Mother Nature knows it all, and so during the summertime, she gifts us with plenty of fruits to stay well-nourished and hydrated. When the summer is at its peak, with scorching heat, it is extremely difficult to go outdoors and even to carry out our everyday activities. It is Mother Nature who has bestowed us with a variety of fruit options to stay energised and healthy in order to carry on with our daily activities.
No matter how much we hate summertime, for most of us, our favourite fruits are often found during this time of the year. It is the perfect season to enjoy your favourite fruits instead of eating junks. The fruits available during the summertime are nutritional powerhouses that offer excellent hydration, natural energy, and essential vitamins. They are high in fiber and antioxidants, which help to improve digestion, enhance immunity, and protect your body from cellular damage caused by hot temperatures.
In this blog, we have listed five fruits that are the powerhouses of hydration and nutrition during the summertime.
Five Powerhouse Fruits To Beat The Heat
In today’s global market, there are plenty of fruit options available to us. Some are locally grown and are budget-friendly, and some are exotic and are imported. With all the diet and celebrity marketing trends, we often agree to follow high-end, exotic diets. But, trust me, exotic does not always mean nutritious, and locally grown does not mean low in nutrition. Rather, it is always the locally grown fruits and vegetables that are way healthier because our body is accustomed to this soil and climate. Therefore, anything grown locally is just as healthy as imported produce.
Here are the top five fruits that are local, budget-friendly, and highly beneficial during the summertime.
Watermelon
Watermelon is one of the most popular summer fruits in India, and for good reason. It is refreshing, naturally sweet, easy to digest, and aids the body in dealing with high heat. Watermelon contains around 90% water, making it an ideal fruit for keeping the body cool and hydrated and replenishing the increased fluid loss through sweating.
It is also extremely low in calories and high in nutrients such as vitamins A and C, which will keep you healthy and rejuvenated throughout the season.
Watermelon is rich in the amino acid L-citrulline, which can enhance blood flow, reduce muscle soreness, and prevent cramps caused by heavy exercise in the heat.
It also contains more lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable, an antioxidant that combats free radicals, lowers inflammation, and promotes heart health.
Apart from aiding our health, it also protects our skin from UV rays and dryness, and promotes glowing skin.
Mango
Mango is indeed the king of fruits. Even though we hate summer, one thing we all wait for during this time of the year is the tropical mangoes. They do not just satisfy our taste buds but are also a powerhouse of nutrients, natural energy, and hydration.
Consuming mangoes can help reduce dehydration, exhaustion, and heat stroke as they contain 83-85% water, which helps to replace lost body fluids caused by summer heat.
Mangoes are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate, which help to boost your immune system. A single mango delivers more than 60% of your daily vitamin C requirements.
The fructose and sucrose in mangoes deliver a quick, clean energy boost, and the enzyme amylase present in mangoes helps break down carbohydrates, promotes smooth digestion, and reduces bloating.
The beta-carotene and antioxidants in mangoes help to repair damaged skin cells and promote a natural glow.
Ice apple
An ice apple is one of the excellent superfoods found in summer. This jelly-like tropical fruit contains more than 85% water and vital electrolytes, making it an effective natural cooler. It effectively reduces dehydration, relieves heat-related symptoms, and gives you a low-calorie, refreshing energy boost on hot days. It is high in potassium and sodium, which help to maintain fluid balance, making it an excellent post-sun or post-workout snack.
It contains dietary fiber, which promotes digestion and relieves stomach pain, bloating, and constipation. As it is very low in calories and fat content, making it a perfect guilt-free summer snack to keep you full for longer.
Many studies have shown that ice apple is highly beneficial in reducing blood glucose levels.
Lychees
Lychees are another top-rated tropical fruit that has high water content and provides adequate hydration. Around 100 grams of lychee fruit can cover your entire day's vitamin C requirement. Lychee fruit also contains folate, a vitamin B that is essential for a healthy pregnancy. It also contains trace levels of numerous minerals, such as potassium, zinc, copper, and iron.
As the fruit is high in Vitamin C, it improves your immune system and helps to fight against seasonal infections. This also helps to boost the collagen of your skin and maintain a healthy skin glow. Oligonol is a plant polyphenol produced from lychees. It can function as an antioxidant and protect against cell damage caused by ageing, inflammation, and pollution.
Muskmelon
Muskmelon is the perfect summer fruit. It is composed of more than 90% water, making it extremely effective at preventing dehydration and cooling the body on hot days. It improves digestion, promotes good skin, and protects against heat strokes. The high water content helps to replenish fluid lost during summer heat. It is rich in Vitamin A and C that activate blood cells and promote healthy and youthful skin. As it has high fiber content, it supports healthy bowel motions and helps to prevent bloating, which is common during the hotter months.
Wrapping Up
Fruits are always better options when it comes to snacking. Be it summer, winter, or any time of the year, make sure your everyday diet has at least one seasonal fruit daily. Apart from the above five fruits mentioned, there are other fruits like blueberries, strawberries, muskmellons etc that are very nutritious and hydrating for the summer time.
Try to go with the seasonal and locally grown options while selecting your fruit platter. Seasonal and locally grown fruits are not just budget-friendly but have maximum nutritional value. Fruits that are grown locally obtains its peak flavor and nutrient content and ripen on the plant. On the other hand, imported or out-of-season fruits are frequently plucked early and subjected to extended refrigeration or chemical treatments to slow ripening, reducing their nutritional value.
Therefore, it is always advisable to eat seasonal and locally grown fruits that will help you and also our farmers.
Though summer is a tougher season to cope with, especially in tropical countries, let us be grateful to Mother Nature for providing us with an abundance of fruit options to enjoy.
Did we miss out on your favourite one? Let us know what your summer indulgence fruit?0