Summer foods that keep you cool

Summer is here and it promises to be a scorcher. Here are a few ways to make sure that you are eating healthy and keeping your body cool this summer.

Cooling summer foods include:-

1. Fruits – Best fruits for summer are watermelons, muskmelons and citrus fruits.
   • Watermelons are full of water and are great as juice or just chopped up.
   • Muskmelons and other varieties of melon are also cooling and healthy in the heat.
   • Citrus fruits break down fatty food and help in digestion and hence are cooling. (Tip: Don’t eat fruits sold by roadside vendors. Instead buy the fruits and cut them up at home)
2. Curd – Curd is a must during the summer. It can be consumed as spicy buttermilk (add a dash of ginger and coriander to make it extra tasty), a sweet lassi or as cold yoghurt. Just plain curd rice is also cooling and satisfying in summer. (Tip: Put the curd into the refrigerator as soon as it is done, otherwise it will sour quickly in the heat)
3. Cucumber – This water filled vegetable can be eaten as a snack any time of the day and is great in salads and raithas. (Tip: Place two circles of sliced cucumber over the eyes to cool them down on a hot day)
4. Coconut water – This is the go to drink in summer. Coconut water is full of natural electrolytes and gives your body an instant boost especially when you’re exhausted after a long day out in the heat. (Tip: After you drink the water, cut the coconut and eat the soft skin inside. It is tasty and also cooling)
5. Lime and mint – Lime is cooling and in combination, lime and mint make a very refreshing drink which is a great pick me up in the summer months.
6. Fresh vegetables – Bring down the consumption of meats in summer as they are not cooling. Instead eat more fresh vegetables which are light on the stomach and easily digestible. (Don’t overcook the vegetables as it will lose a lot of its natural water)
7. Onions – Did you know that onions have great cooling properties? Onions are said to help protect you against sunstroke. (Tip: Cooking it takes out a lot of the water in onions and so have it raw, in raitha, salads and chutneys)

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