Avoid meat gravies, seafood, cheese sauce during summer. Here’s why

A diet high on meat or spicy, oily food will only lead you to feeling even worse in this hot weather. Here are the foods you should stay away from.

During the season of heat waves, it’s best to avoid certain edibles that can not only upset your stomach but also cause some or the other infection. Try not to consume a lot of spicy food, avoid overdose of non vegetarian food. Raheela Hasan, health and nutrition specialist and Founder at Fitrition - Nutrition For Life, and Manoj Kutteri, Wellness Director at Atmantan Wellness Centre, have listed food that can be avoided during the summer season:

* Ice-cream sandwich: This treat usually packs nearly 500 calories and gets a 60 per cent of its flavour from saturated fat. A better idea: Make your own ice cream sandwiches using lower-fat sorbet.

* Too much spice: Spice powders can certainly liven up a meal, but spices also can heat up the body as spices boost the rate of metabolism.

* Rich non-vegetarian fare: Summer is not the time to tuck into rich meat gravies or tandoori, fish and chicken, or even seafood. In fact, this makes a person sweat more and causes digestive problems. It can also lead to diarrhea.

* Oily junk food: You must avoid burgers with meat patties, fries and other oily fare.

* Salty snacks: These contain MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), a harmful additive that’s been linked to an increased appetite and weight gain.

* Avoid sauces: A cheese sauce is very avoidable too. It has close to 350 calories and it leaves you feeling bloated and sluggish. Some sauces also have too much MSG and salt. Instead, keep the meal nutritious and natural.

* Deviled eggs: The risk of Salmonella (infesction) is highest in deviled eggs when they are not held at the right temperature (at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit). Salmonella can live on both the inside and outside of eggs and the egg can still appear perfectly normal. Deviled eggs are cooked, which should kill any germs in the eggs. But because you combine a bunch of eggs together for the filling, and then it’s at room temperature, bacteria can grow to dangerous levels if an egg is undercooked or contaminated after cooking. Buy eggs only from stores or other suppliers that keep them refrigerated at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and serve deviled eggs on ice at all times.

* Leftovers: Leftovers should be handled properly as well. Once everyone has eaten, put the food in its appropriate hot or cold environment. Food left out becomes a problem because it enters the temperature danger zone, between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Count how many hours the food has been left out overall. If it is close to or over four hours, trash it. Do this especially if the food was left out a good part of the day, and at the hottest part of the day, just get rid of it.