It's summer—that amazing time of year when fresh produce abounds. I love that there's an abundance of fresh, delicious and healthy choices. Better yet: many of summer's fruits and vegetables are brimming with secret health benefits.
The thought of healthy eating probably runs through your mind a dozen times a day. Most of us lead lives where we've been inconspicuously sucked into a food routine and are desperately trying to claw our way out of it. Amidst a number of lifestyle problems to deal with, we tend to forget or ignore granny's simple remedy of eating fresh, seasonal produce.
What's so special about eating foods that are in season? They've got twice as much flavor, that extra crunch and are extremely high on vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Summer bearings include a lot of green vegetables, melons, peaches, corn, mangoes, and other fresh and fragrant herbs. Local markets are at their best during summer, when fruits are abundant, and vegetables are as fresh as can be. Consuming foods that are not in the season may come with a risk of chemicals and preservatives that are applied to fruits and veggies to keep them fresh.
So here are the best dishes and items that you should try in summers to be healthy, hearty and hydrated.
Summer's coolest, juiciest and healthiest foods are melons. You can use them in salads, desserts, smoothies, milkshakes, and even salsa. They're good for the stomach, propel weight loss and help prevent many common health problems such as cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and common colds and flues. Staying hydrated keeps your memory sharp and your mood stable. It also helps keep your body cool during the hot summer months. The good news is that you don't just have to drink water. You can eat it, too: in addition to delivering skin-protecting lycopene, watermelon is 92 percent water. Another boon? Research shows that eating foods that are full of water helps keep you satisfied on fewer calories. (Interestingly enough, drinking water alongside foods doesn't have the same effect.)
Nothing says summer like fresh sweet corn. And did you know that two antioxidants—lutein and zeaxanthin—in corn may act like natural sunglasses, helping to form macular pigment that filters out some of the sun's damaging rays? It's true. The same antioxidants may also help lower your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration—the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60 (though much of the damage occurs decades earlier).
Amaranth leaves, rocket leaves, basil, and other summer herbs should be tossed in a salad bowl and topped off with a yogurt dressing to make a great summer salad. They create a powerhouse of nutrition and are a great way to lose weight. Bung in fruits, nuts, white meat, peppers, mint or coriander leaves to make a light and lovely meal.
It is recommended to have a glass of ice-cold watermelon juice daily. Aam Panna is also a commonly made juice in summers. One glass of strained mint water with two drops of lemon works wonders. It acts as a liver cleanser, boosts your metabolism and helps those with low appetite. Drink Barley water and in case you find it bland, add a drop of lemon or honey for taste. Since barley water is rich in fiber, it prevents constipation and also helps in controlling your appetite. These juices help you replenish in summers and make you feel hydrated.
The thought of healthy eating probably runs through your mind a dozen times a day. Most of us lead lives where we've been inconspicuously sucked into a food routine and are desperately trying to claw our way out of it. Amidst a number of lifestyle problems to deal with, we tend to forget or ignore granny's simple remedy of eating fresh, seasonal produce.
What's so special about eating foods that are in season? They've got twice as much flavor, that extra crunch and are extremely high on vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Summer bearings include a lot of green vegetables, melons, peaches, corn, mangoes, and other fresh and fragrant herbs. Local markets are at their best during summer, when fruits are abundant, and vegetables are as fresh as can be. Consuming foods that are not in the season may come with a risk of chemicals and preservatives that are applied to fruits and veggies to keep them fresh.
So here are the best dishes and items that you should try in summers to be healthy, hearty and hydrated.
- MELONS
Summer's coolest, juiciest and healthiest foods are melons. You can use them in salads, desserts, smoothies, milkshakes, and even salsa. They're good for the stomach, propel weight loss and help prevent many common health problems such as cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and common colds and flues. Staying hydrated keeps your memory sharp and your mood stable. It also helps keep your body cool during the hot summer months. The good news is that you don't just have to drink water. You can eat it, too: in addition to delivering skin-protecting lycopene, watermelon is 92 percent water. Another boon? Research shows that eating foods that are full of water helps keep you satisfied on fewer calories. (Interestingly enough, drinking water alongside foods doesn't have the same effect.)
- CORN
Nothing says summer like fresh sweet corn. And did you know that two antioxidants—lutein and zeaxanthin—in corn may act like natural sunglasses, helping to form macular pigment that filters out some of the sun's damaging rays? It's true. The same antioxidants may also help lower your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration—the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60 (though much of the damage occurs decades earlier).
- SALAD LEAVES
Amaranth leaves, rocket leaves, basil, and other summer herbs should be tossed in a salad bowl and topped off with a yogurt dressing to make a great summer salad. They create a powerhouse of nutrition and are a great way to lose weight. Bung in fruits, nuts, white meat, peppers, mint or coriander leaves to make a light and lovely meal.
- JUICES
It is recommended to have a glass of ice-cold watermelon juice daily. Aam Panna is also a commonly made juice in summers. One glass of strained mint water with two drops of lemon works wonders. It acts as a liver cleanser, boosts your metabolism and helps those with low appetite. Drink Barley water and in case you find it bland, add a drop of lemon or honey for taste. Since barley water is rich in fiber, it prevents constipation and also helps in controlling your appetite. These juices help you replenish in summers and make you feel hydrated.
- BERRIES
Fresh blueberries straight from the berry patch are a special treat! Turns out the antioxidants in them may help ward off muscle fatigue by mopping up the additional free radicals that muscles produce during exercise, according to recent research out of New Zealand. Drinking tart cherry juice can help you get a better night's sleep and reduce post-workout pain. But did you know that compounds in tart cherries may also help you slim down and get leaner? The anthocyanins in tart cherries activate a molecule that helps rev up fat burning and decrease fat storage. Not to be outdone, sweet cherries are loaded with potassium, a natural blood-pressure reducer. Plus, sweet cherries are rich in beta carotene, vitamin C, anthocyanins and quercetin, which may work together synergistically to fight cancer. Raspberries are a great source of fiber—some of it soluble in the form of pectin, which helps lower cholesterol.
- TOMATOES
There's no question that sunscreen should be your first line of defense against the blazing summer sun. But eating tomatoes could give you a little extra protection: consuming more lycopene—the carotenoid that makes tomatoes red—may protect your skin from sunburn. In one study, participants who were exposed to UV light had almost 50 percent less skin reddening after they ate 2 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste (or drank about 1 2/3 cups of carrot juice daily), in addition to their regular diet, for 10 to 12 weeks. Supplements, however, weren't as effective: in the same study, those who received a lycopene supplement or synthetic lycopene weren't significantly protected against sunburn.
- ICED TEA/COFFEE
Sure, a tall glass of iced tea on a hot day is refreshing, but did you know it might also do your body good? Studies show if you drink tea regularly, you may lower your risk of Alzheimer's and diabetes, plus have healthier teeth and gums and stronger bones. How? Tea is rich in a class of antioxidants called flavonoids. Regardless of the variety—black, green, oolong, white or herbal—maximize the power of tea's flavonoids by drinking it freshly brewed. If you want to keep a batch of cold tea in your refrigerator, "add a little lemon juice," The citric acid and vitamin C in that squeeze of lemon—or lime, or orange—help preserve the flavonoids. Also drinking a single cup of coffee daily may lower your risk of developing skin cancer, decaf didn't seem to offer the same protection.
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