Summer is here, and the temperatures are rising rapidly. During this time, we need to be careful what we eat. This heatwave has been said to be fatal for specific regions, and hence, we can only do so much to protect ourselves. One of the methods is to include refreshing and cooling items in our diet. Here are some of them.
1.Watermelon
This popular fruit is useful for natural hydration of the body. It is sweet and juicy. The water content in this fruit is also high. It can be sliced or served as refreshing watermelon juice. Watermelon can be used to make smoothies, ice cream, etc.
2.Cucumber
Like watermelons, cucumbers also have high water content and can help the body to cool. Cucumbers can be sliced and eaten. They can also be added to various dishes like salads, sandwiches, curries, etc.
3.Beetroot
Beetroot is good for hydration and digestion in our bodies. Beetroot can be boiled and eaten, or it can be added in dishes like hummus, salad, curry, roast, etc. For beetroot curry (famous in Sri Lanka), the ingredients are beetroot, coconut milk, mustard seed, cinnamon, chilli, garlic, and onion.
4.Carrot
Carrot helps in detoxing and reduces heat from the body. Carrots can be added in salads or juices. Some other recipes include soup, halwa, curry, etc. A popular Indian recipe with carrots is “gajar ka halwa.” The ingredients are carrot, milk, sugar, cardamom, raisin, and ghee.
5.Coconut
Coconut has many uses, especially in the summer. The water is refreshing to drink. It is necessary for hydration. Dishes to make with coconut are pulao, ladoo, barfi, curry, cakes, ice cream, smoothies, etc. Coconut rice is eaten in Southeastern Asia, Caribbean, Oceania, and America. The ingredients are rice, coconut milk, sugar, salt, and oil.
6.Water
The most important thing to add to our diet is water. During the summer, dehydration can be fatal at times. So it is essential to drink lots of water. We can add a bit of lemon or mint leaves to the water to enhance the taste.
7.Yogurt
Yogurt helps to cool the body during this awful heatwave. We can make yogurt at home or buy it. It can be eaten directly or with sugar. We can also make dishes with yogurt like lassi, raita, curd rice, shrikhand, etc. Lassi is made with curd, water, nuts, and sugar. Shrikhand is a dessert of Gujarati cuisine and is made with curd, cardamom, almonds, and sugar.
8.Buttermilk
This is good as a cooling agent for our bodies. Buttermilk can be made at home with vinegar. Some dishes to make with buttermilk are cakes, banana bread, cheesecake, muffins, etc. To make muffins, we need flour, baking soda, baking powder, buttermilk, egg, butter, and sugar.
9.Mango
Mangoes are a sweet and juicy fruit famous in various parts of the world. Mango can be used to make many dishes like mango smoothies, juices, ice cream, etc. Amrakhanda is a popular Indian dessert made with mango, curd, cardamom, and sugar.
10.Lemon
Some dishes using lemon are cakes, sorbet, cheesecake, curd, etc. Lemon chicken is famous in many cuisines like Chinese. The ingredients required are chicken, ginger, garlic, turmeric, lemon, salt, and oil.
11.Avocado
Avocado removes heat from our body and is easy to digest. It is a good food to include in our summer diets. Dishes to make with avocado are salads, chicken, fish, pasta, sandwich, cake, etc. To make avocado and chicken kebab, the ingredients are chicken, avocado, ginger, garlic, chilli, cheese, pepper, salt, and oil.
12.Spinach
Green leafy vegetables like spinach have a cooling effect on our bodies. They can be added to smoothies or salads. To make “palak” or spinach paratha, we need spinach, flour, chilli, ginger, ajwain, salt, and oil. Palak paneer is a popular dish in India and the ingredients required to make it are spinach, paneer, onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala.
13.Cabbage
It is another leafy green that can be added to our diets during summer. Dishes to make with cabbage are fried cabbage, curry, salad, soup, rolls, etc. To make fried cabbage we need, cabbage, onion, ginger, garlic, garam masala, cumin, salt, and oil. It can be eaten with rice or roti.
14.Lettuce
It is a leafy green vegetable that is good for hydration in our bodies. Lettuce can be used in wraps, salads, soup, etc. To make chicken lettuce wraps, the ingredients are lettuce, chicken, onion, pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, chili sauce, and oil.
15.Chilli
Chilli is an ingredient needed to spice a dish and as a result, the body heats up causing excessive sweating. This helps the body reduce the heat. Chilli chicken is a popular Chinese dish. The ingredients needed to make it are chicken, chilli, garlic, ginger, black pepper, Kashmiri red chilli, onion, salt, and oil.
16.Celery
A large part of the celery consists of water. Hence, it is used as a cooling agent. Celery can be added in soups, salads, etc. To make celery soup, the ingredients needed are celery, potato, onion, broth, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil. Bread can be eaten with this.
17.Onion
Onion has a cooling effect on our body. It is important during the summer. Onion is a common ingredient in our diet. It can be included in a salad, raita, soup, etc. Onion raita is made with onion, curd, cream, green chillies, coriander, and salt. Onion rings are a popular dish in American cuisine and they are made with onion, flour, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, and oil.
18.Mint
They have a cooling property thus, making it a popular part of the diet during summer. We can make many things with mint like tea, candies, daal, salad, chicken, etc. To make mint daal, we need mint, onion, tomato, ginger, chili powder, garam masala, pepper, turmeric, and salt.
19.Banana
They help in hydrating our body. Bananas can be used to make bread, cake, smoothies, shakes, etc. The ingredients needed for banana bread are flour, banana, baking soda, yeast, butter, egg, curd, vanilla extract, walnuts, and sugar. A banana smoothie is simple to make with banana, curd, water, and sugar.
20.Bitter Gourd
This vegetable helps hydrate the body and cools it during the summer. This can be used to make soup, curry, stuffed, or bitter gourd fry. Bitter gourd curry can be made with onion, tomato, mustard, cumin, garlic, turmeric, curry leaves, salt, and oil. It is bitter and sweet to taste. This curry is famous in South India.
