Food to Chill with this Summer

Keeping your body hydrated should be your mantra to beat heatwaves in the summer and what could be the best help other than the seasonal foods.

Food2go4 has curated summer foods that you can include in your daily routine and be ready to face summer in better way.

# Coconut water: Coconut water is an excellent cooling drink which has electrolytes that makes it one of the best hydrating agent. Not only that it also helps in reducing blood pressure level, also acts as a natural diuretic and of course is good for your skin. Add Melon / beetle leaves / Rose petals/ fresh coconut chunks to chilled Coconut water to add different flavours to it.

# Aloe Vera Chaas: Homemade chaas is one of the best drinks to hang-out with in summer, chaas is catagorised as a sattvic food in Ayurveda, is a great way to cool off when the heat is unbearable. When stepping out Carry a bottle of chaas, or have a chilled glass as soon as you get home. Masala Chaas replenish your fluid and electrolyte levels instantly, helping you ward off dehydration. You can make it even more hydrating and healthy by adding 1 inch piece of Fresh aloe vera and put it in a mixer and blend it.

# Watermelon & Chea Seeds: Watermelon is one of the most hydrating summer fruit, this fruit has lycopene, which has the property of protecting skin from any damage by sun. You can use watermelon in salads, desserts, smoothies and milkshakes. Keep one in your refrigerator as this can come to your rescue when consumed as is or simply blend it to make fresh watermelon juice. Soak a spoonful of chea seeds overnight and add them to your watermelon drink to load it with nutrients. When ordering a drink at a restaurant do check for a watermelon cooler and ensure that the drink has fresh watermelon as the ingredient, not syrup.

# Aam Pudina Chutney – Mint is another savior in summers and it’s refreshing taste not only adds flavors to drinks, but also loaded with health benefits too. It acts as a liver cleanser, boosts your metabolism and helps those with a low appetite. So make mango (Cherry mangoes / Kaccha aam) pudina chutney a part of at least one meal, so that you can consumer this summer food at least once a day. Check out the recipe here

# Barley Water – Barley a wonder grain is a delightful diet supplement. This cereal is packed with a lot of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that contribute to healthy skin. Barley water can be made by soaking barley seeds in water overnight or just boil it in water. You can add lemon / mint to add flavors to barley water. And this is definitely going to help you beat the heat in summers.

# Aam Panna: As the season of mangos hits, aam panna becomes the drink to go for. Try to make Aam panna at home and avoid buying Aam panna syrup. As the one that is made at home is healthier and retains the cooling effects of raw mango. Prepare the concentrate in one go and just add water to enjoy every time you hit back home.

# Infused Iced Tea: If you thought tea is a thing of winters probably you have not come across the Infused Ice tea, Just boil tea leaves in water, cool it and refrigerate it overnight after adding honey to taste and any fruit to create fruit infusion like apple, orange, pears, grapes, kiwi etc and consume it whenever you feel like having it.

Onion –
Add onion to your daily diet and this can help you protecting yourself against the sun-stroke. Consume it raw in your salads, mix it with raita, and add it to channa chat / poha / bhel puri to gain the summer benefits of this wonder food. The red onions are loaded with quercetin, which is considered as a natural anti-allergen.

Image source : fridayMagazine

# Lemon
Last but not the least is lemon. “If life gives you lemon , don’t say they are sour rather make lemonade” So make lemon an essential part of your diet this summer either use it in water, squeeze it over your meal or simply make lemonade and stay hydrated all day long.#Curd : Belive it or not this is one food that should be made in kitchen every day. There is nothing better than homemade fresh curd , have it with cucumber to make raita or add mint leaves with a zeera tadka, or simple make lassi ( sweet or salted ) but this should be a part of your lunch every day without fail.# Lassi – Just Like lime water lassi is available as sweet and salty, a traditional Indian summer drink this is available almost in all places from north to south and west to east india. Sweet version also has a mango Lassi or starwberry lassi, while the salted version are tadka chaach, garnished with mint leaves and cumin seeds this is one hell of a drink and is quite filling too.Image and recipe – Click here#Bael ka sharbat ( wood apple Juice ) : This is one juice that’s only available in summers on the street of India , if you don’t want to have it outside , then better make it home and the recipe is made easy for you ,check out the recipe by Simply Tadka and image below is also from the blog.# Sugarcane Juice : I would call it a staple drink of North India, you can find a vendor almost in every small market and the juice is always churned out fresh with mint leaves and lemon adding more coolness to this summer drink. This happens to be one of my favorite too. Its a great summer drink and probably most economic one too, also it helps in weight loss as well.