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Summer Drinks And Food-A Great Way To Keep The Heat At Bay

Summer is great as long as you don’t get the foul smell due to sweating, as long as you don’t get sun burns and as long as you don’t dehydrate by drinking all the wrong drinks.  Summer heat can affect the body’s system of internal temperature regulation and cause everything from rashes, cramps, exhaustion to heatstroke. So hydrate yourself well to enjoy the summers. There is coolness in things around. Use the coolness from rose-petals, mangoes, almonds, barley and more. Check out that heady combination-paste of almonds, rose petals, aniseed, seeds of melons and cucumbers, very aptly called “thandai” which cools and refreshes you. And don’t forget the water, the healthiest drink of the world. In parts of north India, particularly Bihar, Sattu is the common man’s summer-cooler. Roasted barley is ground into a powder, mixed with jaggery and water, Similarly lime water, tender coconut water, panna (a drink made with raw mangoes) are regular summer antidotes.

Make lassi (a drink which is made with whipped curd by adding cumin powder and rock salt. It is not just cooling but superb for digestion.  You must eat plenty of curd in summer and also seasonal vegetables. Seasonal veggies and fruits are cooling and easily digested. Salads are one of the natural choices. Mix and match your own combinations. Make dressings with beaten curd, honey and mustard dips and munch your way through summer.

Try cold soups. Keep your starters light and fresh. Thai steaming is a great idea in the hot summer months. This technique ensures that your food retains its color, texture and flavor and the most important part its nutrients.

Deep red watermelons, luscious mangoes, sweet melons and more summer fruits to chill you out are great choice in summers.

Summer is also known as doctor’s season. Enjoy summers but also remember that it is a season of bugs and bacteria so follow the simple rules
1. Regulate     temperatures     properly.
2. Cook to proper temperatures.
3. Chill well.
4. Separate cooked and raw foods, don't cross-contaminate foods by keeping raw foods with cooked ones.
5. If in doubt about the freshness of food, throw out.
6. Always be cautious of the water you drink.
7. Avoid chilled milk products outside home   and   definitely that street-side sugar cane juice which can cause jaundice.

If your body is heated up it shows. You will have the yellow coating on your tongue, bad breath and red eyes. To avoid this, eat less, drink more. Our body requires extra water in summers as the perspiration is more in summers. Increase your intake by at least 3-4 glasses than your normal take in summers. With these food and drinks tips, you will surely chill out in summers.

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