Summer Dairy

Summer is all about fighting the heat and dehydration being the most trivial reason for body slow-down...so, clean-up your kitchen, stock up your refrigerators and pamper yourself with the recommended nutritional summer dietary picks.

Words by our Nutritionist Specialists:

Dr. Lata Sashi, a Consultant Nutritionist illuminating her expertise on summery diet precisely pointing out on the risk of getting dehydrated during the summers- a resultant of loss of fluid and electrolyte in the body. Drinking plain fresh water (at least 1 to 1.5 litres a day) is what she suggests to be ideal to balance our body fluid level, regardless of your activity intensities. Besides, fresh fruit juice with a concentration of 150ml servings, without added sugar is said to work fine too. Picking seasonal fruits like musk melon, watermelon, papaya, etc. are advised to be the best.

Opting vegetable soup is surely into our Summer Dairy too…however, a strict ‘no no ’is to ‘off-the-rack ones’, and also to the array of aerated and bottled drinks containing preservatives that flood the stores. Choose additional intakes of curd and buttermilk instead. While, fresh tender coconut water that contains high level of sodium and potassium is suggested to have the best electrolytic properties.

It’s how you prepare?

Avoiding fat-based and oily foods has always been a dart-mark for healthy living. So it’s all about what you cook and how you cook…including tea snacks like vadas, samosas, chips, bhajjis, etc. Fat has a very high thermal effect. Pick fresh vegetables, for Dr. Sashi explains there’s no stern restriction on choice of vegetables as such, however, kaddu and turoi are suggested for higher water content.

Shallow food frying or maybe sambar-like preparation is said to be ideal for the heat. Spacing out meals is advised to keep the body light than stuffing all in one or two large ones.

Dr. Praveen Kumar of the Heritage Food (India) Limited suggests to go for foods containing alkaline properties and, leafy vegetables are to have such high base with anti-oxidant properties that increases the alkaline and also the Ph Level.

Must-avoid list:

· Avoid drinks containing artificial sugars, preservatives, canned juices, caffeinated, carbonated or alcoholic beverages that are highly acidic in nature and act as major diuretics.

· Avoid soft drinks, for they contain diluted phosphoric acid, which damages the inner lining of the digestive tract, also increasing the phosphorous levels in the blood. Soft drinks also reduce mineral levels in the body to such an extent that enzymes are unable to function well, resulting in indigestion.

· Do not drink too chilled liquids, it’s quite hard to really gulp this but drinking too cold liquids may lead to constriction of the blood vessels and decrease heat loss meaning lesser perspiration.

Must-note list:

· Avoid excessive intake of proteins as it leads to the rise in body heat like milk, meat, egg, dried fruits, nuts and legumes.

· Trim down on heaty vegetables and fruits, like hot peppers, spinach, radish, garlic, onions, beetroot, grapefruit or even pineapples.

· Add sabza (tulsi seeds) in your drinks which has a natural cooling effect on the body.

· NO eating too hot, spicy or extremely salty foods, for the body retains salt in the organic form found in fruits and veggies while the inorganic salt is digested, this is why you need to drink a lot of water to clear it out from the body.

Most-preferred list:

· Include lots of fruits, sprouts and vegetables like fresh juices and salads, preferably without

· Drink thin buttermilk, lemon juice and tender coconut water to replenish the fluids that are lost in sweat.

· Excessive heat hampering the steady digestion process intake of toker daal (raw mangoes cooked with lentils) with boiled rice during lunch is suggested by all nutritionists.

· To keep away the germs, it is advised to eat a substantial amount of bitter dishes made of neem (full of medicinal qualities) and karela (bitter gourd), also helping to improve one’s appetite.

· Hang on to fine hygiene living.

A quick food guide for summers by an eminent nutritionist, Reshmi Roy Chowdhury

· 6.30 am: Green or herbal tea and two biscuits. · Breakfast: Seasonal fruits (250 gm) with an egg and curd (100 gm, made from skimmed or toned milk) or just with a cup of cereal and curd. · 10.30 am: Fruit juice or tender coconut water or chilled lassi. · Lunch: Rice (60 to 70 gm), daal (20 gm), vegetables (150 gm), fish or chicken 60 gm) (it is better to avoid red meat and prawns), curd (100) · 4.30 pm: Tea and biscuits. · 6.30 pm: Fruit salad or soaked chhole and curd. · Dinner: Roti or rice, vegetables (150 gm), fish (60 gm), I cup cold milk mixed with a little bit of honey. · Handy tip: To aid digestion, have one amla, slightly boiled, everyday.