Sheela Krishnaswamy
There’s nothing like a bowl of hot soup to drive the chill away. And if you choose a healthy way to cook your soup, it can also serve as a nourishing meal. Adding vegetables, meats or starchy foods to soups can provide you with essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fat and/or fibre, depending on the kind of ingredients you use. Clear, thin and watery soups inject a good deal of hydration into the body, while soups thickened with cream, sauce or starch can be more filling or heavy. Vegetarian soups can be a wholesome treat, especially when packed with a lot of vegetables. It’s also a great way to get fussy children to eat more vegetables. Chicken soup is famous for being ‘grandma’s home remedy’ and is most beneficial for those with a stuffy nose or sore throat.
When had at the start of a meal, vegetable soups, with or without lentils, can partially fill your stomach and reduce over-eating. This, in turn, helps with weight management. Also, a fibre-rich soup loaded with vegetables and a sufficient fluid content can aid smooth bowel movements. Clear soups can be good for the elderly and those recovering from illnesses.
Soups can also serve as a healthy substitute for harmful evening snacks. So cut down on the junk food and take the safer ‘soup route’, which can also become a complete meal as it provides a good balance of ingredients with nutrition.
Dried soups are popular due to the convenience. They can be reconstituted and are helpful while travelling. However, it’s important to choose low sodium and fat-free options when it comes to packaged soups.
Coconut Water: The natural beverage really does deserve its popular reputation. Coconut water is a natural drink that has everything your average sports drink has and more. It has five times more potassium than sports drinks. 
Watermelon: Researchers have suggested that a daily slice of watermelon could help prevent heart disease by halting the build-up of 'bad' cholesterol. They believe the secret to watermelon's health-boosting properties lies in citrulline, a chemical found in the juice. Musk Melon: Musk Melon is a great source of Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene - both help keep the body cool by killing bacteria and other foreign elements.Buttermilk: Buttermilk has digestion-friendly bacteria and it is believed that yogurt may work by increasing levels of HDL cholesterol - the so-called 'good cholesterol' - in the blood. It also has a cooling effect on the body. Sugarcane Juice: Sugarcane juice is a great summer drink and includes combinations of sugars like glucose and fructose. It keeps the body cool and hydrated.Cucumber: Fruit and vegetables with high water content are particularly good for hot weather, which includes cucumber. Foods with grain are good for the body because they keep the body topped up with magnesium and calcium, preventing cramps in the heat. Kokum: Kokum juice is not only refreshing but also improves digestion and heals stomach ulcers. Lemon Juice: Besides being good for the skin, lemon juice, or nimbu pani, reduces aging and is also a great cooling agent. Aam Panna: Aam Panna is a rich source of pectin and an effective remedy for heat exhaustion.Banana: Benefits of Bananas are many, but none as relevant during the draining summer than it's fluid regulating abilities. Bananas are rich in potassium, which helps to regulate body fluid lost through excessive sweating.Carrots: Carrots have been found to improve vision in dim light, strengthen body's immunity to infections such as winter colds and flu, and helps maintain healthy skin. Chillies: A moderate amount of spice can actually help cool you down. Spices like fresh ginger, cayenne, or black pepper will temporarily increase your internal warmth, but serve to disperse the heat on the body's surface, ultimately cooling you. Apricots: It is revealed that those with a healthy glow have a higher presence of carotenoids, which are yellow and red antioxidants thought to play a role in the immune system. Carotenoids are commonly found in fruits and vegetables such as yellow and red peppers, spinach, apricots and melons. Gulkand: Gulkand is a great coolant and a powerful antioxidant. It helps fight stress and fatigue. Mango: Mango is a nutritionally rich fruit. It’s extremely good for the skin as it clears up the pores and gets rid of acne. Mango is an excellent source of Vitamin A. Mint: Mint has multitude of benefits. Mint stimulates digestion and has antibacterial properties which can cure acne and blackheads. Onion: Especially red ones contain a chemical called quercetin which is believed to have an anti-histamine effect. Histamine is the irritant that causes heat rashes and adverse reactions to insect bites and stings, so eating onions daily may help to ease these summer complaints. Tomatoes: Tomatoes contain a compound called lycopene, which principally give them their deep-red colour. Anti-oxidants in tomatoes are already known to combat cancer, heart disease and other ailments, which is why some people adopting a Mediterranean diet appear to live longer. Spinach: Researchers have discovered that the serum-concentration of the antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene are significantly important to keep you hydrated during summers. Pumpkin: Pumpkin contains alpha hydroxy acids plus vitamin A, which helps increase the rate of cell renewal to unveil younger-looking, softer skin. 
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