Recommended Diet: The recommended diet during this season comprises khir made from milk and rice, fresh fruit juice, shikanji, lemon sherbet, thandai and other fluids that are unctuous and sweet. These provide strength along with a pleasing satisfaction. Sherbet made with roasted mango tamarind or wild mangosteen along with jaggery and cumin seeds protects one against physical disorders common to this season. Shrikhand, though normally insalubrious, can be consumed during these days.
Consumption of old sathi rice, wheat, milk, butter and cow ghee is recommended during summers to keep the body cool, strong and agile. Amongst vegetables, gourds, pumpkins, nenua, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, flower of banana, chaulayi, green cucumber, green coriander, mint and amongst fruits, watermelon, muskmelon, coconut, sweetlemon, mango, apple, pomegranate and grapes are considered beneficial.
Insalubrious diet: Salty, dry, stale, hot, spicy, fried, sharp, sour, pungent, bitter foods like amchur, pickles and tamarind, etc. should be avoided. Never consume cold drinks, ice cream, ice fruit and canned fruit juices to alleviate the effects of heat. They induce acidity and therefore increases internal heat. They give rise to hemorrhagic disorders, itching, skin diseases and irritability.
Note: With the onset of summer, the pleasant atmosphere of spring disappears and the hot winds hold sway. Just as water reservoirs and lakes run dry on account of the scorching Sun rays, living beings also suffer from dehydration and become prone to diseases resulting from the dry and hot weather of the season. To protect the body against the harmful effects of this changing environment, it is very necessary to adopt certain changes in food habits as well as in the mode of living.
If you make it a habit to drink a glass of water before going out in the Sun, you substantially reduce the risk of suffering a heat stroke. Morning hydrotherapy is considered to be extremely beneficial during these days.
Staying awake at night should be totally avoided during the summer. It increases pitta. If, for some reason one has to stay awake, one should drink a glass of water every hour.
It is not good for health to drink water or wash one's hands, feet and head with cold water immediately after coming in from the hot weather outside. Take rest for a while and drink water only after the sweat is completely evaporated and the body has cooled down.
Your life-force is adversely affected when you move about in the sun bare-headed. So do make it a point to put on a cap or a piece of cloth on your head before going out in the Sun. During the summer months, getting up early in the morning before the sunrise and taking a morning stroll cheers up the mind and invigorates the body.
To prevent weakness and restlessness, that are natural consequences of the summer season, try any of these healthful drinks : 1. Coriander Drink: Powder equal amounts of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and aniseeds. Then take black grapes and candied sugar twice the amount of the above mixture and intermix them thoroughly.
Usage: Soak one teaspoonful of the above mixture in 200 ml of water. After 2 hours, squeeze it thoroughly with your hands and drink the sieved liquid. This helps reduce internal body heat, burning in the palms and soles, burning sensation in the eyes and urinary tract, acidity, headache caused by aggravated pitta, etc.
Use of Gulkand also alleviates the problems of burning sensation in the eyes, disorders of pitta and ill effects of excessive heat.
2. Thandai: Two spoonfuls each of cumin seeds and aniseeds, four spoonfuls of poppy seeds, four spoonfuls of watermelon seeds, 15 to 20 pieces of black pepper and 20 to25 number of almonds should be soaked overnight. Remove the outer skin of the almonds in the morning and grind all the ingredients together. Add 1 kg of sugar or candied sugar to 4 litres of water and bring it to a boil. Add a little milk and skim the liquid. Now add the above-pulverised mixture, one bowl of rose petals and the powder of 10 to 15 cardamoms to the syrup and let it simmer over a low flame. Let the syrup become thick enough (tested by taking one spoon of syrup from the container. If while removing the spoon three strands of liquid connect the liquid in the spoon to the container, the syrup is ready). Then sieve the syrup, let it cool and store it in a glass jar.
Usage: One can take this syrup during daytime or at least two hours before going to bed by adding it to cold milk or water. Apart from being aromatic, it is nourishing as well. It removes the accumulated heat from the body, soothes the brain and induces sound sleep at night.
3. Mango Pana: Boil raw mangoes in water. After cooling, crush the pulp of the mango in cold water and make a syrup. One may add jaggery, cumin seeds, mint and salt for taste. A glass of Pana is especially recommended in the afternoon. This is a traditional recipe of our country to maintain good health during the summer. This protects one from sunstroke as well.
4. Rose sherbet: A sherbet concentrate made by mixing one and a half kilogram of sugar with 100 grams of desi roses (not the red ones) is definitely more effective than the sherbets sold in the market. Saccharine, colours and advertisements add to the cost of the sherbets sold in the market. It is much better to prepare such sherbet at home. It gives relief in burning sensation of the eyes and feet. It is a soothing cold drink. If possible, boil a piece of wood from the Pipal (Bunyan) tree in the sherbet. Its cooling effect would be beneficial.
