Summer is exciting because it is about enjoying the sun and playing at the beach. But the most vital thing that we need is a proper and clean diet. Summer has many seasonal fruits and veggies mandatory for your grocery shopping. These seasonal foods allow your body to fight against the disease and discomfort we often feel because of the weather changes.
Another important thing is that all the additional sun exposure in summer causes skin damage in the form of breakouts, dark spots, hyper-pigmentation and other early signs of ageing. Therefore, the best way to treat them is to include the intake of enough antioxidant-rich foods.
Summer calls for refreshing drinks to hydrate the body and beat the heat. Here are some healthy eating tips for summer to stay fit and healthy.
Summer Diet Tips
Sure, the weather is hot, but that does not mean you cannot enjoy some delicious food! Well, the only thing you need to keep in mind is that there is a reason why people prefer different food habits in summer. So, what are summer foods, and why do we need them?
Hydration Is Important
Summers can be daunting, and high humidity levels can bring dehydration, loss of energy, and fatigue. So, make it a point to gulp down 8 to 10 glasses of water to keep yourself hydrated.
Other than that, you can include coconut water, juices, and smoothies in your summer diet. But do you know even tea and green tea can also do wonders? Iced tea and lemon tea are also popular drinks. It has excellent antioxidant properties that help your body reduce oxidation, and the catechins present in green tea fight a lot of diseases away from the body.
Grab Seasonal Fruits and Veggies
Summer has a lot of fruits and veggies that make great juices and help our body to retain more water. Having fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, pineapple, and grapefruit are all super hydrating foods to eat or drink in the summer. They are refreshing, loaded with essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, have high water content and are light on the stomach.
Summers are incomplete without juicy mangoes. Not just it is flavorful, but it holds nutritional value as well. It is rich in vitamin A and C and beta-carotene, and mangoes are suitable for an antioxidant diet.
You can check out these amazing juice brands providing cold press and other options to choose from.
Incorporate Raw Veggies
Relying on salads more than any other cooked food is the safest way to keep your system clean and cool. Include green leafy, colorful vegetables with a sprinkle of dressing in your salad. It will not just make it tasty, but a bucket filled with almost all vitamins and minerals will also serve as a great source of antioxidants. Also, it is summer, so you are free to experiment with exotic vegetables that are seasonally available at this time.
Recharge Your Body
It is natural for your body to feel lethargic in summer and not motivated to work. However, including coffee more than required in your diet might not be good. Therefore, it is essential to eat clean foods that are easy to absorb and metabolize by your body. Also, add foods that cool down the body during the scorching heat.
Eat Lighter Meals
The portion of nutrients you need in your body to cope with the excess heat needs to be well balanced. We need to keep in mind that our diet should include less fat and more protein and other nutrients from our daily foods. In addition, load up on nuts, seeds, and fruits for munching in between the meals. You can also downsize your meal because it takes longer for the stomach to digest food.
Yoghurt to beat the heat
Yoghurt is an essential ingredient that keeps your body cool throughout the year. But as a summer food, it helps to regulate the body temperature and is also serves for your gut health. So, add it to your salad, make a smoothie or eat it alone; it will never disappoint you when it comes to the taste and the nutritional values. Moreover, it keeps gastrointestinal problems at bay and checks the digestive system during the season.
Include Vitamin C Rich Foods
Get your vitamin C from fruits like lemons, Indian gooseberry, tamarind, green, red and yellow bell peppers, and other perfect for taste and nutrient-rich properties.
Add Sprouts
Mix sprouts with vegetables and salads or eat them like that. It is nutrient-rich, keeps your body hydrated in the summer, has high water retaining quality, and provides enough minerals to your body.
Foods to Avoid During Summer
We are all concerned about what to eat during the summer, but we should also be aware of the foods we should avoid during summer. So, let us see what to cut off from the diet during summer: junk foods, oily and fried foods, excessive salt, too much caffeine, bulk proteins, and foods that heat your body.
You can also check out the foods you should avoid after a long festival season.
Well, there are a lot of ifs and buts that might not have a generic approach for everyone’s body. Therefore, it is always recommended to see the doctor first whenever you face any dietary issue. Also, not every food and diet tip might be suitable for all, keeping in mind allergies and food restrictions.