9 Delicious Body Cooling Foods To Beat The Summer Heat

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Summer’s sunny days and outdoor activities are a great way to enjoy the season, but the rising temperatures can also take a toll on our bodies. The intense heat can lead to dehydration, causing fatigue, irritability, and weakness. To combat this, it’s crucial to maintain a healthy diet that includes body-cooling foods during the hot weather.

This blog post highlights ten delicious and nutritious foods that not only have a cooling effect but are also packed with essential nutrients and antioxidants. These foods help regulate body temperature, promote overall health, and ensure you stay comfortable and energetic throughout the summer. Let’s get in!

What is the Importance of Body Cooling Foods in Summer?

During summer’s peak, our body tends to lose water and essential salts through perspiration, where summer food comes into play. These foods are rich in water content, helping us avoid dehydration and maintaining a balanced body temperature. They replenish the body’s hydration status and provide essential vitamins and minerals that may be depleted due to sweating. Body-cooling foods are about quenching thirst and keeping energy levels up by promoting a healthy digestive system.

Hydration and Electrolyte Balance

Maintaining proper hydration and electrolyte balance in our body is vital as it ensures the efficient functioning of physiological mechanisms. Water-rich foods assist in hydrating tissues, promoting the elimination of waste through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements. Furthermore, these foods replenish lost salts and electrolytes that regulate key bodily functions, from transmitting nerve impulses to contracting muscles.

For instance, cucumber and watermelon are excellent water sources, boasting a high water content. Both these foods are exceptional for rehydrating and replenishing lost fluids due to excess sweating during the sweltering summer months.

Energy Levels and Metabolism

Contrary to the popular belief that consuming heavy meals will keep you energized, it can actually lead to lethargy during the hot weather, owing to increased metabolism and body heat produced. This is where food to cool body heat, like citrus fruits and mint leaves, comes into play.

They are light on your stomach while providing adequate nutrition, keeping you active. Citrus fruits, including lemons and oranges, are high in Vitamin C and fibre, boosting energy levels. The refreshing mint leaves aid digestion and provide an overall soothing effect, keeping your metabolism steady.

Protection from Heat-related Illnesses

The long, hot summer days can significantly increase the risks of heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Consuming food for cooling your body helps protect against these by keeping your internal body temperature in check. Watermelon, with its high water content, is not just hydrating but also contains lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps lower inflammation and oxidative stress.

Aside from being a refreshing summer drink, coconut water is full of essential electrolytes that aid in preventing dehydration, a common cause of heat-related illnesses. Moreover, the enzyme Bromelain in pineapples fights inflammation and combats heat-related issues.

9 Delicious Food To Eat in Summer to Keep Body Cool

From fresh, juicy fruits to leafy greens, nutrients-filled drinks to other culinary delights, we have rounded up the best ten cold foods for the body that certainly make the summer heat tolerable. Including these in your diet will not only help you stay cool and hydrated but also infuse your body with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These foods are not just about their cooling properties, they offer much more, contributing positively to your overall health and well-being. Let’s explore them in detail:

1. Watermelon

The first summer season food on our list is every picnic’s favourite fruit – watermelon. Being composed of 91% water, this juicy fruit is an excellent hydrator and is the best food for summer. Here are some reasons why watermelon should be included in your summer diet:

• High water content: As mentioned earlier, watermelon is packed with water, replenishing fluids lost through sweating in the summer heat.
• Rich in vitamins and minerals: Apart from being hydrating, watermelon is packed with essential nutrients like vitamin C, Vitamin A, and potassium.
• Has a cooling effect: The high amount of water in watermelon imparts a cooling effect, helping reduce the body temperature.
• Low in calories: Watermelon is low in calories, making it a perfect snack for those watching their weight.

2. Cucumber

Crisp, refreshing cucumber is another best food in summer. This light and hydrating vegetable is a great addition to summer salads, refreshing drinks or simply enjoyed raw. Here are some benefits of including cucumbers in your summer diet:

• High in water: Cucumbers consist of about 95% water; hence, they are extremely hydrating and help maintain your body’s water balance.
• Rich in vitamins & minerals: Cucumbers are a good source of vitamin K, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium, all playing an important role in maintaining good health.
• Promotes digestion: The high water and fibre content in cucumbers promote good digestion and prevent constipation, a common problem in summer.
• Refreshes skin: Due to their high water content and mild diuretic properties, cucumbers are known to flush out toxins from the body, giving a glow to your skin.

3. Coconut Water

Sipping on some fresh coconut water can provide incredible relief during intense summer heat. This tropical drink positions itself as a standout amongst food in the summer season due to its numerous benefits:

• Essential Minerals: Coconut water is an excellent source of vital minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which are essential for various body functions.
• Hydration: The high water content present in coconut water keeps the body hydrated and refreshed during hot and humid weather.
• Healthy Heart: Due to its potassium content, coconut water helps maintain healthy heart functions.
• Balances Electrolytes: The richness of electrolytes in coconut water helps prevent dehydration and maintain the balance of electrolytes in the body.

