More fruits, less meat

There are a number of foods associated with summer and with the weather getting hotter by the day, it is important to change one’s diet plan as well. As much as one likes their fried fare, doctors and dieticians strongly advise avoiding oily food and instead bringing fresh and healthy food to the kitchen counter.

In such weather, people are attracted to cold drinks and ice-creams. And restaurants, ice-cream parlours and even grocery stores are offering a wide variety of these to their customers. Says Govardhan, an employee of a popular ice-cream joint in the City, “This season, one gets more customers than usual and the company comes out with new flavours for the customers to try.”

Sadia, a college student, says that she loves indulging in juices and ice-creams during this season. “They are perfect for a little afternoon snack. They are rich, sweet and tempting and really cool you down,” she says.

As the weather gets hotter, people also start giving spicy and regular food a miss, and drink their fair share of fruit juices instead. Dietician Swarna Murthy says that the key thing this summer is to keep one’s body cool. Having a minimum of two litres of water a day, she explains, is very important to keep the body hydrated. “Salads are also very important. Cut fruits and vegetables really keep the body light and healthy in this weather,” she adds.

While many may assume that soft drinks also help beat the heat, Swarna says that this is nothing but a myth.

“Such drinks only provide temporary relief and it is better if people avoid them,” she says. Swarna also suggests eating less rice and going for other kinds of steamed food instead.
“It is important to keep the body’s weight light and avoid all kinds of fatty food,” she says.  

Nikitha, a professional, looks forward to this weather because of the large variety of fruits that are available in the market. “Be it grapes, lychees, watermelons, mangoes or even oranges, they are perfect for this weather. There is also this particular palm fruit called taatilingu or ‘iced apples’, which you get only during this time, which are also a great option for this season,” she adds.

Non-vegetarians avoid red meat and prefer to stick to seafood. “Red meat causes too much heat in the body. But one hardly gets that hungry in this weather so I reduce my intake of meat during this season and increase the intake of fruits and vegetables,” adds Chethan, a student.

The heat may be on but it looks people in the City know how to cool off in spite of it.
Megha Shenoy