Beauty Bay: Eating right, for summer

TOP 10 summer foods that you should consider adding to your diet, for this season. These foods can help you stay hydrated, provide internal UV protection and boost your levels of oxidation to keep your skin glowing and your body healthy.

First on the list is tender coconut water. Hands down the most electrolyte rich, rehydrating summer drink ever. A perfect replacement for all the fluids lost due to excessive sweating, tender coconut water is literally synonymous with summer.

Next up, is a closely related seasonal specialty, is the ice apple - the fruit from the Palmyra palm. Very refreshing and highly hydrating, and without much sugar, typically the best snack to beat the mid-morning heat.

With rising temperatures and rising stress, your gut health goes for a toss. Adding a drink of buttermilk to your daily routine, calms your gut. And since skin health is a lot dependant on gut health, buttermilk is a great option for overall benefits.

Next on the list is pineapple - a vitamin C packed, anti inflammatory fruit with immune boosting properties. Heat rash, heat boils and prickly heat are all routine occurences for summer and a little food-based immunity boost is much welcome. Very gut friendly, but has high sugar content, so moderation is key.

Following through on that yellow fruit, is another yellow fruit, the much loved banana. A great source of potassium and magnesium, makes this a must have fruit for gym-goers looking for quick muscle recovery.

Another great food option for good muscle recovery is beetroot. Studies have shown beetroot juice to have positive effects on oxygen cost and exercise tolerance. Beetroot makes it to the summer skin foods list, because it also have UV protecting, barrier repairing and hydration increasing properties for the skin.

Talking of internal sun protection, pomegranate is on the list for its UV protecting, anti-ageing, pigment reducing, tan removing benefits. You can have it as a juice, or can consume the arils directly for more fibre.

If summer is here, then citrus fruits are definitely here on the list. Summer invokes the imagery of lemons and oranges, and with their high vitamin C content, these fruits play a very important role in rehydrating the body and reducing free radical damage.

Protecting the skin from the sun, needs vitamin A in addition to Vitamin C. Carrots are great internal sun protectors, as they are good sources of antioxidant carotenoids.

Finally on this list, is capsicum. An all-rounder source of vitamin A, B, C and E, and with bright colours to match the summer mood, capsicum is a great add on to your summer salads, for its vitamin content.

Ultimately with diet, it is all about moderation and drawing nutrients from multiple sources to max the benefits, reduce the monotony and stay balanced. And of course, do not forget your sunscreen.

— Dr Renita Rajan, Chief Consultant Dermatologist, RENDER Skin and Hair