Hot and sweltering weather makes the body easily lose strength. The amount of water in the body decreases rapidly when sweating heavily. Therefore, supplementing vitamins from fresh vegetables and ripe fruits will help the body increase its resistance against diseases... So, what fruits should we eat and what should we drink on summer days?
Fruit is an abundant source of fiber and vitamins. This is also one of the four essential nutrient groups for the body every day. In the summer, the amount of vitamins in fruits becomes even more necessary as the body easily loses water due to sweating.
According to the National Institute of Nutrition's recommendations, people should eat at least 400g of fruits and green vegetables a day to reduce the risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Many studies show that fruits should be consumed mostly in the morning, especially right after waking up and before consuming any other food. This is because fruits contain a large amount of fructose, and at this time, the body needs the most energy replenishment. The reasonable time to eat fruit is about 2 hours before a main meal. This will help limit bloating and indigestion. If you want to combine fruit with breakfast but don't have enough time, eat a banana or an apple before eating breakfast. If you consume fruit after dinner, especially close to bedtime, it may affect sleep quality because the high sugar content in fruit will force the digestive system to work harder.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in strengthening the body's immune system, helping wounds heal faster, preventing infections, and supporting red blood cell regeneration. Vitamin C is abundant in some fruits such as: oranges, tangerines, lemons,... Therefore, eat oranges every day or drink orange, lemon, or grapefruit juice to increase the body's immunity. Studies show that eating one orange a day also helps prevent cancer.
Many people often think pineapples cause "heatiness," but in fact, pineapples have a cooling property. Pineapples contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, with significant amounts of calcium, fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Particularly, pineapples are very low in fat and cholesterol, making them very good for your health. Eat pineapple every day in the summer to nourish your body.
Guava is rich in vitamin C, a highly effective antioxidant against skin damage from sunlight and pollution. Drinking a glass of guava juice or peeling, removing the seeds, and eating it every day is not only delicious, nutritious, and rich in fiber but also good for diabetics.
As an excellent source of potassium for the body, bananas help keep the heart healthy and help the body fight fatigue in hot weather. When exercising too intensely or staying out in the sun for a long time, just one banana will help you recover your strength faster.
Strawberries are also a very suitable fruit for dieters because they contain very few calories but large amounts of vitamin C, potassium, sodium, and iron, helping the body fight fatigue and dehydration in the summer. You can wash and eat strawberries directly or chop them up and mix them with yogurt, both of which are good for the body and skin.
Containing a lot of nutrients such as: carotene, potassium, iron, vitamin E... Mangoes are nutritious for the body all year round, but they are especially good to eat every day in the summer because they help the body fight dehydration after going out in the sun.
Papaya is a sweet, juicy, cooling, and nutritious fruit that is very suitable for hot summer days. Besides, papaya also contains a large amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin A, calcium, iron, vitamins B and B2, and carotene, helping the skin avoid drying out and losing water in the summer. Furthermore, papaya is a mild laxative that helps prevent constipation.
Containing 95% water, eating cucumbers cools the body and provides fiber to prevent constipation. Cucumbers can be juiced for drinking, eaten raw, or infused in water to purify the body.
Not only is it the best fruit to help purify the body, but it also improves women's skin in the summer. Watermelon contains many vitamins, prevents dehydration in the body on hot days, and makes the skin smooth.
Coconut is good for both children and adults on hot, sunny days. Coconuts are rich in potassium, electrolytes, and nutrients, keeping the body hydrated and aiding in effective weight loss.
Dragon fruit contains many nutrients and trace elements that help increase metabolism in the body, enhance detoxification, and improve the skin, making it smooth. Thanks to its high fiber and low sugar content, dragon fruit also helps manage diabetes and obesity.
Star fruit is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, with many antioxidants. This fruit is usually available from July to September.
Kiwis are even richer in vitamin C than oranges. This is definitely an excellent choice among summer fruits. They provide many nutrients, vitamins C and E, potassium, and fiber.
Consuming a certain amount of tomatoes every day is very good for the body. Tomatoes contain plenty of vitamins C and K, lycopene, beta-carotene, and a significant amount of essential minerals such as potassium, manganese, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, soluble fiber, etc., which help boost the body's resistance, detoxify, and cool down... They can be eaten raw or blended into smoothies, both of which are beneficial.
Besides boiled and cooled water, you can also substitute it with black bean water. Black beans not only have a cooling effect on hot summer days but are also a highly nutritious food. Moreover, black beans are referred to by scientists as a "miracle drug" for health. Black beans contain a trace mineral called molybdenum - a component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, so they have a very good detoxification effect. You can use black bean water by simmering them until tender and adding a little sugar (making sweet soup), eating both the beans and the water. Alternatively, you can roast black beans and boil them in water to drink instead of tea daily to help nourish the kidneys, clear heat, and detoxify.
