You can beat the heat to some extent by including plenty of green, leafy vegetables, fruits, sprouts, juices and other healthy fluids. A tall glass of chilled lassi or buttermilk, fresh fruit juice or lemon juice from a hygienic source is ideal. Use more of the moisture-loaded varieties in vegetables and fruits.

Melons which have high moisture content can be very refreshing in the hot summer months and make a great summer diet. Make a juice with melons, a chickoo milkshake or a banana smoothie, and enjoy them. Eat cucumbers, bottle gourds, ridge gourds, ash gourds, spinach, mint, lettuce, cabbage, mushroom, tomatoes and other veggies regularly that have plenty of water in them.

Avoid foods that increase your thirst and weight. Excess body weight can be more uncomfortable in summer and can be eased to a great extent by following this summer diet. Some foods that might increase your discomfort during summer are high fat foods, fried foods, fatty meats, sugary eats or beverages, high-caffeine drinks and alcohol.

Get more fluids

Don’t ignore thirst signs. In your two-liter fluid requirement, make sure you include healthy beverages as a part of your summer diet. Try something different like green tea, herbal tea, herbal juice, or vegetable juice. Ask your grandma for recipes for traditional summer diet and drinks. They are not only refreshing but also nutritious. Make a smoothie with soy milk, honey and fresh fruit.

Fluid requirement

Approximately, 30 ml of liquid for every kg of body weight that you carry should be the norm everyday. Fluid requirement increases with increase in physical activity, and varies in disease conditions. Consult a qualified dietitian for details. If you take alcohol or caffeinated beverages, make sure you drink some water before or after the beverage.

Even if you work in an air conditioned office, you still need adequate hydration to prevent dry skin.

Safe summer diet

When you make raw foods a part of your summer diet, be sure that they are hygienically prepared and served. Bacterial activity is pretty high in summer and uncooked foods are good storehouses of bacteria. Bacteria can multiply in cooked foods too, placed between temperatures of four and 70 degrees.  If your immune system is not strong, such food can make you sick.

To prevent food-borne illnesses, wash hands before handling food, drink clean water, refrigerate foods properly, and eat freshly-cut or cooked foods as far as possible. If you have to consume leftovers, make sure you heat them well before eating.

Meal plan for summer

On rising: Two glasses of water, followed by a cup of tea
Breakfast: Cornflakes with unsweetened soymilk and fruit
Mid-morning: Fresh lime juice
Lunch: Sprouts and greens salad, brown rice with rasam, veg curry, curd
Evening: Mango juice
Dinner: Clear vegetable soup, whole wheat bread, lean sandwich, fruit and nut salad

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Sugar by itself does not contain fat in its chemical composition. And when it is consumed along with coffee or tea, and milk and curd, it does not register as fat in the body and thus is irrelevant to the ‘lose weight, quit sugar’ stuff . It comes in as carbohydrate food, which is immediately used as energy. Similarly, if you have a couple of teaspoons of jam, jelly or honey, the sugar is used up as energy. However, if you eat candies, with sugar content equivalent to about 3-4 teaspoons of sugar or take 300 ml of a soft drink (roughly 7 tsp of sugar) the excess sugar is converted to fat.

In short, as long as you are not diabetic you may safely consume 3-4 teaspoons of sugar every day, distributed through the entire day, and still lose weight. Moreover, giving up sugar completely and substituting it with a sweetener is not recommended, as they can have harmful side effects even though they say that such artificial sweeteners help to lose weight. What you could do, though, is give up sweet treats like cakes, ice cream, candies, pastries and other sweets instead.

Recommendation: All those above 35 years of age must have a blood test done regularly, at least once a year, to check blood and lipid levels (sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride, etc). This must be done at least 12 hours after your last meal. Ideally, a blood sample should be provided early in the morning on an empty stomach. This is very much important if  you are obese and have to lose weight in order to stay healthy even after 40 years of age.

If your fasting blood sugar is just above 120, you could have borderline diabetes. Then you have to eliminate refined sugar from the diet. Otherwise at any age you don’t have to eliminate sugar in coffee, tea, milk, etc. to lose weight.

Thus, giving up sugar does not actually help you to lose weight. In order to lose weight effectively, you should engage in physical exercises.

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Food for energy

Let’s begin with one of the vital nutrients for the brain – energy. Brain needs a constant supply of energy to function well. Complex carbohydrates provide this requirement by releasing energy steadily over a longer period of time. Carbohydrates also calm the mind and help concentrate on studies. Proteins are required for constant growth and development. While protein, iron and iodine are needed for brain development, iron is also useful for cognitive development. B vitamins are required for function of the nervous system and for manufacture and release of neurotransmitters. Omega 3 fatty acids are linked with good brain development. Low levels of these nutrients can affect development of the brain as well as its function.

Avoid heavy food

Sugary foods might make the brain sluggish. Some mothers feel that dry fruits like almonds, and foods cooked in pure ghee will boost the child’s memory, and therefore force the child to eat such foods repeatedly. Ancient wisdom includes ghee (naturally clarified butter made from organic milk) as a brain food. If you believe in this, then give ghee in small quantities to your child; do not pour it on every dish.
Concentrate not only on your child’s studies but also on what goes into his stomach. Foods should not make your child groggy. Large meals with high amounts of carbohydrates and fat in one meal might induce sleep. Even though good quantities of carbohydrates are essential, make sure it’s well distributed during the day.Unpolished rice, whole wheat chapaties, ragi rotis, whole wheat breads, potatoes, pulses, dals etc will provide your child with adequate carbohydrates.

