The rising summer heat calls for some quick and effective measures to keep our bodies cool and stop them from overheating. While taking a dip in the pool or taking a shower is always an option, you need to keep your body cool, not just from the outside, but from within. If you’re making efforts to keep yourself cool but still feel hot and sweaty, it is possible that the foods you’re eating are not ideal for consumption during summer. Thankfully, nature has blessed us with several foods that work wonders when it comes to protecting us during a heatwave.
Satisfying Food Items To Keep You Cool
Seasonal fruits and vegetables have their benefits and one of which is that some of these help you beat the summer heat and help your body in maintaining a moderate temperature. These food items not only have a refreshing and cool effect but also have a nutritional value which your body might be missing so you must take these into consideration.
Vegetables
Vegetables are important for the human body because of their different vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre content which play a vital role in maintaining human health. Low in calories but high on vitamins and minerals, cucumbers contain antioxidants and promote hydration in your body. Having high water content, cucumbers are known to lower body temperature from the inside and prevent dehydration. You can toss it in a salad, eat it raw or make green smoothies out of it with lime and mint; it tastes great in every way.
It is often hard for some people to eat leafy green vegetables but guess what? If you want to beat the heat, consider adding them to your diet. They can lower your core temperature because they also have high water content and are easier to digest. Thus, your body works less to consume them and thereby produces less heat in the process. Spinach and kale are two options you can consider.
Celery is another green veggie that contains high water content and is also a food that can come to the rescue when you want to stay cool during a heatwave. It not only flushes toxins out of your body but also has many other nutrients to offer. It is best with salads, stir-fries or soups. If you are making a salad, try adding radish as well because apart from its cooling effect on the body, it also boosts immunity and has a high level of vitamin C.
Fruits
Compared to vegetables especially the leafy green ones, fruits are much easier to consume because of their sweet taste. Easily available on every corner of every road in Pakistan, the country produces the majority of seasonal fruits.
Banana is one of the fruits that are available throughout the year. Besides being the ultimate source of potassium, bananas help our bodies absorb more water. This translates into keeping your core cool in spite of the heat. Bananas also make great snacks on the go and can help with summer cases of diarrhoea by replenishing lost nutrients.
Coconut is another fruit that can keep you cool during hot summer weather. Rich in electrolytes, the fruit can help you stay cool during a heatwave along with giving you an energy boost. You can eat the fleshy white fruit raw or drink its water, whichever is your preference.
If you are looking for more watery fruits, melons are essentially 95% water and more water means better hydration and lower body heat levels. Muskmelons are the most common ones available in most areas of Pakistan, but the varieties can vary as the summer season progresses in different parts of the country. Similar to melons, watermelons also have around 90% water content, making them beneficial for hydration and digestion. Eat them raw or blend them for a delicious juice; the choice is yours!
Another fruit which looks just like a cucumber, zucchini is actually a squash and can be yellow or green. Packed with vitamins, it can be eaten raw for a refreshing and hydrating effect.
Drinks
If you are not in the mood to eat whole a fruit or vegetable on its own and want something tasty and refreshing, there are many drinks that you can make or find in the markets. There are fruits and berries which can be blended to make you exactly what you need to recharge. Falsa comes in the peak summer season, with its taste ranging from sweet to extremely sour. The berry can be eaten raw or blended into a juice and can be easily found on almost every street or in fruit shops. It tastes great either way.
We’ve all seen vendors selling sugarcane juice at roadside stalls, but have you ever tasted the drink? While you might not be keen to try it at the roadside, sugarcane and its juice are both extremely helpful in hydrating and re-energizing the body rapidly.
Lemons have a detoxification effect on the body and act as immunity boosters. They also help with digestive processes, making the body produce less heat and keeping you cool as a result. If you don’t like adding lemons to your food, you can create detox water by adding a few slices of lemon to the drinking water. One alternative is to create lemonade, with a mixture of lemon juice, water, mint, salt, and ice cubes. The drink can energise you and keep you cool for longer.
Other Food Items
Other than the aforementioned fruits, vegetables and drinks, there are few food items that are used in combination with different ingredients. Mint is one food that can easily help you stay cool during a heatwave. You can chew raw mint leaves, add them to your diet, make a green chutney out of it by mixing it with green chillies and coriander or even add it to the raita in everyday meals. There’s also the option of creating a drink using the ingredient.
Opting for yoghurt and frozen yoghurt is also a good idea since it cools your body down naturally and is a healthier alternative to other snacks that might feel cool on the outside but will actually raise your body temperature. Make a lassi or raita for additional flavour.
Don’t Be Fooled!
These foods are super nutritious and easy to digest, which is partly why they can lend a hand to the cooling effect your body is craving. However, while you’re making an effort to keep your body cool, there are a few things you should avoid, including ice cream and ice cubes, the two foods that are the most easily misinterpreted. While ice feels cold on the outside, it actually warms your core up, since your body has to generate more heat to fight the cooling sensation. Meanwhile, ice cream is dense and takes longer to digest, resulting in the production of heat.
Grilled foods, junk food, and seafood also make your body generate more heat, as they usually take longer to convert into energy. As a rule, remember that just because a food feels cold to the touch does not determine the effect it’ll have on your body, despite the temporary relief it might provide. It is best to go for light, fresh, and easy-to-digest food choices that can keep you cool for longer during summers!
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