Last updated on May 11th, 2020 at 12:32 pm
Summer has already hit hard in many parts of the world including here in India. The temperature is soaring abnormally high in many places in India and the excessive humidity is making things harder for all of us. And one of the biggest challenges for all of us in summer season is to protect ourselves from the heat wave. Apart from taking all possible precautions, you can beat the heat by eating summer friendly foods like fruits, vegetables etc.
It is best to eat the summer friendly fruits and vegetables in Indian summer to keep your body cool from inside. And if you are not sure about which fruits and vegetables you should be eating this summer season, then I have got you covered. In today’s post, I am going to share the list of best available summer friendly fruits and vegetables that must be in your diet to cool down your body and beat the heat effectively.
It is always necessary to ensure maximum protection from the heat whenever you are going out. Starting from drinking plenty of water, using sunscreen lotions to carrying umbrella to wearing hats and full sleeve clothes, you should try to avoid direct exposure to the sunlight as much as possible.
However, despite all of these people are falling sick due to the suffocating heat wave. The only time they feel good in summer is when they are sitting inside their home or office. But many of us have outdoor work and can’t avoid going out and hence it is important that we take proper care of ourselves by eating summer friendly foods, including juicy fruits and vegetables.
Winter is more or less pleasing or at least tolerable in most parts of India. But summer months in most places are really unbearable. Due to global warming, the average temperature is rising every year and so the number of death cases due to the summer heat is also increasing on an alarming rate. In such a situation, it is much recommended that you stay cool from inside as that will help you to fight the summer heat much effectively. The best practical solution to beat the summer heat is to try and keep your body temperature cool from inside.
I know that all of you, who live in warmer countries, get too much tired and exhausted due to the scorching summer heat. And you are constantly looking for ways to get respite from the heat, so without wasting much time, let us start our discussion about the best summer fruits and vegetables worth eating in Indian summer to keep your body cool from inside. If you add some of these fruits and vegetables in your day to day diet, your body will stay cool, and you will be able to battle the summer heat easily and much effectively.
Best fruits and vegetables to eat in summer season
As you know, what you eat is what you become. The foods we eat everyday have direct impact on our health and wellbeing. Besides keeping you healthy in general, the foods items you consume have specific functions. Like some of the fruits can keep you warm, and other foods may keep you cool from inside.
As the season changes, you should ideally tweak your diet and include season friendly fruits, vegetables and foods to your diet to remain fit and healthy. As the summer season has hit, you should include fruits and vegetables that can help you cool in keeping your body cool from the inside.
Listed below are a few of the best summer friendly fruits and vegetables that can help you fight the summer heat wave and so it must be included in your day to day diet this summer:
Watermelons
Watermelon is my personal favorite and it is also one of the most important foods to keep your body cool in summer. The primary reason behind its recommendation is because of its 92% water content which is very helpful in keeping your system hydrated in the hot summer days. Watermelon has a very refreshing and soothing taste which can give you respite from the summer heat.
Watermelons contain lycopene which is actually a phytonutrient very necessary in protecting your skin from the ultraviolet rays of the sun and studies are a proof to that. In fact, besides giving you UV protection, lycopene is great for cancer prevention and also in making your heart and bones strong.
So, watermelon is highly recommended, and you must include watermelons in your diet to keep your system cool and hydrated from inside.
Cucumbers
The next in the list of the best summer fruits and vegetable to keep your body cool in summer season is cucumber. Our body often gets dehydrated in summer and so with its high water content, cucumber is definitely the best fruit that must be in your summer diet.
Cucumber can easily keep your system cool and will also provide you with lot of nutrition. Like for example, cucumbers are rich in Vitamin K and potassium which are helpful in maintaining your body in summer season.
Moreover, the summer heat is also very damaging for your skin, but if you eat cucumbers frequently all through the summer months, it will help in protecting your skin from the scorching heat as well. Hence, it is very much advisable that you make cucumbers a part of your diet and enjoy the cooling effect that they provide you with.
