This post was originally published for To Be Healthy-
here

The summer is upon us and the rising temperature is making us irritable, cranky and easily fatigued. It’s too hot to step out before sundown and if we do – we risk the fear of severe dehydration and a heatstroke. Since we don’t all have the luxury to be whisked away to the mountains to escape this dreadful heat- I am sharing a few recipes and hacks that will help beat the heat.

Stock up your pantry with foods that are rich in potassium and will help balance electrolytes that are great for the nervous system and heart.
Watermelon, bananas and coconut water are good sources of potassium.

Exercise either early morning or late evening post sunset to avoid getting exhausted from the heat. The heat will impact performance more than you can imagine. Swimming is a fantastic full body workout that will help keep you cool in the summer months. Remember to apply sunscreen (SPF 40-50) 3 to 4 times a day and particularly when you are swimming to avoid damage from the sun. Your skin ages much faster if you don’t wear and reapply sunscreen so please do this diligently and your skin will thank you later.

Hydrate. I couldn’t stress on this enough. Drink fluids consistently through the day. Avoid too much coffee, tea and colas and diet cokes because they are diuretics and will make you flush out more water. Aim for more alkaline drinks with mint, lemon, cucumber, coconut water and low GI fruits instead.
If you know you are going to drink at night. Aim to have a glass or two of water for each drink you sip so you beat dehydration and headaches.

Eating small meals through the day is a great way to boost your metabolism and keeping blood sugar levels stable. We often lose our appetites in the summer because its difficult to eat large meals. Fruits are a really great way to get your daily dose of antioxidants but they contain fructose so don’t overdo fruit particularly if you are trying to lose weight. Try and go for low GI fruits like berries, grapefruit, apples, papayas and strawberries. Another way to make your mid meal fruit break more satisfying- add some fat to it. Adding yoghurt or seeds or unsweetened almond or peanut butter will help keep you sated till the next meal.

How to beat belly bloat-

1) Drink a whole coconut water with 2 tbsp of chia and some mint leaves

2) Boil a tsp of methi (fenugreek), ajwain and jeera seeds overnight. Drink the water first thing in the morning and see an improvement in puffiness under the eyes.

3) Take 30 ml apple cider vinegar, 1 pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of raw turmeric, raw organic wildflower honey in a cup of warm water and drink before heavy meals. Make sure to dilute the apple cider vinegar and use a trusted brand like Braggs to see a difference.

4) Drink herbal, de-caffeinated teas like nettle, peppermint, mint, chamomile and dandelion to help reduce bloating after a late night or too much alcohol.

A juice detox is not such a bad idea if you are doing it under the supervision of your physician or your nutrition. Its a great way to get your dose of antioxidants, electrolytes and trace minerals and stay hydrated.

Example of a light diet-
10 almonds
4 walnuts/ pecans
herbal de caffeinated teas
lemonade , 2 coconut water
4 bottles of To Be Healthy juices
(2 bottles of reboot, 2 bottles of Mr Green)
Dinner time- either a bowl of veggie soup and grilled vegetables
or Non GMO tofu stir fry with Asian greens