Summer has arrived and with it (finally!) it's hot.
But it seems that every year the temperatures are higher and especially in cities, counteract the heat and humidity would become a tiring.
Excessive heat may create several inconveniences for our body, but adopting targeted measures and attention at table we can definitely help our body in dealing with the hardships that excessive temperatures and prolonged exposure to the sun can create.
During summer months it is even more important to maintain a balanced diet based primarily on fresh, natural foods, cooked or raw or processed but not too heavy.
Certain that on holidays or in boiling city you have little desire to stand at the stove and the temptation to jump on pizzas, cakes, meats, cheeses, and other pre-packaged foods that do'ot require us to cook, it is strong! Increase the opportunities of outdoor aperitifs on the terrace and on the beach where it's easy to get carried away with stuffed olives, cheese, high-calorie sauces and alcoholic cocktails of all kinds... but then... the night we toss and turn in bed, belly inflates like a balloon, a headache in the background and we seem to have in the stomach the Cavalleria Rusticana and few rested, in the morning we are already tired and nervous and definitely unwilling to deal with the thousands of commitments under the sun lion!
With the hot weather the body no longer has to fight the cold and therefore burns less and so our energy requirement decreases to about 200-300 calories per day! It then becomes primary be careful and resize portions and fat throughout the day: the summer and the temperature increase also the digestive processes if they "go on vacation" and become less efficient. The secret is to eat more often and more digestible things: banned fried foods, gravies and dressings too elaborate.
The favorite foods are fruits and vegetables in summer, because we are supplying those essential elements that are lost through sweating and fluid loss. In order to properly hydrate the body, it is essential to drink enough (at least two liters a day), compensating for the loss of fluids that occur with perspiration and also by counteracting the pressure drop, so typical in the summer, especially in women.
The best drink is the simple water, but can also be very useful in various teas, the green tea to be consumed at room temperature or cold centrifuged and especially the fruit and / or vegetables, which in addition to organic water, bring substances of high nutritional value as valuable vitamins and minerals.
The advice to drink in abundance is even more true for children and for "seniors" when the thermoregulatory control is physiologically slower and the risk of dehydration is higher. The rice, oats and soybeans vegetable drinks can be refreshing companions especially when your appetite is poor!
Instead, should be avoided fizzy and sweetened drinks that bring "empty" calories without providing any nutrients, among other things, often full of additives and causing a greater sense of thirst and swelling.
Limit coffee and cola drinks that increase vasoconstriction and diuresis, causing dehydration.
Attention to anything that is too cold, it has a negative effect on the mechanisms of temperature regulation.
Better to avoid spirits as they increase the sweating and also limit the absorption of vitamins, especially the B that has a key role in the transformation of energy in calories.
Therefore consume a lot of vegetables (cucumbers, celery, radishes, tomatoes) and better raw fruits (apricots, watermelons, peaches, plums) that contain a lot of water, up to 95% in the case of watermelon and melon, the important thing is that is seasonal !
The orange fruits are rich in vitamin A, which promotes the production of melanin which is the pigment that can give an amber-colored complexion and tan.
But aesthetics aside, they are precious also to protect the body from heat stroke.
The Italian king in summer tables is the tomato rich in lycopene that fights skin aging, but also serves to reduce the risks of skin diseases... and retards aging! Then go ahead with fresh tomatoes in salads, stuffings and juices but also scented pomarole: lycopene does not lose his concentration when cooked, indeed!
The summer risks being the worst time for the delicate balance of intestinal flora. Excessive heat and fluid loss, improvised nutrition, iced drinks can undermine the more precarious balance with unpleasant side-effects such as worsening gas, bloating, abdominal distension and bowel irregularity!
So even more valuable the intake of soluble fiber, prebiotics and clearly exercise during the coolest hours.
Even organic yogurt rich in lactic ferments, plain or with fresh fruit can be an enjoyable and valuable food for breakfast or as a snack.
Privilege complex carbohydrates, especially whole grains such as barley grain, by the diuretic and refreshing properties, the fresh rice salads adorned with colorful vegetable, or wheat in the form of pasta or bread.
Even couscous and bulgur are quick to prepare and can be appetizing ingredients for salads to add vegetables and mint leaves with a result fresh and tasty!
Reduce red meats and increase the consumption of fish and vegetable proteins such as tofu that is easily digestible and low in calories.
Some spices and herbs may help: mint, cumin, cardamom and aid digestion, while chilli and ginger increase the temperature inside and open the pores by sweat more, then give a feeling of freshness.
With summer worsen the problems of venous insufficiency and legs, especially those of the fairer sex, become swollen, sore and heavy, especially at the end of the day; in fact the heat worsens circulation and, in susceptible individuals, may cause all this trouble in the lower limbs.
That the use of blue and red fruits (blueberry, cherry, grapes, berries, red sorrel) rich in anthocyanins, become valuable for their antioxidant effect for their famous protective action on the microcirculation.
The reduced-protein tea as those of Japanese tradition of kukicha and hojicha or a decoction from the macrobiotic tradition of Hokkaido of azuki red may help the kidneys in their super summer job!
So why do not prepare on our terrace or friend's ones a light and natural aperitif?
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS:
Raw vegetables of all kinds served alongside a good hummus (chickpea and sesame paste with spices) or a tzatziki with organic yogurt and cucumbers, corn or rice not fried chips... Apulian artichokes and oil-free grilled onions, yeast-free spelt crackers with herb mayorice, a nice tabuleè of Bulgur with pesto cherry tomatoes and fresh mint...
AND TO DRINK?
A nice glass of cherry or cranberryjuice Rabenhorst and if one can not do without two fingers of a good organic wine, we suggest a fresh Pipirii Bianco IGT Toscano!
...HAPPY ORGANIC SUMMER!
