Foods to avoid during summer

Summer is a time to avoid foods that heat up the body. Here are a few foods that can help you avoid hassles like stomach problems and irritability during summers.

Roasted foods: Roasted foods, especially non-vegetarian items, create heat in the body and gastric problems in the system.

Mangoes: They are the most attractive thing during a hot Indian summer. But mangoes create ushna (body heat). In Ayurveda, foods are divided five types: pitta (bile-inducing), vata (food that have the quality of wind), kapha (phlegm-creating), ushna (heat-generating), sheetha (cooling).

Mango is ushna – it creates heat. If you did have a lot of mangoes, then compensate with lots of slices of fresh cucumber.

Milk: Milk is acidic and creates heat in the body. Dairy products, by and large, create heat in the body because they are acidic and due to the unwanted hormonal content they acquire due to industry processing, of late. Instead of dairy, opt for a good vegan curd.

There are many vegan replacements to the conventional curd. A simple option is to soak a handful of peanuts for a few hours and grind them into nut milk. Then, curdle the drink with a teaspoon of lemon juice. The vegan version of your favourite summer drink is ready!

Fast foods: Fast foods like burgers and French fries are hard on your digestive system; create heat; and, increase the chances of food poisoning because of the unhealthy processing they go through. The most important point to note is that they are most susceptible to Salmonella (a food-borne pathogen) in summers because such microbes tend to thrive in a warm weather.

Non-vegetarian foods: Non-vegetarian foods such as red meat, squids, and prawns generate heat in the body. This often cause stomach upset resulting in loss of fluids in a weather which anyway drains fluids from your system.

Go easy on spices. Spices like cinnamon, red chilli, peppers, and ginger increase your body’s metabolism generating excessive heat during summers.