Food for Summer Season Throughout the year, including the summer, our diet has a major effect on our health. The intense summer heat impacts our bodies’ natural processes—metabolism, digestion, and fluid balance. Therefore, the foods we eat in the summertime can either help us stay cool or make us feel hot and exhausted.
High-water-content foods are great for keeping us cool during the summer. Consuming these foods can help us feel more at ease in the heat by lowering our core body temperature. However, eating large, fatty, or spicy meals during the summer can make us feel hot and uncomfortable.
Moreover, these foods may raise blood pressure, which can impair our energy and productivity. The foods you should eat and the foods you should avoid during the sweltering summer months are listed in this article.
Foods to Consume
1: Coconut Water
Naturally sweetened with potassium, sodium, and magnesium, coconut water is an excellent source of electrolytes. It keeps the body hydrated and aids in replacing lost fluids in hot weather. It’s a great source of antioxidants as well.
2: Yogurt
Yogurt cools the stomach and fills it with probiotics. Eating yogurt can help lower body temperature, reduce inflammation, and ease digestive problems. It can be eaten as a dressing, as a snack, or in smoothies.
3:Cucumber
You’ve heard the phrase “cool as a cucumber,” right? Cucumbers instantly hydrate the body and lower its temperature. Eat them as a salad, pair them with your preferred dip, or puree them into juice by adding some ginger and lemon. Eating them is not right or wrong.
4:Mint
While lime also has cooling qualities, mint is a cooling herb. When combined, the two can make a refreshingly cool drink for summer. Peppermint and spearmint are two of the easiest herbs to find fresh on the market, and they are both ideal for summertime consumption. Mint aids in digestion while lowering body temperature. It also lessens fatigue and depression, and it eases headaches and nausea. Adding mint leaves to tea can help encourage sweating, which lowers body temperature.
To have throughout the day, crush some mint leaves and add them to a jar of water. Make sure the mint leaves have steeped in the water for an hour before drinking.
5:Watermelon
Because it contains almost 90% water, watermelon is the ideal fruit to eat in the sweltering summer months. Watermelon aids in maintaining the body’s temperature and hydration. It also contains potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A, all of which support the body’s ability to maintain electrolyte balance.
6:Buttermilk
The ageless wisdom of buttermilk, the essential summertime drink in India, is obvious. In addition to keeping you hydrated, it is beneficial for your digestion. To add some zing to your day, have it with some ginger, fresh coriander, and roasted cumin seeds.
7:Mango
The best fruit to help lower body temperature is the king of fruits. There are several ways you can incorporate it into your diet. Eat it raw, as chutney or curry, or as aam Panna, the traditional summertime beverage. Mangoes help with digestion, treat heat strokes, and give you more energy. Learn more about mangoes’ health advantages by reading this.
8:Fresh Vegetables
Eat less meat during the summer because it’s hot outside. Instead, eat more fresh veggies. Eat more fresh vegetables instead, as they are easy to digest and light on the stomach. (The vegetables will lose a lot of their natural water if they are overcooked.)
9: Seafood Fish
If you want to increase the amount of protein in your diet without consuming meat, try fish. Fish, being high in healthy fats, is a delicious substitute. You won’t experience the drowsiness and uncomfortable fullness we typically associate with eating chicken and meat dishes since they produce less heat when consumed.
10: Onions
Some people might be surprised by onions’ ability to cool down. Add lemon and salt to salads to make them ready. One more way to eat onion is to add it to curries, raita, and vegetables. Many people consider the quercetin in red onions a natural anti-allergen. Sunstroke prevention can also be achieved by regularly consuming onions in the diet.
11:Citrus Fruits
Citrus Fruits: Vitamin C, which can strengthen your immune system and keep you feeling your best, is abundant in oranges, grapefruits, limes, and lemons. These fruits’ citric acid also adds a cool tang, ideal for a hot summer day. Savor citrus fruits on their own, in a glass of water, or in salads for a light and revitalizing touch.
Foods to Avoid
Drinks with sugar
Sugary drinks with high sugar content, such as soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks, should be avoided as they can lead to blood sugar spikes and dehydration. Water or coconut water should be used in place of these drinks.
Alcohol Drink
Avoid alcohol, as it raises body temperature and dehydrates the body. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can also result from it.
Red Meat
Because red meat causes stomach distress and raises body temperature, it is best to stay away from it. Eating red meat in the summer can also cause fatigue and stomach problems.
Coffee
Avoid coffee, as it can dehydrate the body because it is a diuretic. Sweating and elevated body temperature are further side effects of coffee consumption.
Fried and spicy foods
Foods that are fried or spicy should be avoided in hot weather because they raise body temperature and dehydrate people. Heartburn and indigestion can also result from eating these foods.
Summary
To sum up, what we eat in the summer directly affects our health and wellbeing. We can stay cool by eating foods high in water content and avoid feeling hot and uncomfortable by avoiding heavy and spicy foods.
Frequently Asked Question
Are eggs good in the summer?
It’s a myth that eating eggs during the summertime can be unhealthy. As per Mehar Rajput, FITPASS Nutritionist and Dietitian, “Eating eggs in the summer is perfectly okay as long as you consume them in moderation.” They play a vital role in maintaining your energy levels by offering various vitamins and minerals.
Which foods are good in hot weather?
Consuming produce with a high water content, like bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and watermelon, is advised by experts. Although dark greens like kale and spinach can also be hydrating, Wood pointed out that lettuce is well known for having a high water content.
How do you keep your body warm?
Whether you have to work outside or simply need to get some fresh air, the important thing is to never stop moving. Try to keep the blood flowing through your body without overexerting yourself, especially not without first warming up your muscles. Even if you’re just sitting there, walking helps prevent your body temperature from falling.
How to survive summer without Air conditioning
Increase airflow throughout your house by using box fans and ceiling fans. As a sort of “exhaust” system, opening doors within the house and using box fans to force hot air outside can bring cooler evening air inside. Open all of the windows and encourage as much airflow as you can during the chilly evenings.
Which vitamin deficiency gives you a cold feeling?
Making red blood cells and moving oxygen around the body depend on vitamin B12. Anemia caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency arises from our bodies’ inability to produce red blood cells. Having low vitamin B12 levels can frequently result in chills and a cold feeling.
