Beat the heat

As the days of summer approach and threaten to get only longer and warmer, it can seem nearly impossible at times to keep cool in the blistering heat. Staying cool can depend on much more than icy-chilled beverages and air conditioning, and the foods you eat can absolutely lend a hand.

Luckily for us, there can be no more joyful a time for eating than summer. From ripe and juicy berries to plump and bursting cherry tomatoes, this vibrant season enjoys a particularly abundant and colourful array of fresh and seasonal foods.

An added bonus? Many seasonal summer fruits and vegetables are simply superb for helping us lower our body temperature to stay cool and refreshed, despite the soaring temperatures! Here are some cool fruits and chilled out veggies that will help you stay energized and cool—even when the heat turns up.


Cool fruits

Fruits that have a high water content, and are loaded with essential nutrients and antioxidants, are your best bet for staying cool this summer. These include grapes, apples, pears, peaches, berries and star fruit, but especially watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon as well as citrus fruits like lime. Fruits can be incorporated into your diet in so many different ways. Simply toss them into a summery salad, whiz them with milk or yogurt for a healthy smoothie or eat them raw for a mid-morning snack.

Watermelon

Nothing screams summer-time like a big wedge of watermelon. A long-time child favorite, it’s time to bring this summer staple back into your diet. Watermelon is made up of 90 percent water, which assists in keeping you well-hydrated in the heat. In addition, watermelon contains loads of vitamins A and C, has no fat and is packed with lycopene, an antioxidant which may aid in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Try it: Toss cubes of watermelon with crumbled cottage cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves for a grown up and heat-blasting salad.


Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melon

Other melons also bring with them a large amount of water, helping us stay hydrated in the high temperatures. Cantaloupe and honeydew melons are both very low in calories and high in potassium. Although not a rich source of other nutrients, their low protein, fat and carbohydrates ratio makes them ideal for weight loss, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disorders. Melons are also considered to be a diuretic, which may help rid our bodies of unwanted toxins.

Try it: Purée cantaloupe or honeydew melon to make a chilled summer soup. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraiche and some torn mint leaves for an optimum cooling effect.

Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits, including grapefruit, lemons and limes, are among the most cooling of all fruits. Aside from their delicious taste, citrus fruits can keep you healthy and looking younger. Citrus is considered a superfood for healthy skin due to its wide array of phytonutrients that function as antioxidants, including flavanones, anthocyanins, polyphenols and vitamin C. Citrus is also considered to be especially important in digestion as it helps aid in the breakdown of rich and fatty foods.

Try it: Start every day with a tall glass of chilled lemon water. This slightly acidic drink helps to cleanse your system and energize your body.


Chilled out veggies

There is an abundant supply of vegetables that can help lower body temperature when the heat soars. The best examples are cucumber, radishes, lettuce and leafy greens such as spinach and arugula, and fresh herbs such as mint. They all contain a significant amount of water and can actually thin the blood and assist your body in releasing heat, which has a cooling effect. There are a myriad of ways to incorporate these vegetables into your diet. Simply toss them into a vibrant summer salad, wrap them in rice paper to create Thai-inspired veggie rolls or purée them into a cooling gazpacho.


Cucumber

Whoever said “cool as a cucumber” was right. Cucumber’s especially high water content, coupled with its fresh and crunchy taste, makes it a perfect summer veggie. Cucumber has long been praised for its medicinal properties. It has a diuretic property (especially helpful in the dry summer months), which acts to flush toxins out of the body and maintain healthy tissue and skin. Cucumber is extremely low in calories and has minimal amounts of sugar, carbohydrates and fats. It contains significant amounts of vitamin B, phosphorus, calcium, zinc and other minerals.

Try it: Use sliced cucumber as a sandwich or burger topper or whip into a fast and delicious spread with yogurt, lemon and mint.

Radishes

Radishes are sadly underrated. With their beautiful reddish-purple skin and white, crispy and tasty interior, these little summer gems certainly don't get enough credit! Radishes have a very high water content and are a great source of vitamin C, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They are also a rich source of potassium, which can help lower your risk of kidney stones and stroke and minerals like sulphur, iron and iodine.

