New Delhi: Save yourself from heat stroke in the rising temperatures with a natural diet and home remedies. The summer is a little early this year, the temperatures are touching almost 40 degrees, already. Here's how you can prepare your body for the hot season and keep the diseases at bay.
The scorching heat of the sun can deplete your body of water and electrolytes. It is common to have increased thirst, dry mouth, dry skin, fatigue, etc. The chances of heat stroke increases when the body is dehydrated.
These symptoms are an indication that a person may be experiencing heat stroke:
1. Throbbing headache
2. Rapid breathing
3. Increased heart rate
4. Flushed skin or redness
5. Nausea and vomiting
6. Excessive sweating and dizziness
Heat stroke can hit due to low fluids in the body, it happens when the body is dehydrated. Drink lots of water, so that your body can replenish the fluids lost in sweating. When a dehydrated body is exposed to heat, it is more vulnerable to a heat stroke.
Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks like coffee. It may worsen the situation by affecting the body's ability to regulate temperatures. When you are planning to step out, make sure you drink plenty of water or have a glass of oral rehydration solution like lemonade.
Here's how you can make your own rehydration solution:
Mix a teaspoon of sugar, two pinches of salt and one pinch of baking soda or sodium bicarbonate. Take this with about 200 to 300 ml of water. You can also add juices or other drinks.
This solution helps in many ways.
Firstly, the amount of water that you drink should be retained in your body for you to feel hydrated. Salt helps in retention.
Secondly, your body uses up energy in trying to maintain its normal temperature and sugar boosts your energy.
And lastly, baking soda or sodium bi carb promotes the functions of electrolytes and minerals in your body.
Different seasons need different diets to maintain the body. The easiest way to fight the summer heat is to consume lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Eating small healthy meals at regular intervals with healthy servings of fruit and vegetable salads are the best method as they keep the body cool and also strengthen the vitamin content. Fruits and veggies are rich in fibre and help you stay full longer and also burn off calories. You can choose to make juices, smoothies or soups right at home. Watermelons, cucumbers, sweet limes, melons, and grapes are good fruits for summers.
It is important to cook food in the right way, to bear the summer heat. The secret summer mantra lies in avoiding deep fried foods. Steaming, sautéing, roasting, baking or grilling are summer-friendly ways of cooking. Use plenty of herbs - fresh and dried - to enhance the flavour of foods and keep up the happy moods.
Summer is a good time to enjoy some mouth watering healthy drinks like, buttermilk, lemon, mint and ginger teas, aam panna and coconut water. These summer coolants not only keep you cool but also aid in digestion and help eliminate toxins.
Did you know your kitchen has a lot of remedies that can save you from popping pills. These remedies are desi, yet very effective during summers.
Onion juice is a super summer saviour, it's suggested by a lot of Ayurvedic practitioners.
Applying onion juice behind the ears and on your chest can help bring down your body temperature. You can also roast some raw onions with cumin and honey and have it. Raw onions in salads or chutneys can also cool your system.
Tamarind juice is another such drink that is rich in vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. It's made by soaking some tamarind in boiling water. Strain it and drink it with a pinch of sugar. This tonic lowers the body temperature. Tamarind juice also acts as a mild laxative and helps in treating stomach disorders.
Coriander juice can be applied for soothing hot itchy skin. According to Ayurveda, the herb is an effective body coolant. The mixture of coriander and mint juice is an easy home remedy to bring down the body heat.
Herbalists also suggest one to use aloe vera gel to cure prickly heat.
Aloe vera is high in vitamins and minerals. It is known to be an adaptogen. It boosts the body's natural ability to adapt to the external changes and stimulates the defensive mechanisms of the body. Adaptogens are known to stabilise the various systems of the body.
Sandalwood powder paste, when applied to head and chest can help in lowering body temperatures.
Keep yourselves cool, hydrated and have a happy summer!
