Summer Diet Alert: Expert Food Tips On What To Do And Avoid This Summer

Summers are here in full force. The sweltering heat has started to take a toll on our energy levels, skin and several other aspects our daily lives. Most of us even dread the thought of stepping out, but you know that is not possible at all times. It may take a few more weeks for the temperatures to become bearable again, but until then there are many ways in which you can make yourself summer ready. Opting a summer diet is one. Now, with summer diet we do not mean you do away with your existing diet and get a new one in place but incorporating a few dietary tweaks that are a must for the season. For instance, swapping oily food and alcohol for cold soups, sorbets and fresh vegetables.  Here are expert tips that would get you started. 


Summer diet tips


Pooja Makhija, celebrity nutritionist, and Govindrajan, Head, Research and Development, Sugar Free, have suggested a few dos and don'ts to combat the harsh summer heat. 

What to do? 

• Fresh Fruits and vegetables.It is a must to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. Dehydration caused due to summer heat could cause loss of electrolytes. Feeling lethargic and nauseous could be symptoms of dehydration. Up your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables that are in season. Spruce it up in a way that your little fussy eaters would also look forward to having them. Vegetable chips, sandwiches, healthy soups, veggie lasagnas are some ways in which you can incorporate these healthy veggies.  
• Load up on liquids, cold soups and sorbets: Kokum water, coconut water, chaas, fruit slushes and also frozen iced sorbets may prove to be the healthiest addition to your diet this scorching weather. These foods work well to restore electrolyte balance. According to experts, drinking 10-12 glasses of water is a must. Drinking infused water could also prove to be a good and healthy way to beat the heat. Another very effective way to beat the heat are soothing and fortifying cold soups. Load up on hearty cold soups that include gazpachos, cold cucumber soups, tomato soups for that full flavour and for that feeling of being full.
• Sauteed greens: Ditch oily and greasy for healthy sautéed greens. They are light, and packed with nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins you need to fight aliments such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. 

What to Avoid?

• Check your protein intake: Proteins are the building blocks of life. You should definitely make sure you have enough of them each day. But make sure you do not overdo it. Especially in summers.Proteins are harder to digest in general and coupled with heat and dehydration, could leave you feeling uncomfortable and possibly nauseous if consumed in excess. The recommended daily intake of protein is one gram per kilo of ideal body weight (the appropriate weight for your height). So, no matter what you currently weigh, if your ideal body weight is supposed to be 57-58 kilos, your protein intake should not exceed 57-58 grams per day.
• Avoid Alcohol: Try to cut down on your alcohol intake.  Alcohol adds to more heat; alcohol is a vasodilator, which means that more blood gushes through your system leaving you feeling hotter and sweatier. Alcohol is also extremely dehydrating.
• Check oily food intake: It becomes increasingly difficult for your body to expel all by-products of heavier, oilier foods through the kidney in summer, which is why urination is not as frequent when you are dehydrated. To counter this, the load of excreting oily food comes on to the skin - the second largest excretory organ - which will make you sweat more, dehydrate you further, kick-starting a vicious cycle.

Summer Weight Loss

Summers could prove to be the best time to shed those extra inches round your belly. Consultant Nutritionist Dr. Rupali Datta lists out effective tips to have lose weight this summer.  She suggests picking seasonal and fresh foods to extract best benefits they have to offer. 
Load up on mangoes, cucumber, watermelon, oranges, celery, et al.

• Drink, drink drink

This is the one rule for weight loss that is evergreen. According to Dr. Dutta, water, followed by coconut water, lemon water and the desi summer drinks like kanji and aam panna, are some of the best drinks to keep yourself hydrated. The lesser the amount of sugar in your drink, the better it is for you. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times and take small sips to fill yourself up.

• Eat More Probiotics

Be it lassi and chhaas,Indians love having in curd in summers, which is great to promote digestive health. Your digestion tends to get troubled during the summers, which can hinder weight loss in a big way. Make sure you include a lot of probiotics in your diet to keep your digestive system healthy during the summers.

• Load Up On Summer Melons

Watermelons and muskmelons are widely available during the summers. Besides being delicious thirst quenchers, these melons are also low in calories and hence are great for your summer weight loss plan.


Follow these diet tips and be summer ready. 

(With Inputs IANS)