lose our appetite and need extra fluid to hydrate the body. It is a common to resort to cooling drinks such as lime juice, Chaas, Nira water or something that we feel cooler.

It is extremely important for us to know this body language and get into a proper dietary habit so that we don't tax our body even more and at the same time support our body's tissues and cells with a nourishing diet to escape from the scorching heat. With a planned diet consisting of a range of refreshing drinks and fruit, we can cool down and face summer heat.

Consuming summer fruits and drinks is one of the easiest ways to lower the body heat and protect our body. The summer diet must also provide energy and help reduce tiredness and fatigue, something many of us experience during the summer season. Let the sun's hotness be dealt with easily with a few of the following dietary tips.

Wake up routine

During summer, we tend to sleep under a fan or in an air-conditioned room. This can further dry up the skin and throat and when you wake up it is quite natural to feel the dryness of the throat, eye irritations or skin dryness. Start your morning with 2-3 glasses of water even. If required one can also use lime juice or cinnamon soaked in the water. Following this, a cooling drink is highly recommended like Ashguard juice with a few drops of lime and Amla juice. This is highly beneficial to health in keeping the blood glucose in check and also to regularize your weight. Ash gourd juice can be replaced by wheatgrass juice, moringa juice, celery and cucumber juice or even coconut water.

Breakfast during summer

It is important to consume at least 4-5 handfuls of fruits and vegetables during the day in summer. Breakfast should always start with a bowl of healthy seasonal fruits such as melons, papaya, mangoes, lychees, plums etc. Following this one can have either a miller porridge or smoothie bowl consisting of coconut milk along with sabja, seeds, chia seeds, buts and a few dry fruits. Dry breakfast such as bread or other fermented grain items can cause indigestion if eaten on a fresh stomach. Also, reduce the number of grains and other preparations for breakfast.

Midmorning boost

Depending on your hunger levels, one can either go for buttermilk with a pinch of cumin powder and ginger or hing around midmorning time. You can also opt to have a bowl of salad at your convenience or even coconut water.

Lunch options

The meal that you have at lunch also should have abundant vegetables. If you prefer to consume carbs this is the meal you can try adding carbs along with plenty of vegetables. Make it mandatory to include a soup for lunch. Reduce the macronutrients such as carbs, proteins and fats to only half of the lunch portion.

Sundown diet

Towards the evening, you may consider taking a bowl of summer fruits and can also include a few soaked nuts along with this. This can give you good energy towards the latter part of the day and prevent any form of fatigue or tiredness after a full day's work.

Healthy Dinner

Night meals are better to be kept as light as possible. It is preferred to have a "Budha bowl" with lots of cooked vegetables � sauteed, braised, grilled or boiled along with a protein option. Include a soup before the meals and a herbal tea post-dinner. Some of the great cooling teas are chamomile tea, hibiscus tea or even mint tea.

Hydration during the day

One has to consume at least 3-litres of water during the day to keep the body cool. Besides drinking water, herbal teas, soups, infused water etc are great ways to combat body heat. Water infused with vegetables like celery, parsley, lemon, orange, cucumber, kale etc is great during this time.

(Dr. Manoj Kutteri, Wellness Director, Atmantan Wellness Centre)