Try it: One of my favorite ways to use the "ruby" of summer is to slice thinly and toss into a leafy green or cold pasta salad.


Mint

Both mint and peppermint have amazing cooling and relaxing properties, and their brisk aroma has the ability to chase away sluggishness when the heat soars. They have long been used by herbalists to create herbal teas, balms, ointments and other products, which can soothe your mind and body. Additionally, mint helps relieve both indigestion and inflammation, which can plague us during the hot summer months.

Try it: Make your own peppermint iced tea by steeping green tea bags in boiling water, then chilling. Add sugar, slices of lemon, and a bunch of peppermint for a cool treat.

More simple tips to help you cool down this summer: Eat Raw

When the heat turns up, who wants to be in the kitchen? Luckily for us, raw fruits and veggies are the perfect summer-time food and absolutely delicious with little or no preparation. If you must cook, focus on fast cooking methods including steaming, blanching and sautéing.

Spice it up

It's not a coincidence that many people in hotter regions of the world eat spicy food. A moderate amount of spicy flavours, such as fresh ginger, red chili, cayenne and black pepper, initially warm you up, but actually help cool you down. Try adding a pinch of red chili flakes to your grilled fish or chicken marinade or create a cooling vinaigrette with grated fresh ginger, sesame oil, soy and rice wine vinegar.

Choose your liquids wisely

Keeping fully hydrated by drinking plenty of water is of paramount importance in the hot summer months. Many symptoms of excess summer heat (dizziness, fatigue, lack of concentration) are attributable to chronic dehydration. However, the type of liquid you drink has been shown to be important.

Sport beverages (laden with sodium and sugar) can actually make your dehydration worse, and extremely cold foods and drinks (like ice cream) can actually interfere with digestion and sweating, the body's natural cooling mechanism.

So, how much ever tempting it may be to sit on your porch licking an ice cream cone to beat the heat, opt for a wedge of melon instead. A dose of common sense and a diet sprinkled with cooling foods is your best bet for helping you stay comfortable this summer. Now all you have to do is apply your sunscreen and enjoy the lazy days!

Myths about heart attack

We at Pro Nature love busting myths. And this time around we'll debunk some myths related to human heart which has always been shrouded in mystery, be it in the Bollywood movies or in real life as vital body organ. There's a lack of complete and correct knowledge about the heart so let's deflate some heart-related myths right now:


Myth No. 1: Heart attack can't get you if you're physically fit

Being fit may lessen the risk factors but it doesn't guarantee a life exempted from diseases. People often live under the impression that heart diseases mostly affect those who are obese. Even thin or weight conscious people can suffer from clogged arteries resulting from cholesterol deposits or damaged arteries. Factors like diabetes, smoking, tobacco abuse, genetic predisposition, genetics, high cholesterol or hypertension expose you to risk irrespective of your fitness levels.

Myth No. 2: It's easy to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack

Forget ordinary people, a heart attack can even play hide-and-seek with cardiologists. Its symptoms can be varying and may not always be severe. Do not take the following symptoms lightly: Chest pain, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, weakness, unusual fatigue, heaviness, weakness, or pain in one or both arms, back pain, indigestion, racing or fluttering heart. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience these.


Myth No. 3: No chest pain means no heart attack

A heart attack can have unusual indicators. In fact at times diabetics may not experience any pain. And it's not necessary that a person only experiences pain in the chest area.

Chest pain or discomfort can be anywhere, starting from jaw to the umbilicus (navel aka belly button). The pain is not clearly localised. In fact, it's not even well-defined. It might be some sort of “heaviness” or “tightness” or a feeling of pressure. The chest pain associated with heart attacks is not usually sharp but more often described as dull. It can be lasting or intermittent. Squeezing or unusual discomfort at the back doesn't always mean an attack but the possibility cannot be fully ruled out until the tests are done. Also, if you feel that you are experiencing an irregular heartbeat or hyperventilating, then don't overlook it as stress related disorder.