Soft drinks available in the market, such as Pepsi, Coca-cola, etc. are made from impious substances and contain a number of harmful chemicals. They may provide temporary relief but actually increase the internal heat immensely. They are but colourful poisons in attractive bottles. Therefore beware of such drinks.
Consumption of old sathi rice, wheat, milk, butter and cow ghee is recommended during summers to keep the body cool, strong and agile. Amongst vegetables, gourds, pumpkins, nenua, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, flower of banana, chaulayi, green cucumber, green coriander, mint and amongst fruits, watermelon, muskmelon, coconut, sweetlemon, mango, apple, pomegranate and grapes are considered beneficial.
Insalubrious diet: Salty, dry, stale, hot, spicy, fried, sharp, sour, pungent, bitter foods like amchur, pickles and tamarind, etc. should be avoided. Never consume cold drinks, ice cream, ice fruit and canned fruit juices to alleviate the effects of heat. They induce acidity and therefore increases internal heat. They give rise to hemorrhagic disorders, itching, skin diseases and irritability.
Note: With the onset of summer, the pleasant atmosphere of spring disappears and the hot winds hold sway. Just as water reservoirs and lakes run dry on account of the scorching Sun rays, living beings also suffer from dehydration and become prone to diseases resulting from the dry and hot weather of the season. To protect the body against the harmful effects of this changing environment, it is very necessary to adopt certain changes in food habits as well as in the mode of living.
If you make it a habit to drink a glass of water before going out in the Sun, you substantially reduce the risk of suffering a heat stroke. Morning hydrotherapy is considered to be extremely beneficial during these days.
Staying awake at night should be totally avoided during the summer. It increases pitta. If, for some reason one has to stay awake, one should drink a glass of water every hour.
It is not good for health to drink water or wash one's hands, feet and head with cold water immediately after coming in from the hot weather outside. Take rest for a while and drink water only after the sweat is completely evaporated and the body has cooled down.
Your life-force is adversely affected when you move about in the sun bare-headed. So do make it a point to put on a cap or a piece of cloth on your head before going out in the Sun. During the summer months, getting up early in the morning before the sunrise and taking a morning stroll cheers up the mind and invigorates the body.
To prevent weakness and restlessness, that are natural consequences of the summer season, try any of these healthful drinks : 1. Coriander Drink: Powder equal amounts of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and aniseeds. Then take black grapes and candied sugar twice the amount of the above mixture and intermix them thoroughly.
Usage: Soak one teaspoonful of the above mixture in 200 ml of water. After 2 hours, squeeze it thoroughly with your hands and drink the sieved liquid. This helps reduce internal body heat, burning in the palms and soles, burning sensation in the eyes and urinary tract, acidity, headache caused by aggravated pitta, etc.
Use of Gulkand also alleviates the problems of burning sensation in the eyes, disorders of pitta and ill effects of excessive heat.
2. Thandai: Two spoonfuls each of cumin seeds and aniseeds, four spoonfuls of poppy seeds, four spoonfuls of watermelon seeds, 15 to 20 pieces of black pepper and 20 to25 number of almonds should be soaked overnight. Remove the outer skin of the almonds in the morning and grind all the ingredients together. Add 1 kg of sugar or candied sugar to 4 litres of water and bring it to a boil. Add a little milk and skim the liquid. Now add the above-pulverised mixture, one bowl of rose petals and the powder of 10 to 15 cardamoms to the syrup and let it simmer over a low flame. Let the syrup become thick enough (tested by taking one spoon of syrup from the container. If while removing the spoon three strands of liquid connect the liquid in the spoon to the container, the syrup is ready). Then sieve the syrup, let it cool and store it in a glass jar.
Usage: One can take this syrup during daytime or at least two hours before going to bed by adding it to cold milk or water. Apart from being aromatic, it is nourishing as well. It removes the accumulated heat from the body, soothes the brain and induces sound sleep at night.
3. Mango Pana: Boil raw mangoes in water. After cooling, crush the pulp of the mango in cold water and make a syrup. One may add jaggery, cumin seeds, mint and salt for taste. A glass of Pana is especially recommended in the afternoon. This is a traditional recipe of our country to maintain good health during the summer. This protects one from sunstroke as well.
4. Rose sherbet: A sherbet concentrate made by mixing one and a half kilogram of sugar with 100 grams of desi roses (not the red ones) is definitely more effective than the sherbets sold in the market. Saccharine, colours and advertisements add to the cost of the sherbets sold in the market. It is much better to prepare such sherbet at home. It gives relief in burning sensation of the eyes and feet. It is a soothing cold drink. If possible, boil a piece of wood from the Pipal (Bunyan) tree in the sherbet. Its cooling effect would be beneficial.
Soft drinks available in the market, such as Pepsi, Coca-cola, etc. are made from impious substances and contain a number of harmful chemicals. They may provide temporary relief but actually increase the internal heat immensely. They are but colourful poisons in attractive bottles. Therefore beware of such drinks.
