BERHAMPUR: With the mercury level rising, residents of the Silk City have started adopting some healthy summer food to beat the heat. People are preferring food that is traditionally believed to cool the body.While the scorching heat forces people to stay indoors, frequent power-cut has added to the woes of the residents. Apart from soft drinks, there is demand for  traditional drinks like watermelon, green coconut, sugarcane and cucumber juice.  The demand for ‘Pakhala’ (water rice) has also increased manifold. 

Health experts say, “These are some of the most common food items that become a part of our summer diet to help us beat the scorching heat. The traditional drinks and fruits help control dehydration.”Professor of MKCG Dr Rajoo Dash said watermelon and green coconut not only provide carbohydrates to the body, they also control the body temperature during summer.

These fruits or juices are particularly good for gastric patients and sufficient to avoid sunstrokes, he claimed. The traditional drinks provide calories and fulfil the nutritive requirements of the body.‘Pakhala’, the identity of Odisha, has also made its mark. While hundreds of people on Wednesday celebrated ‘Pakhala Diwas’, city hotels have started serving the Odia dish to its customers on the day, said Balaram Panda, a local.