Myth No. 4: Wait and watch the chest pain to subside

The ancient “wait and watch” approach can prove to be lethal in the cases of heart and brain. Immediate medical attention should be sought after if you experience unrecognized, inexplicable chest pain. Every second counts and may cause irreparable damage to the heart. Dismissing chest pain for indigestion or gas is not a wise idea.

Myth No. 5: Heart problems do not affect young people

This may have been true in ancient times but doesn't really hold any weight in the present times. Cases of people aged between 20 and 40 years getting hit by a heart attack have been widely reported. And the main reason for this? The kind of lifestyle we have developed in the recent years. Junk food, smoking, less exercise, increased intake of alcohol and high levels of stress has become daily lifestyles of most of the urban working population. Add to this, the factors like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.


Myth No. 6: Taking an aspirin a day helps to subside heart attacks

While taking of aspirin tablets is recommended during an active heart attack when someone is having chest pain, it is not recommended for everyday use to prevent heart disease unless specified by your doctor. Aspirin can have some seriously harsh side-effects. Everyday use of aspirin should not be done unless approved by a doctor.

Myth No. 7: Heart diseases affect men and women in the same way

Men and women, both, suffer from heart disease but men have a higher risk of getting a fatal heart disease than women who are still getting their menstrual period. The conception that women do not suffer from heart attacks in erroneous. It's just that they are less prone to the disease than men and that too in their reproductive age group. By the age of 60-65, a woman is under the same degree of risk as a man. Women also lose much of their protection if they smoke, take oral contraception, are diabetic or hypertensive. While heart attack-related symptoms are almost same in both the sexes, women may also experience vomiting, breathlessness, nausea additionally.

Myth No. 8: Diabetes is not a threat if blood sugar level is under control

Diabetes itself causes inflammation that can damage blood vessels, raising the risk of heart disease and other health problems. One also needs to take into account his weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels apart from the blood sugar level.

Myth 9: Having an angioplasty puts all heart-related worries to rest

This is definitely untrue. If you go back to same old lifestyle ripe with carelessness that originally allowed you to develop a heart problem then you are quite likely to damage your heart again. 

We must understand that heart is a complex organ and needs our attention accordingly. With diet, exercise and greater awareness of risks, most heart diseases are preventable. But sadly enough, people treat their cars better than their bodies.

Sweet somethings

Our kitchens and cooking are incomplete without sugar. In fact our lives are incomplete without the sweet eats that we crave for. That being said, sugar has a dubious reputation. But there are alternatives. However, sweeteners of any form will cause insulin levels to rise (some a lot, some a little) so we should always use them in moderation. This blog hopes to give you healthier and tastier choice whenever you feel like adding a dash of sweetness to your life.


Honey

Honey is a natural sweetener that doesn't cause a significant rise or fall of blood sugar levels. Raw honey contains beneficial enzymes which are lost during processing and filtering. Honey is best used in dishes that not need to be heated.

Organic whole cane sugar

Organic whole cane sugar is dehydrated sugarcane juice and contains many minerals. It is more preferable than white sugar (which sugar that hits the factories). Whole cane sugar can completely replace white sugar. The rich molasses flavor does well in cakes and cookies or our very own payasam.

Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is rich in trace minerals and is excellent for drizzling. So instead of adding sugar to your morning breakfast of cornflakes and muesli, add maple syrup. Not only is it healthier than adding sugar, it also adds a distinct smoky flavor.

Date sugar

Date sugar is 100% dehydrated dates ground into small pieces. Date sugar does not dissolve in liquids, so it’s better used for baking. It is also great for adding texture in Indian sweets like halwa, kheer or filling for balushahi etc.

Others like Molasses, Coconut Palm sugar and Stevia can also be used as a substitute to sugar. It is best to avoid refined and chemically made sweeteners such as saccharine. So be informed and choose wisely.