Summer is a time when we tend to drink a lot to replenish the liquid and the needed body salts lost from sweating. In addition we also tend to eat snacks and munchies to go with what we drink. This can pose some serious problems for those who are trying to maintain their weight or even lose some. So what can be done?
Here are some great ideas for coolers to quench thirst and cool down your body temperature when it's blazing hot outside. They're easy to make and you don't have to search the aisles of an entire supermarket to find the ingredients. Chances are that most of them are already a part of your well-stocked kitchen and refrigerator.
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Fruit Sorbet: For sorbets, water-filled fruits such as watermelon, sweet lime, rose water and fruit sugar mix are good. All you have to do is puree the fruit, pour it into ice cream moulds and set in the freezer. Most citrus fruits are great for sorbets.
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Smoothies: Good smoothies can be made with bananas, mangoes, papayas and other pulpy fruits. You can have them with breakfast as accompaniments or as stand-alone breakfasts, especially if you're on the go. Simply blend the fruit with yogurt and a few raisins (like kishmish) and set. If you don't like them too cold then drink them straightaway.
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Chilled fruit tea: Fruit teas are healthy drink options in terms of calories. They're easily available in every departmental store but you can choose to make them at home. Just make a light brew of tea and allow it to cool. Add some fruit to it and chill in the refrigerator. Serve with crushed ice.
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Lime Soda - the old favourite: Nothing beats the amazing thirst quenching power of fresh lime soda with salt or sugar. The ingredients are available throughout the year, making it the most popular drink across cultures, states and climatic regions of the World. To make it at home, use fresh lime, club soda and add black salt, roasted cumin (jeera) powder and a few mint leaves.
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Zingy Apple: Another good summer drink is just plain apple juice with chilled soda. You can opt to use packaged apple juice or make it fresh at home. However, make sure that the packaged option has minimum or no added sugar. This will ensure that less unwanted calories enter your system.
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Ice Cream: A little low fat ice cream with plenty of fresh fruits is a good anytime-of-the-day snack. Avoid this as dessert after dinner and go easy on the ice cream even though it's low fat.
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Sweets: It's ok to eat a little sweet here and there, especially if they're made out of figs, dates, prunes, apricots or other dry fruits and nuts. They're good if not made out of white refined flour and ghee.
So make the best of summer by trying out all these drinks and snacks. They're healthy, they're easy to make and by Jove, you'll enjoy them 100%.
