Top Superfoods To Keep You Cool This Summer

Chill out with these refreshing and nutritious snacks for scorching summer days. 

Its summer time again and everyone wants to enjoy, you can go swimming, trekking, camping, play around the beach and enjoy a night outside grilling some of your favorite foods. you’ll want to keep yourself free from common summer health problems, such as sun damage, dehydration, heat stroke and digestive problems. 

As many areas of the country perspire their way through record-breaking summer heat, staying hydrated is of the essence, as is keeping your body nourished with life-giving, health-promoting superfoods. Try some of these top summer superfoods to help you cool off.

1. Cucumber
Heard the saying “cool as a cucumber”? Yep – cucumber is the ultimate cooling food. Great as a juice or raw salad, but also great topically as a face mask or cooling patches for the eyes. The ascorbic and caffeic acids found in cucumber can prevent water retention – a great thing for those of us who tend to feel swollen on hot summer days.

2. Melon

Melon (and, as the name might incicate, especially watermelon) is very high in water and deliciously sweet. Melons are loaded with digestive enzymes and best eaten on their own, on an empty stomach half and hour before your meal to really boost your digestive power. Did you know that cantaloupe has been used for centuries as a diuretic? Also, because melons are so high in water and enzymes, they are great for the skin.

3. Mint
Mint is naturally cooling, uplifting and energizing – whether used internally as a fresh herb or tea, or externally as an essential oil.There are so many unique ways to use mint, particularly when it comes to summertime beverages and light fare, that a quick snippet on this healing herb hardly does it justice. But it is worth mentioning, as mint can be added to tea, lemonade, vegetables salads, marinades, smoothies, sorbets, and cocktails. 

Rich in fiber, iron, copper, calcium, folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acid concentrates, mint not only livens up food and beverages, but it also calms intestinal inflammation and fights harmful bacteria. Peppermint can calm muscle spasms and is therefor helpful against stomach cramps and even IBS. Try iced mint tea and toss mint into your salads for extra cooling effects.

4. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is perfect in the summer for cooling the body and helping disperse body heat. Along with protein and calcium, Greek yogurt contains probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that keep your digestive system running smoothly as well as boost immunity and prevent yeast infections.

Greek yogurt can even help you slim down due to the unique protein and carbohydrate combination it offers. You can eat a cup of Greek yogurt for a refreshing summer treat. You can also top it with fresh strawberries or raspberries for a tasty dessert.

5. Coconut Water
Stay hydrated with coconut water this summer. Drink coconut water on an empty stomach in the morning to protect your lungs, eyes, kidneys and blood circulation from the effects of heat. This natural, refreshing beverage is packed with simple sugar, electrolytes and minerals that help replenish hydration levels within the body. A glass of coconut water can easily restore the electrolyte composition in body fluids.

Coconut water, the purest liquid after water, is one of the important healthy foods to have during hot summer days when people lose a considerable amount of water due to perspiration

6. Sweet Lime
Also known as mosambi, sweet lime is a juicy and delicious fruit. Full of water, sweet lime helps you regain the water and electrolytes lost due to summer sweating.

It is also an excellent source of vitamin C, copper and iron. It aids in digestion to ward off digestive problems that are common in the summer. In addition, sweet lime also prevents skin hyperpigmentation, black spots and pimples as well as reducing sun tan.

7. Buttermilk
Drinking buttermilk at the end of a long, hot day in the sun is a great way to combat ehydration and fatigue. Packed with electrolytes and lots of water, a glass of buttermilk can help rehydrate your body.

It also helps calm the stomach after a spicy meal and aids in digestion. Sweating, tiredness, muscle cramps, nausea and headaches can also be reduced significantly by adding buttermilk to your diet. Plus, buttermilk is a great food for healthy skin. So this summer, avoid aerated drinks and start drinking one or two glasses of buttermilk daily.

8. Chia seeds

Popularized by the well-known television infomercial for the pet by the same name, chia is a hydrating, rejuvenating, and lubricating superfood seed that provides lasting energy and sustained vigor, even during the heat of the day. Try adding soaked or gelled chia seeds to things like smoothies, juices, breakfast cereals, and salads to up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, and ease inflammation throughout your body.

9. Strawberries 

An iconic summertime treat, the strawberry is refreshing, nutritious, and delicious. The fruit, which is a member of the rose family, is high in vitamin C, the trace mineral manganese, antioxidants, and various other nutrients and enzymes that promote good health. Just be sure to buy pesticide-free or organic strawberries rather than conventional, as the latter tend to be among the most toxic when it comes to chemical contamination.

10. Raspberries
The raspberry along with it’s sister, the blackberry, is the strongest berry when it comes to attacking free radicals in the body. Raspberries are also loaded up with ellagic acid – an anti-carcinogenic antioxidant. In fact, raspberries boosts 50 percent more antioxidants activity than strawberries. In some lab tests they’ve found that the ellagic acid seems to reduce the effect of estrogen in promoting growth of breast cancer cells. Berries are also lower in sugar than the other summer fruits.

12. Radishes
Radishes are great for the liver! You may not necessarily think of them as an ideal summertime treat, but radishes are actually an excellent addition to your healthy, summertime diet. They contain a kind of sulfur that actually increases the flow of bile helping maintain a healthy liver and gallbladder. A powerful cleansing vegetable, the radish is both pungent and sweet, depending on the variety, and can be eaten raw, or added to salads or gazpachos. It also aids in digestion and is known to be a great diuretic. Perfect on the summer barbeque table to balance out some of the alcohol and heavy meats. 

13. Mangoes

Readily available throughout the summer season, mango’s soothing and cooling effect will keep you energized during the hot summer days. Plus, mangoes are rich in vitamins A, C and E that are essential to maintain good health. You can eat both ripe and unripe mangoes to beat summer heat. Eat ripe mangoes as a fruit snack or add the pulp to milk or yogurt and blend it for a tasty smoothie.

You can boil unripe mangoes, extract the pulp, add it to a glass of cold water and sprinkle in some salt and roasted cumin powder. This drink is an excellent remedy for heat stroke and exhaustion that can occur in the summertime.

14. Tomatoes

Available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, tomatoes are a nutritious and delicious addition to any summer meal. One medium tomato is approximately 95 percent water and helps keep the body hydrated.

Tomatoes are also high in lycopene, a phytochemical that has potent antioxidant properties that protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Other vital nutrients in tomatoes include potassium, folate, dietary fiber, manganese, magnesium, niacin, and vitamins B6, C, A, K and E.

15. Bitter leafy greens
Dandelion, mustard greens and arugula’s bitter flavor makes them great summer foods. We know that calorie-by-calorie leafy greens packs the most nutritional punch. Loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals these are the superfoods to beat.

These healthy summer foods can help ensure that this summer is a memorable one for you and your family, free from summer-related health issues. The most important thing to remember is to drink plenty of water as well as eat foods with high water content throughout the day.