Need a light summer diet? Try alkaline diet and know what to eat in a day

Cool down this summer with the help of good dietary choices. Choose this diet that helps to keep your digestive systemlifes easy.

How do you stay cool this summer? The sweltering heat is bound to take a toll on your gut, leading to issues like bloating and sluggish digestion. That’s why your body naturally craves lighter, cleaner meals. Summer is already overstimulating, with all the heat, sweat, and dust putting a strain on your biological functions. Your body is working overtime to manage the extreme environmental conditions, regulating temperature, maintaining hydration, and more. It becomes imperative to eat light so you don't put added pressure on your system.

Plant-based foods have a lot of nutrients.(Shutterstock)

This is where the alkaline diet comes in. Rooted in ph-balanced, plant-based ingredients, it not only eases digestion during the hotter months but also helps prevent common gut troubles. In contrast, an acidic diet, heavy on processed foods, caffeine, and sugar, can increase inflammation and make digestive issues worse in the heat.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Nidhi Nahata,Lifestyle coach, Founder Jutsbe by Nidhi Nahata, a Plant-based vegetarian restaurant, explained more about the alkaline diet and what an ideal alkaline diet looks like.

 

The meals of alkaline diets consist of veggies and leafy greens majorly.(Shutterstock)

She explained first the difference between alkaline and acidic diets. Nidhi said, “We often talk about acidic foods and alkaline foods without understanding what makes a food acidic or alkaline. It’s not the taste, it’s the residue it leaves after digestion. Meats, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, refined flours, fried and processed foods, all leave behind an acidic residue in the body, causing inflammation, fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and eventually disease. Ironically, these are also the foods people are addicted to.”

Everyone must have had a moment of digging into a tub of ice cream, cooking noodles or searching for chips in the middle of the night. Turns out this, too, is connected to your diet. Nidhi explained, “No one craves carrots at midnight. No one feels restless without a banana. You can overeat chips, but rarely overeat fruits. That’s not a coincidence, it’s nature’s boundary line. Acidic foods create cravings. Alkaline foods create balance.”

Now, diving into the basics of the alkaline diet's nutritional profile, the lifestyle coach added, “A whole food plant-based diet is inherently alkaline. It avoids the very foods that disrupt the body’s natural pH and instead nourishes it with what it was designed to digest:fibre-rich, enzyme-packed, water-loaded plants. This isn’t a diet.”

Nidhi Nahata shared a detailed guide on the alkaline diet with us, covering what a typical day on the diet looks like, along with some key lifestyle changes:

What to eat on alkaline diet in a day?

 

The day begins with smoothie bowls filled with superfoods.(Shutterstock)

1. Pre-breakfast:

On waking: Rehydrate and recharge

• Start your day with coconut water or warm water with lemon and soaked chia seeds.
• This combination not only balances the pH but also flushes toxins, hydrates cells, and kickstarts metabolism.

2. Breakfast:

• A power smoothie made with bananas, spinach, soaked dates, chia seeds, and a handful of amaranth leaves or moringa.
• This isn’t just food, it’s cellular fuel. When consumed on an empty stomach, your digestive fire is the strongest. This is when your body absorbs the maximum nutrients and initiates healing.

3. Mid-morning snack:

• A bowl of sprouted moong and chana salad, tossed with lemon, flax seeds, grated coconut, and a dash of rock salt.
• Sprouts are alive, rich in enzymes and alkaline by nature.

4. Lunch:

• Begin with a raw salad (cucumber, tomato, beet, coriander) with a sesame-lemon dressing.
• Follow with a portion of lentil curry, steamed red or black rice, and a side of sautéed green beans or bottle gourd.
• Avoid wheat and dairy, they are among the most mucus-forming and acidic foods.

5. Mid-afternoon snack:

• Instead of caffeine, choose infused herbal teas (tulsi, lemongrass, or hibiscus).
• Pair with roasted makhana, puffed rice chaat, corn salad, or steamed sweet potato with lime and cumin.

6. Dinner:

Begin with vegetable broth or soup, pumpkin, spinach, or bottle gourd. Follow with one of these alkaline dinner options:

• Millet khichdi with vegetables.
• Moong dal porridge with curry leaves and turmeric.
• Steamed amaranth idlis with coconut chutney.
• Stuffed red bell peppers with quinoa and herbs.
• Sauteed ridge gourd with foxtail millet.
• Finish with a small bowl of soaked raisins or dates if you need something sweet.

Lifestyle alkalizers, beyond the plate

 

Stay hydrated during summers.(Shutterstock)

• Sip water throughout the day, as it flushes acidic waste.
• Sunlight for 15 minutes daily helps alkalize your system and boost your mood.
• Movement, walking, yoga, or stretching stimulates lymphatic flow.

• Sleep early and rise early. Your body regenerates when you rest, and true energy is built in silence.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.