’Tis the time of the year when the Glucon D ad from our childhood comes to life — the sun and heat using a simple, flimsy straw suck out all the energy from us. While applying dollops of sunscreen is non-negotiable, the heat can zap your energy, appetite, and will to exist—all before noon.
While your first instinct might be to crank the AC, scroll through beach memes while munching on a packet of extra-salty chips, the real summer survival trick lies in your kitchen. What you eat can make or break how your body handles the heat. “Heat stroke, dehydration, and summer infections are very common, and many people fall prey to them. It’s important to know the signs. An early sign of dehydration is feeling light-headed upon standing up. Dry lips and tongue, headache, extreme fatigue, nausea, and muscle cramps are some more tell-tale signs. Symptoms of heat stroke include painful muscle spasms in the arms, legs, or abdomen, faintness or dizziness, weakness, and profuse sweating. The right food can play an important role in keeping these at bay,” explains Delhi-based nutritionist Kavita Devgan.
During summer, the main focus should be to keep the body cool and hydrated. Mumbai-based lifestyle nutritionist Puuja Kukreja explains that the main nutrients you need at this time are water and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which help maintain fluid balance and prevent fatigue. “Besides these, vitamin C helps boost immunity. Temperature fluctuations tend to bring immunity down, so maintaining a good intake of immunity-boosting foods could be helpful. Complex carbohydrates would be another nutrient to focus on for sustained energy release as dehydration may cause a dip,” says Kukreja.
Enter: cooling foods. These MVPs of summer don’t just hydrate—they nourish, soothe, and help regulate your body temperature from the inside out. We’re talking water-rich veggies, probiotic-packed drinks, and seeds so powerful they could pass off as the Avengers of Ayurveda.
“Easy digestible foods, seasonal vegetables and fruits will maintain the body’s nutrients and hydration needs. Drink plenty of fluids , coconut water, fruit juice especially mosambi. Include lean animal protein and plant-based proteins,” explains Kolkata-based nutritionist Dr Chaitali Mondal.
We’re not here to preach about kale smoothies or convince you to chew on ice cubes. We spoke to nutritionists across the country to bring you a lineup of easy, delicious, actually-doable foods that’ll keep you cool(er) all summer long. Ready? Let’s chill.
This lentil has cooling properties, and a potato chaat mixed with a handful of sprouts and a few slices of cucumber is the perfect summer snack. Drinking the water in which green moong dal has been soaked overnight is also a great way to beat the heat.
Used extensively in Gujarat and Konkan, Kokum can be a great substitute for tamarind in summer. It infuses your meals with flavour while naturally cooling your body.
Make this natural drink your best friend in the summers as, besides hydrating it is also loaded with essential minerals that help the body maintain its electrolyte balance.
This humble vegetable, not liked by many, can be your saviour during summers as it takes away the heat from the body. Try to have it two to three times a week, or incorporate a tablespoon of karela juice in your daily diet.
This vegetable is 96% water and is loaded with potassium that helps keep blood pressure down and electrolyte balance maintained, prevents fatigue, and keeps the body cool and refreshed during summers.
Totally fat-free sweet and juicy watermelon is packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. It provides vitamin C, beta-carotene and Vitamin-B, necessary for energy production, magnesium, and potassium, among other nutrients. As it has a higher water content and lower calorie content than many other fruits (a whole cup of watermelon contains only 48 calories), it delivers more nutrients per calorie – an outstanding benefit.
A preserve made from rose petals, it not just keeps the body cool, it also helps alleviate all heat-related problems like tiredness, lethargy, itching, aches, and pains. It’s a great digestive tonic, too, and helps with digestion by reducing stomach heat and acidity. It also purifies the blood and helps remove toxins from the body, besides helping reduce excessive perspiration and foul body odour, both common problems during summers.
Switch to barley during these months (barley flour, pearls, barley water), as this grain is an excellent diuretic, which helps flush out toxins from the intestine but also helps keep the body cool during the summers. To make barley water: boil barley for 20-25 minutes, strain the water, cool it, squeeze a lemon in it, and drink it up.
Not only is pineapple packed with water, nutrients, and antioxidants that have restorative and free radical fighting properties, it also has the perfect enzyme — bromelain that helps in reducing body inflammation in summer. The potassium and enzymes in it also help cut bloating and detoxify the body.
Take 3-4 pieces of dates and boil them with one glass of milk or water. Eat the dates and drink the milk or water. This gives instant energy and hydrates effectively, too.
Opt for fresh ginger, marjoram, cilantro, lemon balm, peppermint, and white peppercorn as they are cooling; avoid cinnamon and dry ginger as they are warming.
They reduce body heat. Being rich in probiotics, they help aid digestion, which could get sluggish in the summer. Adding cooling spices like cumin or herbs like mint to curd/ buttermilk further helps prevent bloating and reduce acidity.
These tiny seeds are said to absorb heat from the body and have a cooling effect on the stomach. Being high in fiber they aid digestion too. Make sure to always soak them in water before using. Add them to smoothies, buttermilk, nimbu pani, and curd.
Mint leaves contain methanol, which is cooling and refreshing as well as aids in digestion. This cooling effect can help regulate body temperature and provide instant relief from heat-related discomfort like headaches, nausea, and bloating. An easy way to include mint in your food is to make chutney and add some pudina to chaas, raita, or nimbu pani.
A power-packed combination of protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, the dish is seasonal and will maintain the body’s needs for nutrition and hydration.
Rice retains moisture, which is why it has a cooling effect on the body. Rice is often paired with other watery foods like dals, curd, and curries, all of which add more fluids in the body. These combinations help replenish water and electrolytes in the body.
For radiant skin and sustained energy, fuel up with cooling foods that hydrate without weighing you down.
