Summers and Diet

By Luke Coutinho, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle – Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine, Founder of You Care - All about YOU by Luke Coutinho

As India faces a scorching heatwave, it’s important to understand the impact of rising temperatures on our bodies. Our organs, including the heart, brain, liver, and kidneys, are temperature sensitive, and while our body does a good job of regulating its temperature, extreme heat can lead to dangerous conditions like heat stroke.

If we are intuitive about our own selves and our eating patterns, we will realize how our appetite naturally drops during summers. We are more inclined towards cooling and light foods, than warm and heavy foods. We are blessed to live in a country that has an abundance of foods designed for every season.

The foremost important thing is to eat seasonal. Enjoy what nature gives us during this time in the form of fruits and vegetables. Foods grown during the summer season are designed to keep you cool. We see an abundance of fruits like watermelon, kokum, raw mangoes, melons during summers. Make sure you add them to your nutrition plan.

Talking about specific foods, traditional beverages like shikanji (lemon water), aam panna (raw mango beverage), and sol kadhi (kokum coolant) come to a huge rescue.

Foods to Beat Heat & Keep you Cool

I bet most of us must be knowing so many of these practices already or must have seen their grandparents following it, but here are some recommended foods to beat this sweltering heat and keep you cool.

1. Sabja seeds

These tiny little seeds, also called falooda seeds, are amazing summer superfoods. They have a cooling effect in the human body. For people who have acidity it plays a big role in helping them overcome acidity and this is great to add to your water in the summertime.

2. Sattu

Traditional to Kolkata and Bihar, sattu is an extremely cooling food that hard working laborers usually eat for their main meals, because not just keeps them full and provides quality protein but also keeps their body protected from the scorching sun. It is also light on the digestive system. In fact, a combination of buttermilk and sattu works as a great summer drink. Being rich in protein, fiber, calcium, iron, manganese and magnesium, buttermilk contains good bacteria and lactic acid, due to which it is also very beneficial for the digestive system. That’s why people like to take buttermilk during the summer. All you need to do is, take 4 tbsp of sattu in a glass and add 300 ml of plain or masala buttermilk. Adjust salt, pepper and roasted cumin powder. Stir well and drink one glass daily.

3. Beverages

i) Solkadhi

Kokum or Garcinia indica, the primary ingredient is Solkadhi, is a super food when it comes to tackling body heat and acidity. Ayurveda too has its mention as kokum is instrumental in controlling pitta levels in our body, which is body heat/acidity. This special and popular summer drink is served with almost every meal in the coastal region of Maharashtra during summer days. Solkadhi doesn’t just earn the tagline of being a perfect coolant, but it has several other benefits that help combat common issues during summers like prickly heat and upset stomach. This drink also aids digestion and many people drink Sol Kadhi /kokum coolant after eating a heavy meal. Also, the additional ingredients like hing, curry leaves, ginger and cumin seeds add on to its digestive properties. Being cooling in nature it also helps quell skin rashes and prickly heat that arise due to excess heat.

ii) Jaljeera

Jaljeera essentially includes water (jal) and cumin (jeera), and is an extremely, cooling and refreshing drink which is good for your health. It is traditionally made in a matka (mud clay pot), which makes this water concoction more alkaline in nature. Jaljeera is made with roasted cumin powder, ginger powder, coriander leaves, mint leaves, dried mango powder and much more. Jaljeera helps in aiding digestion and reduces incidence of bloating and flatulence. Adding mint in jaljeera can help cool the stomach. It is also great for keeping you hydrated.

iii) Lemon water

The good old lemon water. Squeeze lemon into your water if it suits you. Lemon water helps you balance your electrolytes. If you know that you will be exposed to the hot climate and tend to sweat a lot, add a little bit of salt (pink salt preferably) and organic jaggery to your lemon water. It is an excellent sports drink in the summers. If you have high blood pressure issues, ensure that you do not consume refined white salt. But you can have a little bit of pink salt. Pink salt is potassium chloride, whereas white salt is sodium chloride. Depending on your deficiency or the imbalance of electrolytes in your system, make an informed choice.

4. Earthen pots

Take your hydration a step further, and start storing drinking water in mud/clay pots. Several homes in India practice this. Mud or clay has cooling properties, and thus storing water in vessels made out of it, can help keep the water cool. Plus, it gives a very pleasant aftertaste to the drinking water. Nature has all the answers.

Lastly, it is important to ensure electrolyte balance. Due to excessive sweating, we tend to lose more electrolytes during summers. It is thus necessary to keep a check on replenishing your electrolytes. Electrolytes are crucial for various processes in the human body like transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction, amongst several others. If you have ever experienced stiff muscles or frequent cramping or twitching, then it could mean an imbalance in electrolytes. Electrolytes also help you to balance your pH levels. Some of the best electrolyte rich foods include coconut water, banana or a simple lemonade with a dash pink salt.

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Luke Coutinho

Luke Coutinho is celebrated in the Holistic Lifestyle space, as he practices in the field of Integrative Lifestyle Medicine and Life Coaching. In his practice, he believes that while doctors do what they have to do, the medicine he and his team use is Lifestyle. Luke Coutinho’s healing philosophy is based on the 5 pillars of holistic wellness i.e. cellular nutrition, adequate exercise, deep sleep, emotional detox and spirituality.

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You Care Lifestyle

So if you are looking forward to follow a healthy lifestyle with a holistic wellness approach based on such advice then You Care can be your companion in this journey. Your Care Lifestyle founded by Luke himself, is a digitally curated marketplace for clean lifestyle products. you can shop for safe, chemical-free products on YCL as per Luke’s five pillars and more.

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