5 Refreshing Summer Beverages to Hydrate and Nourish You During the Hot Season
As summer arrives, the desire for chilled, delicious beverages intensifies, offering relief from the scorching heat that leaves us sweaty, disheveled, and fatigued. Sweating can lead to dehydration and a decrease in energy levels, making it crucial to stay hydrated. What could be more satisfying than traditional Indian drinks, not only providing respite from the heat but also offering various health benefits?
Essential Indian Summer Beverages to Include in Your Menu
Check out these 5 summer beverages you absolutely shouldn’t overlook.
1. Lassi
What could be more refreshing than a glass of chilled lassi during the summer months? Lassi, a traditional Indian beverage crafted from yogurt, is brimming with essential vitamins and minerals that can work wonders for your health. From aiding digestion to bolstering immunity, lassi offers a myriad of benefits. Let’s delve into how indulging in this delicious drink can enhance your well-being.
Benefits of Lassi:
- Enhances Immunity: Packed with Vitamin D and lactic acid, lassi is a potent immune booster, effectively warding off illnesses. Its infection-fighting properties bolster disease resistance and facilitate the absorption of essential nutrients like phosphorus and calcium, promoting sturdy bones.
- Improves Digestion: Lassi’s lactobacillus bacteria aids in food breakdown, nutrient absorption, and intestinal lubrication, thereby promoting smoother digestion. Additionally, it’s renowned for its ability to prevent heartburn and indigestion.
- Contains Probiotics: For those seeking to maintain gut health, lassi is a boon. Rich in probiotics, it enhances heart health, bolsters immune function by reducing cholesterol levels, and fosters the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, restoring natural balance.
- Benefits Skin Health: Lassi offers numerous benefits for the skin. Its moisturizing properties impart an internal glow, while the presence of lactic acid helps eliminate blemishes and rejuvenate the skin, lending it a youthful radiance. Moreover, its antifungal and antimicrobial properties aid in acne prevention.
Lassi Recipe
Now that you’re intrigued by the health benefits of lassi, why not give this recipe a whirl? Let’s dive in.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of fresh chilled yogurt
- 1 cup of water
- 4-5 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder
- Ice cubes
- Chopped nuts for garnish
Method:
- In a blender, combine the yogurt, water, sugar, and cardamom powder.
- Blend until smooth and well-combined.
- Fill glasses with ice cubes and pour in the blended lassi.
- Garnish with chopped nuts and enjoy!
2. Buttermilk
Famously known as “chaas,” buttermilk is a quintessential Indian summer beverage derived from the liquid leftover after churning cream into butter. It offers a light and revitalizing experience, complete with flavorful spices.
Benefits of Buttermilk:
- Prevents Dehydration: Buttermilk earns its reputation as an ideal summer drink by effectively combating dehydration during the sweltering heat. Packed with electrolytes, potassium, and water, it helps maintain optimal hydration levels in the body.
- Supports Weight Loss: As a cooling summer beverage rich in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, buttermilk stands out as a low-calorie, low-fat option. Its satiating effect curbs overeating tendencies, facilitating weight loss.
- Provides Comprehensive Nourishment: Loaded with vitamins, nutrients, proteins, and iron while being low in lipids, buttermilk serves as a wholesome meal, nourishing the entire body. Its astringent properties moisturize and firm the skin, contributing to its health and vitality.
- Aids Digestion: With its probiotic attributes, buttermilk staves off the proliferation of harmful bacteria in the body, thus reducing the risk of stomach infections. Additionally, the spices infused in buttermilk serve as digestive aids, soothing the stomach lining post a hearty meal.
Buttermilk Recipe
Quench your thirst and beat the summer heat with this invigorating, lightly spiced beverage.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 cups water
- ½ inch ginger
- 1 green chili
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon black salt
- Ice cubes
Method
- In a blender, combine all the ingredients.
- Blend until smooth and well incorporated.
- Pour into glasses and garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve chilled and enjoy the refreshing taste!
3. Aam Panna
Incorporating seasonal fruits and vegetables into your diet is always a wise choice, and when it comes to irresistible options, the king of fruits reigns supreme. Aam Panna, a sweet and tangy raw mango beverage, not only tantalizes your taste buds but also provides a rich source of nutrients and vitamins, offering a delicious solution to dehydration.
