Summer with the sun, the sea, the mountains and the lakes creates a sense of psychological relaxation and pushes towards the pleasures of life. A table on the bend of a lake, on the top of a mountain or amidst the scent of fresh grass is inviting. Food is the coordinating element of joie de vivre and is linked to all aspects of social relationships. Around a table with glasses filled with wine, fine drinks and refined dishes, it is easier to converse, find an understanding, settle questions and infect feelings of well-being. Food must be adapted and changed according to climatic cycles. Heavy eating in the summer is like wearing a coat in the heat of summer. Food, in harmony with the climate, helps the body to better bear the discomforts of the heat and to enjoy its benefits. Food and climate are the track on which to roll the train of our health.
Summer foods
The Mediterranean diet, much followed in Italy, is rich in fiber for the consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, cereals, olive oil, meat and fish. These essential foods must be combined and linked according to individual needs and the climate. Water is the healthiest drink of this period, two liters a day are the necessary requirement to give our body refreshment, perspiration and soft and delicate skin. Introducing liquids methodically, without exaggerating, is like using a timed watering can for plants. All other drinks come later and must be based on fresh fruit. Light teas, smoothies, fruit juices, vegetables, carrots, tomatoes and celery are also indicated, in addition to liquids they also replenish salts and vitamins.
The abundant sweats deprive our body of water and mineral salts, such as sodium and potassium, and the reintegration must take place in the shortest possible time in order not to feel asthenia and disorientation. It would also be advisable to put slightly more salty foods than usual on the table, to replace the lost salts, in compliance with the subject's health conditions; the supplementary addition of salt is contraindicated for the hypertensive.
The foods are dictated by the same cycle of the seasons. The richness and variety of fruit is linked to the summer sun. Connecting our body to nature, to live in symbiosis, is the rule par excellence that we should all respect to avoid serious health problems and tune in to the biorhythms of nature. Common sense and elementary food knowledge must be the simplest guide in choosing drinks and foods. All the rules that we find in magazines and newspapers are nothing more than detailed expositions of what nature suggests to us. The science of food is entirely based on respect for the relationship between the individual and the environment and takes into account the ecological imbalance deriving from negative changes in the environment. Such a suggested food can be polluted by pesticides and ecological problems. For example, fish, in recent decades, has been enriched with a lot of lead and eating it every day could create problems. Toxic infections are enhanced by the heat and are encouraged by the development of bacterial colonies, ready to attack foods outside the cold chain. Frozen, refrigerated and cold foods must strictly follow sanitation standards.
How much to eat in the summer
Calories are burned through exercise and cold weather. In the summer you have less desire to move so you burn less, consume less and there is a surplus of calories which affects body temperature. Eating less and lighter foods is