Ensure adequate proteins

Include one or two protein-rich foods in every meal. Some examples – lean meat, fish, egg, milk, curd, paneer, nuts,pulses like rajma,moong,dals like tur, channa, soy etc. At least a quarter kg (250 gm) of vegetables (assorted) and two whole fruits per day will provide a variety of vitamins and minerals along with fibre.
Adequate hydration is mandatory for good brain function.Water, coconut water, buttermilk, lime juice or any other refreshingly healthy drinks would take care of this requirement.

Avoid desserts

Skip the fried foods, sweets, desserts and soft drinks – save them for post-exam holidays. Include about 10 gm of unsalted nuts like almonds or walnuts in your child’s daily diet. Avoid caffeinated foods and beverages. They only give a temporary mood lift and might become addictive.
Allow plenty of breaks – let your child get out into the fresh air. Don’t let him eat while studying. Treat the meal as a break and allow your child to enjoy it. Games or any kind of physical activity will not only relieve stress but also improve alertness and concentration.

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IF YOU KEEP DOING THAT, A WITCH/MONSTER WILL COME AND GET YOU

“Terrifying kids might work well in the short term,” says Joe, “but there’s a danger that this will traumatize them and lead to nightmares.” Plus it’s only a short-term fix. “Eventually the child finds out you’ve lied and that will erode their faith in you. It’s essential the authority comes from you, not from some outside force.” Instead, if children do not do as they are asked, Joe advises parents to rely on body language and tone of voice. “Get down on their level, look directly at them and tell them calmly what it is you want them to do. Good eye contact goes a long way.”

WHY CAN’T YOU BE MORE LIKE YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER?

Comparisons with brothers or sisters won’t just make kids feel inadequate, they can also drive siblings apart, sparking rivalry and rows. Child expert Professor Joe Elliott of Durham University says: “Instead of trying to be as good as his sibling, this could make a child think he can never compete. To protect his sense of self-worth, he won’t even try. That way it looks like he’s not as good only because he didn’t bother trying.” So, accept every kid is born different. Build up struggling siblings by focusing on each child’s individual talents and strengths.

WAIT UNTIL YOUR DAD GETS HOME

Passing the buck to your partner undermines your authority – and makes kids ask themselves why they should listen to you. Joe says: “It can also cause tension. The other parent comes home tired after work and doesn’t want to play the bad cop, or else doesn’t handle it the way you’d like.” In any case, if you leave it to the end of the day, younger children will have forgotten what they did wrong in the first place. Instead of handing over responsibility and making threats, deal with bad behaviour then and there.

IF YOU DON’T HURRY UP, I’M GOING TO LEAVE YOU HERE

Perhaps the biggest fear young children have is that they will get lost or abandoned. But while you know you would never leave them behind, they don’t and it’s wrong to exploit that anxiety. Joe says: “It may work the first time but ultimately it’s an empty threat and ends up losing its power.” Instead look at why your child isn’t ready and remember that kids are easily distracted and don’t have the same concept of urgency as grown-ups. Ask yourself if you need to give them more warning. Look for calm ways to speed things along — like turning off the TV or letting them take along a favourite toy.

YOU’RE SUCH A NAUGHTY CHILD

You may think you’re helping to manage your child’s behaviour by saying what they’re doing wrong. In fact, by labelling your child, they start to believe naughtiness is part of who they are and try to live up to the label, says Joe. Separate the child from their actions. Rather than saying, ‘You are naughty’, say, ‘I don’t like the way that you are behaving’. Give kids good labels to live up to. Joe advises: “Tell the child he is usually so good you would like that to be the way he always behaves.”

THIS IS SO EASY, WHY ARE YOU GETTING IT WRONG?

One of the very worst things you can do if kids are having difficulties with their homework or reading is to get tense. Asking exasperated questions will make them nervous and you will get trapped in a vicious circle. “Tell them you think they could do a little better if they concentrated a little more,” advises Joe. If the child makes a mistake, say ‘Nearly,’ and let them have another go. Don’t get frustrated because kids learn at different rates. Instead keep it fun by giving your child a tickle for extra effort, or pointing out something funny in their book.

I WISH YOU’D NEVER BEEN BORN

Regardless of what the child has done or how pushed to the limit you are, this is the worst possible thing you can say to a child. “This is all about getting a release for the frustrated parent and few mums and dads really mean it,” says Joe. But if kids believe it’s true, they will never forget it and they may internalise it, so it damages their self-worth.
If you ever feel close to saying something like this, go to another room until you have calmed down.

WHY DO YOU NEVER DO A THING I TELL YOU?

This may seem like a mild remark but, if you keep repeating it, the underlying message to children is that they are a menace. They get the impression that they can never do anything right so why bother trying.
“Questions like these never get an answer from kids so there’s no point in asking them,” says Joe. Instead of getting exasperated, be specific about exactly what you want them to do and explain: ‘I would prefer you to do it this way’. “Use your body language and voice to give the message that you expect them to do as you say,” says Joe.

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