Find out which foods you can’t miss during the summer

The high temperatures predicted for the month of January can harm health, especially the elderly, but good food can be a great ally at this time of year.

In an interview with CNN the nutritionist Thaisa Albanesi from the Human Institute, explains that during this season it is important to eat anti-inflammatory and draining foods to avoid health problems such as low blood pressure, swelling and dehydration.

The doctor divided the foods that cannot be missing during the summer into 3 classes and gave tips on how we can use them on a daily basis. Are they:

Groups 1: Thermogenic and anti-inflammatory foods

During this season of the year, our metabolism tends to slow down on hot days. This happens because the body needs to generate more heat to maintain the external temperature, so the metabolism slows down.

A slower metabolism makes it easier for people to gain weight, so foods with thermogenic and anti-inflammatory effects are important to help prevent weight gain during the summer.

• Food tips from this group: curry; Black pepper; girl finger pepper; turmeric; saffron.
• Action of these foods: accelerates metabolism and helps to lose weight or not to get fat (thermogenic action) and anti-inflammatory;
• Tips on how to eat these foods: On an empty stomach, drink a glass of water with a pinch of turmeric. Season the food with turmeric, black pepper or young lady’s finger and saffron.

Group 2: Moisturizing foods (rich in water)

In the summer, our body tends to dehydrate, as we sweat a lot more on hot days, and dehydration is a very damaging factor for metabolism and body functioning in general.

At this time of year, we have water loss through saliva, sweat, which makes the skin drier, even without physical effort. Therefore, the importance of consuming water-rich foods.

• Food tips from this group: chayote; watermelon; cucumber; melon.
• Action of these foods: hydrate the body, replacing all the water lost by sweat and saliva;
• Tips on how to eat these foods: Cucumber snacks: cut thin slices of cucumber with salt and sweet oil. Another tip is to make a broth replacing the potato with chayote, which will give it a creamy appearance, but with more water.

Group 3: Draining foods

The circulatory part deserves a lot of care and attention at this time of year, when the tendency is for the pressure to drop, thus compromising the circulatory part and, consequently, the lymphatic system, that is, the one responsible for draining water from our body.

Therefore, just as it is necessary to hydrate, it is also important to drain, so that there is balance and there is no feeling of swelling.

• Food tips from this group: herbal teas with a draining action, such as horsetail, chamomile, green tea, avocado leaf tea.
• Action of these foods: hydrate the body, replacing all the water lost by sweat and saliva;
• Advice on how to eat these foods : Drinking 3 glasses of water when you wake up in the first 30 minutes increases your metabolism by 34% (more than ⅓). Consume horsetail, chamomile, green tea and avocado leaf tea, which have a draining action. Tip: Make more than a liter and leave it in the fridge, drink ice cream throughout the day, as the days are hotter in the summer.