Viola! Summer has come. Besides bringing the feast of mangoes, it is the season when you need to take care of yourself more. Since 'dehydration', which is the loss of body fluid in large quantity, is a common feature of the season, you need to consume plenty of water and refreshing juices in order to satisfy the need of your body.

However, what is more important here is that not all beverages, though very good in taste, are good for your health; in fact, many are quite harmful for our internal body system — carbonated or soft drinks, for example.

Avoiding fizzy soft drinks and being thought of a not-so-cool guy is a better thing than to opt for drinking them and damaging your health. Too much of these drinks can be hazardous for our health as they cause problems such as obesity, diabetes, dental erosion and kidney problems.

The soft drinks are also called 'empty calories' because, as aforementioned, they only contain hazardous components and no nutrition. One spoon of sugar (levelled) contains 15 calories and the same, if heaped, contains 25 calories; whereas, one soda drink (the same soft drink) contains as many as 124-189 calories. Black coffee contains 0-4 calories and tea (unsweetened) contains four calories.

A common soft drink contains a 4pH which causes erosion of tooth enamel, where pH is acidity present in liquids and the normal pH is seven, that of water.

So, we see our refuge from heat should never be soft drinks as they give us an extra push towards a damaged health system; however, we can consume fresh juices of fruits in order to give the nutrition our body needs to bear the summer heat. A good thing about summer is that the fruits that appear at this time are the juicy kind, such as mango, melons, falsay, etc.

The benefits of fruits are so many that even a child knows about it. Juices of fresh fruits provide us with minerals, vitamins, beneficial acids, proteins, etc., which are contributing to our good health.

Orange juice is full of vitamin C which is an essential part of a healthy diet and acts as an effective antioxidant. It also makes your bones stronger and contains folic acid and potassium, too. Similarly, lemon is also full of vitamin C and a good source of potassium and calcium, it helps in curing digestive problems, nausea, heartburns and disorders of constipation, worm infestation, etc. Moreover, it works as a tonic for the liver, especially if taken in the morning and makes it easy to digest the day's food.

The benefits of juices are endless, and remember, by consuming different types of fresh juices of seasonal fruits, you are also reducing the risk of cancer and stroke. So you will now reach for fresh juices and not bottled or canned cold drinks the next time you want to beat the heat. Happy summer!