Ayurveda expert on how to avoid weight gain during summer

Summer weight gain can catch you by surprise and there are many factors that could be contributing to it. Here are tips by Ayurveda expert Dr Dixa Bhavsar to tackle unwanted weight gain.

While winter season is notorious for causing weight gain and people are kind of ready to deal with the additional calories once the brutal cold bids adieu, summer weight gain can catch you by surprise. There are many factors that may contribute to the summer bulge including changes in your routine when the kids are at home to drinking too many sugary and cool beverages that taste heavenly in the season. Some people may also go on crash diets early in summer only to realise their weight coming back stronger than ever when the heat is at the peak. Also, some fitness experts are of the view that sleep deprivation during hot months could be another reason that may increase food cravings in people and cause weight gain. (Also read: Expert on surprising reasons behind weight gain)

There are many factors that may contribute to the summer bulge including changes in your routine when the kids are at home to drinking too many sugary and cool beverages (Unsplash)

Ayurveda can come to your rescue when it comes to avoiding unwanted weight during summer. Dr Dixa Bhavsar in her recent Instagram post shares tips.

1. Skip or have light breakfast

Dr Bhavsar advises one to avoid heavy breakfast in summer as the digestive capacity (agni) is comparatively low. The expert says having three heavy meals could cause weight gain, so it is best to either skip breakfast if you aren't hungry in morning or have very light foods like fruits, vegetable juices or just nuts for breakfast.

2. Drink infused drinks and cooling herbal teas

As the temperature rises, our body demands more water and cooling beverages to maintain homeostasis. Dr Bhavsar suggests drinking naturally cooled water in earthen pot or matke ka pani and infused drinks of cooling herbs like mint, coriander, cucumber rather than carbonated drinks.

"Sipping on cooling herbal teas like hibiscus, mint, cumin, fennel, coriander, chamomile, rose, lavender, brahmi also helps you maintain your weight and even stay cool," says the Ayurveda expert.

3. Choose fruits over fruit juices

Eating whole fruit as mid-meal snacks is the best away to beat summer blues rather than having milkshakes or fruit juices. Dr Bhavsar explains why.

"Summer is the season of delicious fruits and we are often tempted to have cooling milkshakes and fruit juices. But mixing fruits with milk is incompatible (viruddha ahara acc to ayurveda) so best to avoid them and have milk at bedtime for sound sleep & cooling effect and have fruits separately (either as a breakfast or mid day snack)," she says.

Dr Bhavsar adds that fruit juices contain less fibre, more sugar and more calories. She adds that another advantage of having whole fruits is that the process of chewing also helps in digesting and metabolising it optimally, rather than drinking it.

4. Stop eating anything post-dinner

"During summer, the day is long and hot while the nights are short and cooling. So people tend to sleep late and spend time outdoors in the evening and night and enjoy the moonlight during summer. Now if you are awake until late, there are chances you might crave food or feel hungry at night as 10 pm to 2 am is pitta dominant time which ignites appetite. If you have food again after dinner, that might cause indigestion and weight gain. So it is best to have dinners early (before sunset or by 8 pm) and then avoid eating late at night," says the Ayurveda expert.

If you are too hungry, you can sip on half of glass of cow milk at bedtime which facilitates good sleep and even easy bowel movement next morning, adds the expert.

5. Stay Active

"Now in summer if we don't exercise and just keep eating cooling foods, that could definitely cause weight gain. So it is mandatory for us to practice mild exercise daily (which doesn't exhaust us rather makes us feel more relaxed and flexible).

You can choose whatever you like from walking, dancing, cooling pranayamas, swimming, pilates, cardio, yoga asanas, etc.

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