Sun is scorching outside and you are trying to keep yourself cool. Fan is running in full speed and you are looking to switch on the Cooler / Air Conditioner to have a cool environment around you. Your body demands more hydration so you look for an opportunity to gulp a glass of your favorite cold drink. All this is for your thriving desire, to keep your self cool. Common challenges faced during summers are having excessive sweating, increased thirst, decreased appetite, decreased urination, etc. You look for chilling summer food and a place to keep you chill…
Do you know an interesting fact?
“Excess sweating you have in summer is a mechanism of body to keep you cool”. This sweat on the body surface evaporates with the heat and makes the skin cool. But at the same time body from inside gets dehydrated and essential minerals gets gradually depleted. So, what you need is a balance so that you feel good from inside and safeguard your self from various extremes of summer. Don’t worry we will take you through various food items which can be included in summers to strike that balance.
Mother nature had made the things which suits our seasonal requirements but because of super-efficient supply chain, technological advancements in farming almost every crop / fruit / vegetable are available round the year. This makes it really confusing that what is the most suitable for the season. If you are in your 40s or more you can recall that in your childhoods some items were only available in a particular season, and then they were preserved in various manners to relish throughout the year like some vegetables were turned into pickles, some were dried in sun, there are many other ways they were used to preserved depending upon different culinary cultures.
Here I will help you to choose some interesting and nutritional food items from summer food which will support you to sail through the roughness of the weather. Yes, there is abundant availability but if you choose wisely as per the body requirement you will get synchronized with the mother nature. So, lets start it right away…
Summer Seasonal fruits:
Muskmelon, Watermelon, Mango, Oranges, Lichi, Grapes are summer special fruits. If you will observe fruit shop, you will see that there are whole lot of varieties available. Notice the fact that summer fruits are juicy (as body need surplus amount of liquid) and having essential minerals & vitamins needed specially in summers. These summer fruits keep you hydrated and at the same time energies you, replenish lost minerals due to sweating. So, pick the ones you like and have them on the go.
- Also Read Fruit basket for monsoon
Summer special drinks:
Excessive sweating depletes you from essential minerals so its replenishment is essential. Nature had given you options like Kokum, Rose, Khus, Chandan, Lemon which can be consumed in form of shikanji / shrbat. Thandai, Lassi, Buttermilk, Sugarcane juice are other freely to be used drinks in summers, these are classic summer drinks. Do not get in the trap if fizzy cold drinks which are full of Sugar, there is a heavy marketing team behind it to attract you for quenching the thirst and beat the heat. If you check the ingredient list, they are full of lab chemicals, artificial flavours which eventually is contributing in dehydrating the consumers.
- Also read Reality check of aerated drinks
- Also read Goodness of Indian summer drinks
Spices and herbs:
There are some spices and herbs in your kitchen which are cool in ‘tasir’ these are Cumin, Fennel, Poppy seeds, Green cardamom, Mint, etc. You can yourself feel their goodness on usage. In summer digestion is weak so problems related to gastric, indigestion, acidity and bloating is very common. As per Ayurveda summer aggravates ‘pitta’ in our body. So having food items which are acidity controller will give you a cooling effect from within. Also helps to get relieve from other digestion related issues. These are must have summer foods.
- Also read Prebiotic / Probiotic Simplified
Summer Grains:
However, Wheat and Rice can be consumed through the year but if you add season specific grains (millets) like Jawar & Ragi in your meals it will give you an overall soothing effect. Do you know that Sattu (made by roasting and grinding grain) is best suited for summer? It makes you full for longer period, helps to manage your weight. You can choose wheat or chana sattu as per your taste. Drink made from chana sattu is a very powerful protein drink. You can have chana sattu drink post workout drink this is not only a summer food but a all rounder for all seasons.
Gulkand:
This special delight is made by sun drying rose petals and preserve it with sugar syrup. You can also use mishri instead of sugar as mishri is supposed to be purest form of sugar. This is super cooling and extremely aromatic, this makes it a exotic summer food. You can have it with cold milk or you can choose to have beetle leaf with gulkand after lunch. This also wonderfully helps in improving your digestion.
Seeds:
Drinks including Sabja / Basil / Chia seeds provide immense relief from heat of summers. They are known to reduce body heat and have a soothing effect on stomach. You can use by dissolving them in in cool water and sip on at some gap through the day. Other way to use it by adding them in lemonade, sharbat, coconut water, coconut milk, milkshakes smoothies etc.
Creepers Vegetable:
These are unique summer food (vegetables) Torai, Lauki, Tinda Cucumber, Kakdi, Parwal, Karela, Bhindi, etc. usually gets cooked in the water with in them. These all are very rich in minerals and water-soluble vitamins. Easy to digest, cool on stomach.
So, in spite of market being full of alternatives round the year it’s your knowledge from our ancient culinary wisdom that helps you to choose wisely. To relish any season, you simply need to get in rhythm of it and what all you had read in the write up will certainly help you to have smart choices. Don’t get in trap of temptations but use the knowledge to feel better during the seasonal hardships.
As a guardian it is our responsibility to pass this knowledge to coming generations, this knowledge of summer food will certainly benefits you and all in your family. Keep Relishing Summer and embrace special gifts given by mother nature.
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