Know your beverages, beat the summer in a healthy way

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Everyone loves to have a glass of cold, delicious juice to refresh the body and mind during the summer. However, not every 'juice' could be called fresh juice. The natural liquid extracted from fruits or vegetables is called juice. No other additives are added in such fresh and natural juices. As per the guidelines of the Food Safety Authority, fresh juices sold at shops and juice stalls should have the flavour and aroma of the fruits and shouldn’t contain traces of seeds or peel in it. Similarly, juice should be made using fruits that are ripened naturally and not artificially using chemical treatments.

Cold drinks

Health experts warn that fizzy drinks or other soft drinks that come in attractive cans, bottles or tetra packs shouldn't be considered as natural fruit juice. These drinks are usually referred to as carbonated soft drinks. Canned fruit extracts are not real extracts and thus do not contain the nutritional qualities of natural fruit juices or extracts. They are produced by adding artificial flavourings and other additives for the smell. Drinking these soft drinks may make you feel refreshed instantly, especially if you have been staying outside in the hot son. However, they are extremely harmful for health and make you more thirsty and exhausted.

Packaged or bottled soft drinks are extremely sweet and half a litre of such drinks contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar. High fructose corn syrup too is added in such drinks to enhance the sweetness. It will shoot the amount of sugar at least up to four times. Besides, most of the soft drinks contain high amount of caffeine as well, which could get you addicted to it. We tend to pass high amount of urine after consuming such drinks and this would result in the loss of essential minerals from our body. These may also upset the stomach, hindering the digestive process. Our stomach gets filled with carbon dioxide when we drink fizzy drinks and it causes loss of appetite, stomach aches and gas.

Say no diet drinks

Those drinks which are labelled as 'sugar free' or 'diet' too are not ideal for health. They conquer the markets by claiming that they help to reduce the body weight. However, many researches state that there aren't any scientific proofs which validate this claim. Medical experts warn that these drinks could have the same side effects of sweetened drinks.

Nature's elixir

Tender coconut water and lemon juice are considered as the most natural and healthiest juices. Rice water too is a healthy and refreshing drink. Flavoured buttermilk, which can be easily prepared at home, is a delicious drink that can be had during the summer. All these drinks can quench thirst and keeps fatigue away. However, patients suffering from kidney or heart ailments should consume these drinks only after consulting with the doctor.

Fruit juices

Nutritionists say that it is better to consume fruits as they are instead of juicing them. The structure of the natural fibres in fruits would be lost, when juices are extracted from it. However, fresh fruit juices are excellent to quench thirst and make you feel refreshed. Fruit juices are store houses of vitamins, anti oxidants and other essential nutrients.

The fruits, especially the ones that are used with the peel on, should be washed properly before making juice from it. They should be soaked in water mixed with salt and vinegar. Try to use clean drinking water while preparing fruit juices. It is better to avoid sugar as most of the fruits are naturally sweet. However, a dash of salt would add flavour to it. Watermelons, orange, mango, sweet lemon, carrot and other seasonal fruits could be used to make juice. Diabetic patients and those who have high blood pressure should include fruit juices in their diet only after consulting with the doctor. It is better to avoid drinking fruit juices at night. Juices could be had in the morning or an hour before lunch. However, doctors advice to restrict the juice intake to just two glasses a day.

Information courtesy: Dr B Padmakumar, Head of the department of medicine, Government Medical College, Kollam.

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