India just can’t catch a break, can it? Just as we were done with COVID-waves, we are now experiencing heat waves with an intensity that hasn’t been experienced in a long time, sending the general population into a frenzy. Summers in India have always been uncomfortably hot and humid and the heat waves generally start in late May. But 2022 saw an unusually early start from March itself. Yet life always finds a way and we earthlings have always been resourceful enough to benefit from nature’s gifts in any situation. If you’re someone who cannot skip even a single day of workout, this heat must be nothing less than a torture for you. However, with the right summer food that you can consume after workout, dealing with Indian summer can become less daunting.
Post Workout Food You Must Have in Summer
There’s a bevy of edible offerings from mother nature with scientifically researched and proven benefits in the summer; hence we have the summer foods. Summer brings us melons, mangoes, berries, and also lots of vegetables known to be good for the body in this heat. Here’s a list of food items you can enjoy after a workout session:
1. Fresh Juices
What better way to start a list about summer foods than with freshly made fruit juices served chilled. Most fruits are approximately 50-80% water and are rich in fibre and antioxidants. Moreover, the sugars in fruits are part glucose and part fructose. This reduces the risk of post-meal sugar spikes as fructose is easily broken down in the liver, making this a great choice for diabetics too.
Note: Fruit juice does not contain fibre as juicing fruit sieve off the fibre
2. Melons and Berries
By far the coolest fruits for your summers are melons. They are almost 90% water and also rich in antioxidants. Watermelons can prevent high blood pressure and are good for your stomach too. Berries, on the other hand, are what scientists call ‘superfoods’. Even one cup of fresh blueberries has 84 calories, 21 grams of carbohydrates, and 8 grams of fibre.
3. Salads
The term ‘salad’ is now so loose a concept that you can practically throw anything in with anything and still call it a salad. But we’re here to talk about summer-specific salads. The MVPs here are obviously cucumbers and tomatoes and they’re almost completely water, rich in fibre and antioxidants and most importantly, have a very low-calorie count.
4. Fennel Seeds
Fennel seeds soaked overnight and then drained to have the water in the morning cools the body down. It also helps with bad breath, purifies our blood, helps keep cancer at bay, improves digestion, and keeps blood pressure normal. It also reduces hot flashes in menopausal women.
5. Lemon Barley Water
Two glasses of lemon barley water prevents constipation and also helps in controlling your appetite, since unstrained barley water is rich in fibre. A regulated appetite reduces your calorie intake and thereby your core body temperature
6. Rice and Beans
Rice and beans is an underrated dish that offers a nice blend of protein and carbohydrate. It’s easy to make, inexpensive, and you can eat it cold as well. You can blend the rice with as many different beans as possible. Different varieties of beans have different amino acid profiles from each other. So, the more variety, the better it gets.
7. Milk Kefir and Almond Butter
Milk kefir is like liquid yoghurt; easily digestible as the bacteria digests most of the lactose. The snack has 10 grams of protein in the kefir and 7 grams in the almond butter. It works great as a post-workout meal and is quick to prepare and easily digestible when the temperatures are rising and a large meal is a total no-no.
Conclusion
The ability to meet nutritional requirements without raising body temperature too much is truly an interesting avenue that needs even more research. But for now, these tried and tested summer food options should keep you cool and fit through the heat.
