The heat of the summer brings a whole new set of needs when it comes to nutrients for the body. It is important to monitor your diet to prepare for the heat, in which below is an expert from an article on food that will assist in cooling your body.
Stay cool
Nutritionist Jyoti Lalwani highly recommends eating curd, drinking coconut water and sugarcane juice during summers. Intestinal infections such as cholera, typhoid, amoebiasis find it easy to surface during a warm climate. Eating curd helps increase the friendly bacteria in the intestines. These bacteria promote digestion and boost immunity. Due to sweating, water and many essential minerals are lost from the body which makes you feel tired and sluggish. Coconut water is packed with simple sugars, electrolytes, and minerals that replenish hydration levels. Research suggest that coconut water also has anti-ageing and anticancer properties. Sugar cane juice comes in handy for those who exercise or work out during summers. Containing only natural sugars, it not only cools the body but also energises with a high quantity of carbohydrates and proteins. The nutrients found in sugarcane are beneficial for the functioning of the kidneys, heart and the brain.
Nutritionist Naini Setalvad suggests eating raw mango to prevent sunstrokes and summer typhoid. “Have raw mango in any form, whether sliced and tossed in bhel or as a drink called ‘panha’,” she says. It contains natural sugar and prevents constipation. You can also consume musk melon and water melon which comprises of 90 per cent water. Lalwani adds cucumbers, bell peppers and ice-berg lettuce to the list of naturally watery food items. “These prevent urine from being acidic in the summer,” she says. Buttermilk and lemon juice are couple of other drinks that help cool the body and up immunity.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-19/diet/31312483_1_coconut-water-body-odour-sugars