Coconut water
There are a lot of reasons why drinking coconut water is highly recommended during summer. But, the most important reason is that it is very useful in keeping your system cool and hydrated from inside.
Coconut water is also very helpful in flushing the harmful toxins from your system and in keeping your body detoxified. Also, it helps in the prevention of loss of the essential salts and minerals from your body.
Most of us feel the lack of energy due to the extreme heat, but drinking coconut water gives you that perfect kick. It’s refreshing taste and flavors can easily charge you up. It also enhances your overall performance and keeps you active and in good mood despite the heat all around. So, make sure to drink lots of coconut water this summer season.
Pomegranates
Eating whole pomegranate or drinking it as a juice is one of the most effective ways to keep yourself cool in summer season. This is highly recommended during the summer months mainly due to its excellent astringent healing properties.
During summer months, people suffer a lot from indigestion issues like for example diarrhea, dysentery etc. and pomegranates are beneficial to prevent these disorders. To treat the intestinal inflammation, the various digestion related issues and to keep your system cool in general, pomegranate is probably one of the best fruits to eat.
However, the benefits of eating pomegranates do not end here. There are several other health benefits of pomegranates starting from reducing blood pressure, to curing arthritis to boosting your memory and concentration to improving the circulation of blood in your body. In general, pomegranates are very healthy and hence you must add it to your summer diet.
Berries
I will also recommend you to eat different types of berries all through the summer months. The main reason is because berries are alkaline in nature which in turn means that they generate cold energy in the system and cool you down. They also contain high amounts of water that helps in thinning the blood and in releasing heat.
The berries are also very nutritious and are loaded with Vitamin C, fiber, anthocyanins, and several other antioxidants. They are also great anti-inflammatory agents. Also, berries are comparatively low in sugar, so there is no need of worry about the sugar content much.
Radishes
There are reasons to include radish in your diet this summer. The very first reason is it is rich in water which is like of primary importance during the summer months. Secondly, this root vegetable is a rich source of Vitamin C which is an antioxidant very useful in lowering the temperature of your body. Thirdly, it is also anti-inflammatory in nature which is very much required in order to fight the heat effects.
In addition to all the above, radishes are considered to be very healthy in general. There are many other health benefits apart from helping you beat the summer heat. Like for example, radishes are really good for kidney health and can actually help you solve the problem of piles. Also, they can treat your fever and prevent the occurrence of leukemia as well. They are also good in treating the urinary disorders. So add them in your summer diet and enjoy various health benefits that it offers.
Spicy vegetables
This may surprise you but contrary to popular belief, it is actually beneficial to eat the spicy things in summer. I mean there is always a reason as why the spicy foods are so popular in the places with hot climates like for example in India. Actually, eating something hot and spicy is a great way to stay cool in the summer. Confused? Well, let me explain it in details then.
See, capsaicin, the main substance in peppers that is responsible for making the spicy foods bind to the pain receptors in your mouth. In response to that, your brain interprets the spicy thing you are having as something that is really hot and makes you sweat a lot. This sweat on your skin actually cools you down.
The most interesting thing is you can actually do all of this without even raising the temperature of your body which in turn becomes a great way to keep yourself cool when the outside temperature is so hot.
Peppermint
A glass of peppermint tea is all you need to keep yourself cool in the summer months. The primary reason behind this recommendation is due to the presence of menthol in it that works completely opposite to the way capsaicin does. See, the menthol present actually activates the nerve receptor in your body which in turn, triggers a faux frosty feeling in you even though the outside temperature is constantly rising.
Besides drinking the peppermint tea, you can also spray the mint tea on your skin. This will provide you with both evaporative and mentholated cooling. You can also infuse your water with mint and then drink it or even chew a few mint leaves and enjoy the freshness of breath as well as the cooling sensation.
Pineapples
The list of the important foods to keep your body cool in summer definitely includes pineapples. Pineapples may not make you feel cool the way the mint does. But the presence of the powerful anti-inflammatory bromelain in pineapples helps your body fight the effects of heat and inflammation.
