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Follow these steps, eat your way to recovery

This summer, the heat isn’t just draining your energy — it’s quietly turning everyday food into a potential health hazard. As a dietitian, one concerning pattern I’m seeing is the sharp rise in diarrhea, vomiting, hyperacidity, and gut infections. The culprit? This year’s unusually high baseline temperatures. In earlier summers, bacteria naturally present in food remained relatively slower in cooler conditions. 

But now, with temperatures staying consistently higher, bacterial colonies are multiplying much faster — even in freshly prepared food left out for as little as 15-30 minutes. That simple home-cooked meal, cut fruit bowl, or snack left on the kitchen counter may now spoil far quicker than expected, increasing the risk of stomach infections when consumed unknowingly.

If you are someone facing these gut issues right now, here is your guide to recovery: 

Step Pause raw foods

Avoid salads, uncooked vegetables, and high insoluble fibre foods, as they can aggravate an already inflamed digestive tract.

Step Rehydrate strategically

Vomiting and diarrhoea  cause rapid fluid and electrolyte loss, so focus on ORS, electrolyte water, lemon-sugar-salt water, or dhania-jeera-saunf water with sugar and salt, which can additionally help calm the gut and ease hyperacidity while replenishing lost fluids.

Step Follow the BRAT-CKO diet

Nausea often suppresses appetite, so choose whichever gut-friendly food from this list feels easiest to consume, have: Bread, banana, batata (potato), rice, rava, apple, anar  (pomegranate), toast, black tea, curd, coffee, kanji, khichadi, or oats. These foods are gentle on digestion, help bulk stools, and support recovery without overloading the stomach.

Step Take prescribed medications diligently

Your GP’s antibiotics or medications are crucial for controlling infection and symptoms.

Step Restore your gut with probiotics

Once medications are underway, include kombucha or probiotic-rich beverages to help recolonise beneficial gut bacteria, especially after antibiotic use.

Step Prioritise complete rest

Your body needs time to heal from internal stress and inflammation.

This summer, eating fresh isn’t just healthy — it’s essential. Consume food promptly, store it safely, and protect your gut before the heat takes a toll.

Avoid

Garlic and ginger, though great for immunity, are also thermogenic spices that stimulate blood circulation, eventually leading to warming of body and increasing body temperature.

Salty snacks… as they are concentrated and low on moisture. Such salty foods increase your body’s sodium levels which signals your brain to thirst. Not drinking more than enough water after consuming such food products, leads to cellular dehydration.

Deep fried food and high fat foods… as they are dense and move through the gastro-intestinal tracts very slowly. During summer, the blood is diverted towards skin than your gut to help humans sweat. If you have heavy oily food sitting in your stomach, it ferments and causes bloating.

High thermogenic effect food… which is red meat and heavy proteins. Proteins require the most energy to digest. Processing such heavy food can increase your body temperature by 1-1.5 degree centigrade simply due to the effort your body needs to put to break these foods. 

All views by Tehseen Siddiqui, chief dietician at  Saifee Hospital, Mumbai unless stated otherwise. She spoke to mid-day’s health reporter Ritika Gondhalekar

Dal Khichdi

Moong dal in rice or a light Khichdi is ideal as it is easy on the liver and does not require the intense heat production that heavy proteins or fats do.

Cucumbers are cool

High water produce like doodhi, turai, and cucumber are essentially structured water. They are digested with minimal metabolic effort, meaning your body doesn’t heat up just to break them down.

Sabja (hoary Basil) seeds… adding these to any food or drink is highly effective as they are mucilaginous and help the body retain moisture for longer periods, acting like a slow release hydration pack

Curd is a pre-digested food because of the fermentation process. It provides instant cooling and helps maintain the core body temperature.

Turn to curd rice

One of the most soothing summer recovery meals, curd rice cools the body, reduces acidity, and supports digestion. Curd acts as a natural probiotic-rich coolant, while rice offers gentle carbohydrates to maintain energy. Add grated carrot, anar, or soft vegetables for extra nourishment.