Sattu Sharbat to Milk with Sugar: Ministry of Ayush recommends general food measures to fight heatwave

India is grappling with an intense heatwave as temperatures soar and reaches 44-48°C across may cities. According to reports, Delhi is experiencing 44-45°C and while Uttar Pradesh's Banda district has recorded over 48°C. The weather department has issued orange alerts for Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, warning of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions, while red alerts were sounded for warm night conditions in parts of Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha. Keeping the rising temperature and heatwave in view, the Ministry of Ayush has issued public healthy advisory of heatwave and has recommended general food and drinks measures for daily life. Take a look.

Ministry suggests drinking plenty of water throughout the day is important to keep the body hydrated. The advisory also suggests to include buttermilk, coconut water, and fruit juices in daily diet to maintain fluid levels and stay cool.

It is also recommended to incorporate naturally cooling drinks like coconut water, lemon juice, or fruit-based drinks. According to experts, these help to lower body temperature and keep you refreshed.

The advisory also suggests that before leaving the house, opt for light, easy-to-digest meals. It strictly says to avoid heavy or oily foods, as they can increase body heat.

One can also keep cooling ingredients handy that can converted into drinks. Ingredients like khus (vetiver), sariva (Indian sarsaparilla), jeera (cumin), and dhanyaka (coriander seeds) can help reduce body heat.

It also recommeds consuming sattu (a coarse powder made from roasted barley or Bengal gram) mixed with jaggery or rock salt as a drink for a cooling and refreshing treat.

It also recommends to include foods like falsa (Indian blackberry), munakka (raisins), laja (parched paddy), and petha (candied ash gourd) in your diet for their cooling properties.

Consuming fruits and vegetables that contain high water content, such as grapes, cucumber, watermelon, water chestnut, muskmelon, mango, and sugarcane juice is also advisable. And, bael sharbat is also an excellent option to beat the heat.

The advisory also suggests to stay hydrated and maintain energy by drinking milk with added sugar.