Pineapples are also rich in water which is also very much essential in keeping you well hydrated in the hot and humid summer months. This also regulates the temperature of your body.
Citrus fruits
The citrus fruits are super cooling agents and hence they must be a part of your summer diet. The day to day foods we eat actually contains the complex fats and requires more heat to digest them which in turn, rises the overall body temperature. But, the genre of the citrus fruits has the potential to boost and break down the digestion of the fatty foods and encourages easy and proper digestion.
The amount of high fluids present in the citrus fruits also helps maintain the balance of fluids in your system, especially when there is a lot of sweating in the summer months. In addition, the citrus fruits are rich in several important nutrients like potassium, thiamine, folate, niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and also other minerals and phytochemicals that are extremely beneficial in balancing the body heat by maintaining the overall levels of vitamins and minerals in the system. The minerals present in the citrus fruits like for example calcium, magnesium and vitamins are essential in regulating the blood pressure levels and also help in keeping you cool from inside.
Onions
Onions have an anti-histamine effect which is very effective in beating the heat in the summer months. This is because in summer, the scorching rays of the sun lead to allergenic tendencies which causes itching and irritates your skin a lot. The histamines may also cause rashes and leads to excessive sweating. But, the anti-histamine effects of the onion help in reduction of the chances of having an allergy and are also helpful in preventing sunstrokes. In general, eating raw onions helps you keep your body cool in host days.
Beets
The summer heat can actually cause a lot of cardiovascular issues. We generally sweat a lot, get tired and exhausted very easily and the heat literally suffocates us and the heat waves that goes on increases the chances of falling prey to heat strokes. So besides keeping yourself cool, you need to also eat foods that will help you deal with the common health challenges of summer months. Like for example, if you include beets in your diet frequently, the nitrates present in them will definitely take care of your cardiovascular health. Also, many people suffer from blood pressure issues which may fluctuate a lot during the hot summer months. But with beet you can actually keep your blood pressure issues at check and studies are a proof to that.
Eating beets can be very effective for athletes and for those who do high intensity workouts regularly. This is because beets contain nitrates and they get absorbed and converted to nitric acid that in turn, reduces your system’s need for oxygen and improves the level of tolerance to the high intensity exercises.
Avocados
You must also include avocado in your diet this summer season. One of the reasons behind its recommendation is due to the presence of the monounsaturated fatty acids which are very helpful in removing the heat and toxins from the blood.
However, in general also, avocado is very useful for your health and has a lot of health benefits. Like for example, it is full of antioxidants which as per studies are very useful in the prevention and cure of several neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to these, studies have also shown that avocados are useful in healthy aging, weight management and promotes cardiovascular health. In short, avocados are really healthy and so try to include it in your summer diet.
Over to you: which are your favorite summer fruits and vegetables?
Summer months are really tough to handle especially when the temperature raises a lot and there is no sign of a refreshing rain or cool breeze. In such a situation, it is always best to stay indoors as much as possible in order to avoid the direct exposure to the scorching rays of the sun.
Staying indoors is not always possible for many of us who need to go out daily or stay outside for long hours. If going out is unavoidable then, you must carry umbrella, wear sunglass and full sleeve shirts, hats etc to avoid the direct exposure to the UV rays. But besides all of these, you need to also do something extra to keep yourself cool from inside and that is to eat the right summer friendly fruits and vegetables that will help you stay cool in the summer heat.
I have already shared a list of 13 best fruits and vegetables that can help you to keep your body cool in summer. Apart from eating fruits and vegetables like cucumber, beets, citrus fruits, pine apples, onions etc, you should drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated in summer months.
However, if you find plain water to be really boring, try to go for the various detox water recipes that are tasty as well as healthy. Starting from helping you lose weight to keeping you detoxified to gifting you with a healthy, glowing skin, these detox water recipes are very useful, so you must go for them this summer and maintain your health and beauty.
If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know. You can also share me your experiences about how you keep yourself cool from inside in the summer season.
Lastly, feel free to like, comment and share this post with your friends and help us spread the words.
Until next post, stay safe and stay cool this summer.
