Cooling Foods for the Summer!!!!

In summer, as the temperature soars, the body demands cooling - both internally and externally. If we make good use of the foods that nature offers us, beating summer ailments gets a lot easier.

Here are some foods that you need to keep your cool in the summer and to prevent heat strokes, diarrhea and dehydration.

1. Raw Mango: It is excellent to prevent sunstroke. Being a good source of Vitamin C, it also boosts our immunity and helps in preventing common cold and other viral infections.
2. Ripe Mango: Ripe mangoes are zero in fat, excellent for constipation, are a good source of beta-carotene, are great for eyes and skin and are powerful anti-oxidants.
3. Tender coconut water: Tender coconut water is a natural isotonic beverage with almost the same level of electrolyte balance as we have in our blood. It is an excellent drink for the summer since it is a natural oral rehydration medium, keeps the body cool, application on the body prevents prickly heat and summer boils and also helps rashes subside. No wonder it is called 'fluid of life'.
4. Watermelon: Watermelon is not only an excellent thirst-quencher on a really hot day, but is also packed with some important anti-oxidants that can be found in nature. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A. hence, besides helping you to beat the heat; it also helps in boosting up your immunity.
5. Melons: Melons are also very effective in providing a cooling effect to the body.
6. Cucumber: Cucumbers make one of the most refreshing and light summer foods. It also has a mild diuretic effect on our body, i.e. it increases the flow of urine. It is also an excellent soothing agent to the skin.
7. Sugarcane juice: Sugarcane juice is an excellent drink to cool your body. It is also a good source of glucose, which helps in keeping you energetic throughout the day.
8. Grapes: Grapes are abundant in fruit sugar, vitamins and natural mineral salts and thus help in maintaining electrolyte balance in our body in a natural way.
9. Buttermilk: Buttermilk is an excellent cooling and nourishing drink to beat the summer heat. To make buttermilk, whip up some yoghurt with mint, coriander, ginger, cumin and salt and add some chilled water to it. Moreover, the yoghurt contains probiotics or the good bacteria which helps in keeping our digestive system in good health and disease-free.
10. Herbs: Herbs like cumin and mint are also known for their cooling effect on our body. Jal-jeera, a drink made from cumin seeds is quite a popular drink to beat the summer heat.