Everyone hates fat diets but love the promises of diet plans, which hardly last for a week or two. One is always on a hunt of soothing food that will comfort us in heat. Eating light food during summers and craving for a glass of chilled fruit juice or having favorite flavor of ice cream instead of hot soups is natural. People shift their interest from high-calorie winter food to low-calorie. Especially during summer, having fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables brimming with nutritious secret benefits is a healthy choice.
Drink plenty of water and juices
Youngsters prefer consuming aerated drinks over fresh juices during the summer, but water is a smart choice as it prevents dehydration and maintains the body temperature by reducing unnecessary calories. Even, fresh fruit juices and coconut water from the belly of young coconuts are great thirst-quenchers. Coconut water helps in lowering cholesterol and reducing cellulite; so this summer, let’s say yes to this healthy beverage.
Other Cool options
Include some cool options in the regular meals such as buttermilk, curd, cheese, and yogurt could be amazing options to choose. It’s not only healthy to consume but has several health benefits too. Whereas adding a dash of mint and a pinch of salt will enhance the taste. Drinking buttermilk (chaas) just before stepping out in the sun will help in preventing dehydration.
Salads complete the diet
Preparing salads is not a difficult task and adding them to the diet will complete the nutritional requirements of the body. Garnishing salads with lemon, spices, sea salts, other flavored ingredients and dressing will create wonders in meals. Type and quantity of dressing matters when it comes to salad; healthy olive oil dressing is way much better than mayo and creamy dressings.
Intake of Vegetables and Fruits Improve the Health
Having a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits is must in summer. At least keep two servings of fruits and vegetables in the diet. Fruit smoothies, custards, sweet salads, milkshakes, and juices are easy to make and tasty to consume. Just toss some pieces of fruits and milk, with little sugar (its fine to sweeten fruits with a bit of artificial sweetener) into the blender in order to have a healthy and filling snack. Pan-roasted fresh vegetables with dry fruits, hot soups, or variety of salads are also a tasty option without being heavy on the tummy.
Avoid skipping meals—
Cutting down on meals can cause an adverse effect on health; one should never skip meals and should keep eating at frequent intervals of time daily. Skipping meals can also slow down the metabolism of the body and tends to lose calories drastically. Avoid fried foods and chemicals added foodstuffs. Avoid consumption of coffee, tea, chocolate, cold drinks, and alcohols in summer season.
Here’s a sample diet schedule –
Breakfast: Having 2-3 fresh fruits at morning can help neutralize your stomach acids and make one feel light and active. They are natural sources of energy.
Mid-morning: Having buttermilk or coconut water or some fruit juice which will make one feel refreshing.
Lunch: Have a bowl of salad with 1-2 roti’s (roti’s as per your appetite and requirement), green leafy vegetables, thin dals, and small bowl of rice, with some cold dessert / lemon juice.
Evening: Have fruit yogurt, custards, milkshakes, and chopped fruits.
Dinner: Always have a light and healthy dinner, especially during summers.
Chilled/hot soups, grilled/ half-boiled chicken, steamed fish, tofu and Ice cream are some of the options that can be added to dinner.
The above-mentioned diet is high in good complex carbohydrates, medium in protein, and low in fat which help in controlling cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity and many other ailments. So, this summer—be healthy, stay fresh and enjoy eating.
-Kiran Jadhav
Healthy Choices in Summer
