Have a cool sail through hot days

It is summer again and all of us are sweltering in the heat, losing essential minerals salts, and sugar. We need to drink more water and have water-based foods as well as foods with natural sugar .Thank God , nature gives us the right foods at the right times.

The first thumb rule in summer is to carry water everywhere and to drink it constantly. The best go to snack in summer would be fruits, you could make a fruit chat by adding rock salt, lemon and roasted cumin seeds powder.

Add on the fruits, melons are perfect for the summer and are known to be one of the most cooling fruits that exist and are great pick-me-up on a hot summer’s day. Let’s not forget the king of fruits, mangoes that are synonymous with summer. Raw and ripe an absolute must daily as they are high in Vitamin C, and prevents sun strokes.

They are rich in natural sugar, containing a lot of fibre and zero in fat. Most importantly, mangoes and melons are delectable, refresh you as well as satisfy your sweet cravings. Just remember to have the fruit by itself and not to mix it with food.

In between, keep yourself revived by sipping on lemon water with a dash of rock salt and roasted grinded cumin seeds. One could also opt for coconut water, an natural oral rehydration due to its significant natural mineral content, replenishes minerals that are lost due the scorching summer heat . No wonder it is called the fluid of life and used as a sports drink or energy drink.

Add on the cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes in the raw form with lemon, salt and garnished with coriander it makes a refreshing salad. Include water base vegetables they are easy to digest and vegetables are a daily requirement the entire gourd family white gourd, pumpkins, and bitter gourd are good choices as the percentage of water is significant Garcinia (kokum)is a cooling agent.

Tangy curries, with garcinia are easily palatable in the summer you could add it to the sambhar and chutneys too. Curd and buttermilk, cool you down and are a great accompaniment to meals in the summer season.

It’s time to skip the nachni, bajri and makki flour and switch to jowar, wheat and rice. Remove heat-producing nuts, seeds and oils especially mustard and sesame.

Avoid eggs, fried, red meats, creamy gravies opt for lightly sautéed foods in summer. Eat according to the seasons, as nature has its reasons and have a cool sail through summer.

Cucumber Boats

Serves 4, preparation time – 15 minutes
These fun-shaped pieces of cucumber goodness will definitely float your boat!
Ingredients

• 200 gm cucumber
• 100 gm low fat dahi (curd), pre heated (See Basic Recipes)
• 50 gm capsicum, finely chopped
• 50 gm cabbage, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds, crushed
• Salt to taste

Method

• Peel the cucumbers and cut it into half across the width
• Next, cut each piece vertically into two parts.
• Scoop the seeded part.
• For the dip, hang the dahi in a muslin cloth for 15 to 20 min to drain out the water.
• Add the finely chopped capsicum, cabbage, mustard and salt
• Fill this dip in the scooped part of the cucumber
• Serve cold.