With the arrival of summers in India, the temperatures are increasing steadily. Dehydration is something that becomes common during summers. So, to keep yourself hydrated, and to protect your skin, you must include colorful fruits, green veggies, and herbs into your diet.
Making simple changes in your diet will make a big difference.
Tomatoes are highly juicy and are packed with antioxidants like lycopene, and vitamin C. These antioxidants are beneficial for the skin and overall health.
– Tomatoes can be eaten by adding them into, sandwiches, raita, lettuce wraps, or mixed salad.
– You can also roast the tomatoes along with paneer in skewers.
Watermelon is the most popular summer fruit, which is loaded with water. Lycopene present in watermelon helps protect the skin cells against sun damage. It also contains pectin.
– Watermelon can be eaten either by itself or in the form of juice.
– Eating watermelon seeds produced a cooling effect.
Almost 94% of Zucchini’s weight is composed of water, which makes it a great summer food. Being rich in vitamin C, it is beneficial for the eyes, and skin and it also boosts the immune system. Due to its high potassium level, it keeps the blood pressure in control. Zucchini has some anti-inflammatory properties too.
– It can be cut into spiral noodles and tossed with olive oil and other veggies as a mid-evening snack.
– It can be cut into thin slices and sauteed with other veggies, along with grilled fish/chicken/paneer for lunch or dinner.
– You can add them to salads, pasta, rice, or beans as well.
Oranges are seasonal fruits, known for their high content of vitamin C and water.
– They are best eaten by themselves or as freshly prepared juice.
Green veggies like broccoli, spinach, cucumber, and cabbage are high in water content.
– Best eaten as a salad, raita, or vegetables.
Being rich in anti-oxidants, corn helps protect the skin from harmful sun-rays.
– Best eaten boiled, roasted, mixed in a salad, or added in soup.
An herbal drink can be prepared by mixing lime, water, and sabja-seeds (Tekmeriya), that keep your body cool.
– Remember that you drink plenty of water (3-4 liters) each day, to avoid brain-fog, and headaches during summers. Include other drinks like lemonade, lemon-barley water, Kokum-Sherbet, and coconut water into your liquid diet.
– Summer brings wonderful seasonal fruits along with it. But, make sure that you eat fruits in the first half of the day to avoid fat gain.
– Avoid eating foods that are fried or spicy, during summers, to avoid bloating and acidity.
– Similarly, avoid eating bajra (winter food) and replace it with jowar.
