Are you struggling with the summer heat and looking for a way to cool down? A visit to the pool or standing in front of the open fridge may help. Alternatively, you can cool your body from the inside out by eating certain foods.
The concept of cooling foods is found in both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM for short) and in the Indian healing art of Ayurveda. Both distinguish between "cold" and "hot" foods. While cold foods cool down your body, hot foods warm it up. The aim is to keep the body in balance with its environment.
In this article, we show you a few foods that will cool you down on hot days:
When temperatures rise in summer, our bodies compensate for this increase in heat by sweating. It is estimated that we lose 2 to 3 litres of water on hot summer days. It is therefore especially important at this time of year to supply the body with sufficient water.
According to TCM and Ayurveda, we should eat mainly hydrating foods in summer. These foods have a cooling and moisturising effect on the body and offer a balance to the heat and dryness of the environment. These foods contain particularly high amounts of water:
Consisting of 95 percent water, the cucumber is one of the most hydrating foods of all. Cucumbers are also rich in potassium, iron and zinc. This is important because when you sweat, your body loses not only water but also valuable minerals. Cucumbers are therefore ideal for compensating for the loss of water and minerals in the body.
The watermelon was undoubtedly named after its main ingredient. Consisting of 90 percent water, it is perfect to keep you cool on hot days. On top of that, it also contains hardly any calories and sugar. That makes it the ideal summer snack!
Tomatoes are also great for keeping you hydrated when temperatures rise. In addition to their cooling effect, tomatoes are rich in antioxidants. These protect the body's cells from harmful influences, such as UV rays when sunbathing.
Not only water-rich foods cool the body from the inside out. Certain spices and herbs also have a cooling effect. Peppermint is particularly effective. The menthol it contains cools the organism down.
In addition, peppermint stimulates your taste buds and inhibits your craving for sweets. This is doubly beneficial: because not only is sugar high in calories, it also heats up your body!
You may know natural yoghurt as a home remedy against sunburn. It also has the same cooling effect within your body. Dairy products such as yoghurt, quark, buttermilk or kefir cool you down from the inside out. No wonder people in India swear by refreshing yoghurt lassis in summer!
There are also certain foods that you should avoid on hot days. They will heat up your body even more. These include:
Want to get some cooling foods on your next shopping trip? We have prepared a Bring! shopping list for you:
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