Hyderabad: With temperatures already touching 40 degrees Celsius in March, it's important to change your food habits to guard against dehydration, heat boils, dry skin, vomiting, diarrhoea and other summer ailments.
Hot and spicy foods should be replaced by cooling and less spicy dishes. Bottle gourd, green leafy vegetables, green beans and pulses such as green mung dal, barley, sago, ragi and sabja seeds (tikmuriya) soaked in water, are cooling foods.
Nutritionist M Gayatri suggests some innovations like ragi powder, available in the market now, to make buttermilk.
A combination of barely with lemon juice, mint water with ginger, buttermilk with jeera and fresh ginger are other cooling options.
Stick to fruits such as water melons, musk melons, coconut and other water based fruits and fresh juices.
In many homes, sweet curd mixed with rice is refrigerated and small portions can be had during the day.
Not a good idea for diabetics, though, caution experts, as too much white sugar is a no-no. This is the season for indigenous drinks — aam panna, mango murabbas, both sweet and spicy.
The direct heat affects the head and hence massaging the body or head with gingely or coconut oil helps to improve blood circulation and lowers body temperature.
Gingely oil is said to improve metabolism, skin and hair texture, and also the digestive tract, including the colon.
The American Nutrition Association recommends eating rice cooked the day before as it has been found to contain beneficial bacteria and neutralises excessive body heat. It also helps those with constipation and maintains body energy.
Traditional food works
- Have water-based fruits in the afternoon to maintain electrolyte balance in the body.
- Drink plenty of water. Eat a light diet that can be easily digested.
- Avoid junk food, excess tea and coffee as caffeine results in dehydration.
- Do not eat spicy and salty foods that are difficult to digest and affect the skin.
- Avoid calorie dense foods like— biryani, gravies, wheat based foods make the body work hard to digest it.
Make the switch, stick to fruits, veggies
Fruits: Water Melon, Musk Melon, peach, pineapple, coconut water, apples and grapes
Vegetables: Cucumber, mint, green leafy vegetables and green beans