Benefits of Aam Panna:
- Promotes Eye Health: Abundant in Vitamin A, Aam Panna contributes to enhanced eyesight and shields against various eye ailments such as cataracts, dry eyes, and night blindness.
- Supports Liver Function: Raw mangoes facilitate the secretion of bile juices, aiding in intestinal cleansing and preventing liver-related issues. Furthermore, their high content of vitamin C and antioxidants helps in averting cancer and cardiovascular complications.
- Alleviates Gastrointestinal Issues: Enriched with pectin, raw mangoes, when combined with salt and sugar in Aam Panna, serve as an effective remedy for gastrointestinal problems like constipation, piles, and diarrhea.
How to Prepare Aam Panna
A refreshing beverage perfect for beating the summer heat and tantalizing your taste buds, Aam Panna is at its finest when served cold, accompanied by a few sprigs of mint.
Ingredients:
- 1 raw mango
- 2 cups of water
- 3 tbsp mint leaves
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
- Ice cubes
Instructions:
- Place the raw mango in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water.
- Cover and pressure cook for 5 minutes.
- Once cooked, allow the mango to cool.
- Peel the skin off the boiled mango and scrape out the pulp.
- In a blender, combine the mango pulp with the remaining ingredients.
- Blend until smooth.
- Dilute the blended mixture with some cold water.
- Pour the Aam Panna over ice cubes in glasses.
- Garnish with mint leaves and serve chilled.
4. Lemonade
Lemonade stands out as one of the easiest-to-make and most beloved beverages, especially during the summer months. Packed with the goodness of vitamin C, it offers numerous health benefits, including aiding in weight loss, promoting hydration, and enhancing skin quality.
Benefits of Drinking Lemonade:
- Powerful Antioxidant Properties: Thanks to its high vitamin C content, lemon water boasts potent antioxidant properties. These antioxidants play a crucial role in reducing the risk of various health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, and diabetes by combating oxidative stress and neutralizing harmful free radicals in the body.
- Prevents Kidney Stones: Lemon water effectively inhibits calcium buildup and aids in preventing kidney stones by binding citric acid, salt, and citrate. Moreover, it helps increase urine citrate levels, thereby lowering the risk of kidney stone formation.
- Promotes Clear Skin: Lemonade aids in detoxifying the body, which contributes to clearer skin. Rich in vitamin C, it rejuvenates and heals the skin, promoting a healthy, radiant complexion. Additionally, the body’s collagen production, stimulated by vitamin C, plays a crucial role in smoothing out facial lines and aiding in the healing of wounds and acne scars.
Lemonade Recipe
A simple yet refreshing beverage made with minimal ingredients, perfect for detoxifying and promoting a healthy body.
Ingredients:
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 glass of water
- Ice cubes
Instructions:
- Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a glass.
- Add sugar and a pinch of salt to the lemon juice.
- Pour in a small amount of water and mix thoroughly until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Fill the glass with cold water.
- Add ice cubes to the glass.
- Stir well and enjoy your homemade lemonade!
5. Thandai
A delectable traditional Indian beverage often associated with the festival of Holi, Thandai can also be a refreshing addition to your summer essentials. Enriched with the goodness of dry fruits, this drink offers a quick energy boost during the scorching summer days.
Benefits of Drinking Thandai:
- Helps Relieve Constipation: Thandai contains poppy seeds, known for their ability to alleviate gastrointestinal irritation and promote bowel movement, thus aiding in relieving constipation. Additionally, the inclusion of rose petals helps cool the body and enhance digestive health.
- Provides Instant Energy: The combination of pumpkin seeds, pistachios, almonds, and watermelon seeds in Thandai serves as a potent energizer, swiftly replenishing lost energy caused by the heat waves of summer.
How to Prepare Thandai
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of powdered jaggery
- 3 cups of toned milk
- 2 strands of saffron
- 2-3 black peppercorns
- 8-10 almonds, roasted
- 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds (khus-khus)
- 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds (saunf)
- A pinch of cardamom (elaichi) powder
- 2-3 white peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons of watermelon seeds
- 2 teaspoons of pumpkin seeds
- 5-7 pistachios
Method:
- Grind all the dry ingredients into a fine powder using a grinder.
- Mix this powder with chilled milk.
- Garnish with saffron strands and chopped dry fruits before serving.