Summer is primarily the time when our appetite reduces and our requirement for hydration increases. Nature is designed in such a way that in each season the produce is exactly what the body needs.
Summer bearings include mangoes, gourd vegetables, watermelons, muskmelons, Litchi, and much more. They are all the ones that have more pulp, hydration, cooling effect, and less food content, giving us the hydration and fiber content required.
With this seasonal change, we also need to be mindful of eating smaller meals rather than loading ourselves with food at one go.
It is important to get our nutrition in tiny portions and that is where our homemade achars [pickles], papads, chutneys, and sherbets come in the picture where even 1 small spoon is enough to relish your body as your appetite is lower in this season.
What we do instead is reach out to sodas, bottled beverages, packaged and processed food, and cold water.
This is where we all usually go wrong. Although drinking cold water is extremely satisfying in the summers, anything with a low temperature constricts our blood vessels and affects our heat loss process.
Along with this it also causes inflammation and lowers the ability of your stomach to digest food better.
With the temperature change in the environment, our body also goes through an imbalance in pH, the body is working double the amount to regulate the temperature internally and the skin also gets congested due to excess of oil production.
Due to these changes, we often get headaches, heat strokes, acidity, indigestion, acne, and vaginal infections hence we need to keep in mind that if we eat small meals and eat what is seasonal we will have the best summer ever!
Let us look at how we can prevent these summer health issues and stay energetic:
Sherbets and Traditional drinks
Well if you really want that cooling effect to reach out for a glass of chass with jeera powder after lunch, Kokum sherbet, shikhanji, fennel sherbet, nimbu pani, Bel sherbet, nariyal pani or the lip-smacking aam panna during your mid-morning.
All these traditional drinks will replenish your lost electrolytes and give you your energy back.
So put the bottle of an aerated drink down and grab a glass of these sherbets instead.
Fruits & Vegetables
Now the seasonal fruits and vegetables you need to be including to make sure that you are not constipated, acidic, or face any indigestion issue in this gorging heat are mangoes [yes mangoes! If you want to look and feel your best bring this into your homes], watermelons, muskmelons, litchis, safed jamun, jackfruit and many more fruits along with important vegetables like lauki, parwal, pumpkin, baingan and the list goes on.
You can check our article on seasonal and local foods https://amitamishra.com/this-time-of-the-year/
To give you the full list of what you should be picking in summers and other seasons.
The pulp, fiber, and water content in each are enough to keep you fresh and keep your digestive system clean.
Cereals and grains
Jowar is an important grain to include in the summers. It helps you burn fat, is rich in fiber and in Vitamin B helping you break your weight loss plateau whilst keeping your digestive system and brain health strong.
Other cereals and grains you should be including in summer are Jau, samwa, gehun, chaawal, and kangni.
Eating these will surely enhance your pre and probiotics giving you a strong gut.
Seeds
Seeds may be tiny but they sure are power-packed and a must-have in your daily meal plans. In the olden days’ achaar would not be as simple as what we get in the market now.
They would be packed with seeds like Kalonji (Nigella Seeds), khus, sesame, Rai (mustard), magaj (watermelon seeds), pumpkin seeds, and much more used to go into an achaar to enrich the nutrient value.
Even if your meals are simple, say just roti and dal, just by adding these seeds in your char, papad or even in your roti dough, you can make a lot of difference to your health as you will be not only having your macronutrients but also micronutrient enriched food which will help you satiated and make sure that you do not binge on unwanted snacks or overeat your meals.
To sum it up you can try different varieties of all these food items we discussed in your own cultural and traditional way.
But we would love for you to add these 6 things in your day to day routine: Soaked raisins, Pudina, Sabja, Lime, Mango, and Fennel.
Do also go through https://amitamishra.com/5-summer-superfoods/ to know more about what you could eat through the summer.
Do share with us what you include this summer and tag us @amitamishra470.
