Stop this cola-very

Colas and ice creams may give you temporary relief from the heat, but they do more harm than good.

You might be downing gallons of fizzy colas and ice creams to beat the heat, but did you know, while these may bring temporary relief to your palate, they’re actually making your body warmer and also damaging your liver?

“Of late, more and more young professionals and students are facing a fatty liver problem. A sedentary lifestyle and empty calories from lots of colas have an additive effect that harms the liver. These can damage the liver badly, leading to many chronic diseases,” says Dr Subash Gupta, chief liver transplant surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.

Harmful effects
Fatty liver is a disease characterised by excessive deposition of fat in the liver that in turn may lead to cirrhosis. Junk food, including coke and ice cream, if taken in excess, can also lead to metabolic syndrome that is characterised by obesity, hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin in blood), diabetes and high blood pressure. “More than half of all obese people suffer from a fatty liver. About 30% of our patients undergo liver transplantation due to this reason,” says
Dr Vivek Vij, HOD Liver Transplant, Fortis Noida.

On the other hand, while that scoop of butter scotch ice-cream may seem like the best thing on a hot summer day, in reality it tends to cool only that part of your body, which is in contact with it. Soon after consumption, when the system digests and absorb the nutrients in the ice cream, the body temperature shoots up.

Cool down with these natural beverages

Carrot tomato juice
This can be both blended or strained as juice. Add aloe vera, salt and pepper to pep up the taste as well as health benefits.

Thandai
Blend almonds, flax seeds, melon seeds, poppy seeds, sesame and mix honey and lime to whip up this desi favourite. It also provides valuable omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Iced tea
Green tea, tulsi, ginger, peach, honey and lime — there are a lot options to choose from, for this anti-oxidant rich cooling drink.

Mixed vegetable juice
Blend raw spinach, cucumber and ginger — and strain as juice. Add wheat grass juice, lime juice and chat masala for a tangy feast.

Jal jeera
A mix of tamarind pulp, rock salt and roasted jeera powder. Add honey and garnish with mint leaves before you sip on this high-on-nutrients juice.

Sattu
Made from sprouted wheat (wheat germ) and roasted grams (channas) ground together. For more fun, add salt and curd, or jaggery and skimmed milk.