People prefer ‘desi’ beverages to aerated drinks in summer

PATNA: Ditching aerated soft drinks, Patnaites are switching to desi thirst-quenchers to stay healthy and cool in ruthless summer when the temperature has already crossed 40 degrees Celsius.

Summer brings with it a yearning to guzzle down soda-based carbonated cold drinks as the body craves for some flavourful hydration. But, the number of people preferring bottled beverages is dipping as many rely on healthy traditional drinks available in this season. People are gulping down more of chilled juices and sherbets or natural drinks like coconut water.

Anshiki Dixit, a homemaker spotted at a Sudha milk booth near Vivekananda Marg, said, “Whenever I crave for drinking something outside home, I prefer small packets of ‘mango lassi’ rather than going for soda drinks. It’s healthy and pure.”

Celebrating summer, the refreshing Bihari coolers that find place on the priority list include the humble ‘sattu’ drink to the earthy ‘shikanji’ to the lavish lassi and sherbet. A wide variety of drinks — creamy and fruit filled lassis and thandai made from milk and dry fruits, shikanjis of water, sugar and lemon, aam panna from unripe mangoes, chillies and mint leaves, ‘chhach’ and regular fruit drinks and coconut water are also among the favourites.

Speaking to this newspaper, 20-year-old Deepshikha of Boring Road area said, “I am a hosteller and have to go for coaching in the noon time. Before going out, I drink sattu every day as it is the tastiest and healthiest way to fight with the extreme heat conditions, and also waives off the hunger pangs for pretty good time.”

Near a bustling spot adjacent to Patna Junction, Suraj Yadav, who owns a makeshift shop of variety of drinks, said, “Sattu and bel sherbet have the highest sales. They come at a nominal cost of Rs20 per glass and I sell more than 200 glasses a day. Besides, people also go for various fruit juices to fight the scorching temperatures.”

Elaborating on the harmful effects of having carbonated drinks, Dr Ravi Kirti, a general physician at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, said, “Sugar sweetened carbonated drinks are good in taste, but are really harmful for our body. Increased risk of heart attack, obesity, diabetes are some of the most prominent health issues that can be attributed to these drinks.”

He suggested that one should rather go for homemade lemon shikanji, jaljeera, aam panna and give up carbonated drinks.