4. Mint or Peppermint

Mint or peppermint, often seen as a garnish, significantly reduces body temperature and is an ideal food to eat in summer. They are packed with benefits, making themselves a must-add to your summer diet:

• Aids Digestion: The active oil, menthol present in mint leaves has antiseptic and antibacterial properties that aid in digestion.
• Cooling Effect: Mint leaves have an amazing cooling effect that instantly lowers body heat.
• Rich in Nutrients: Mint is a rich source of Vitamin A that promotes better vision. Besides, it also packs a good amount of iron and fibre.
• Refreshing Flavour: The refreshing flavour of mint leaves can be added to a variety of dishes and drinks that make you feel refreshed in the summer heat.

5. Fresh Vegetables and Green Leafy Vegetables

The inclusion of fresh vegetables and green leafy vegetables in one’s daily diet is essential, especially during the summer season. These vegetables, being high in water content, keep the body well-hydrated. Some of them, along with their water content,t are:

Eating these vegetables, raw or lightly cooked, can help to restore the water levels in our bodies. Plus, they are low in calories and provide a good amount of vitamins and fibre!

6. Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits, such as lemons, oranges, grapefruits and limes, are excellent summer-cooling foods. The high vitamin C content and invigorating tart flavour of these fruits provide us with a flurry of health benefits:

• Keeps you hydrated: Due to their high water content, citrus fruits keep your body hydrated and help maintain optimal body temperature.
• Packed with Vitamin C: Citrus fruits are loaded with Vitamin C that strengthens the immune system, keeping you healthy throughout the summer season.
• Aids digestion: The acidity in these fruits slows down the digestion process, making you feel fuller for longer while also boosting your metabolism.
• Detoxifies the body: Citrus fruits are a natural detoxifier. They help purge toxins from the body thereby making skin clear and boosting overall health.

7. Curd

A staple in most Indian households, the curd is packed with essential nutrients and is of immense benefit during the hot summer months. Let’s look at why curd is deservedly known as a superfood for summers:

• Helps in digestion: Being rich in probiotics, curd is excellent for the gut and aids digestion.
• Boosts immunity: The live active cultures present in curd help boost immunity and fight off infections.
• Hydrates the body: Curd is rich in electrolytes and helps to keep us hydrated, making it an excellent food to combat the summer heat.
• Improves skin: Packed with several essential vitamins, the curd is a natural skin healer. Consuming curd promotes clear and moisturized skin.

8. Aloe Vera

Whether applied externally or consumed internally, both ways aloe vera serves as an effective remedy for dealing with summer. Here are some reasons for adding aloe vera to your summer care routine:

• Hydrates the body: Aloe Vera juice is high in water and thus keeps the body hydrated and flushes out impurities.
• Sunburn Soother: Famous for its cooling properties, applying aloe vera gel can help soothe sunburn and other skin irritations during summer.
• Boosts Digestion: Consuming aloe vera juice helps increase the water content in your intestines, which in turn helps in normalizing the digestion system.
• Rich in nutrients: Aloe Vera contains the kind of nutrients needed by the human body – these include vitamins, minerals, sugars, enzymes, lignins, saponins, sterols, and amino acids.

9. Sattu

Native to the Indian subcontinent, Sattu is a flour derived from roasted gram. With its origin in rural areas, it has soon gained popularity as a superfood due to its numerous health benefits, particularly in summer:

• Beats heat stroke: Consuming a chilled glass of Sattu sherbet can protect your body against heat stroke by normalizing the body temperature.
• High protein content: Sattu is a powerhouse of protein providing sustained energy especially needed in scorching summer days.
• Keeps you hydrated: When consumed in the form of a drink, it keeps you hydrated and boosts energy levels.
• Aids digestion: Being rich in fibre, Sattu is light on the stomach and aids digestion, thereby preventing constipation, which is common in summer.

Here are all the summer season food items that you need to know about.

Conclusion

Staying healthy in the summer heat requires adjusting our diet to include cooling, hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber, coconut water, mint, and curd. These refreshing options help maintain body temperature, replenish fluids, boost energy, and prevent heat-related health issues. Including them in daily meals ensures better health and a more enjoyable summer. Always consult your doctor before making major dietary changes. Consistency with a cooling diet is key to staying fresh, active, and fit during the hot months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can certain foods help lower body temperature?

Certain foods can lower body temperature due to their high water content or natural cooling properties. Water-rich foods like watermelon or cucumber can provide hydration and induce a natural cooling effect internally. Likewise, mint leaves offer a soothing effect that helps reduce body heat.

Which foods should be avoided during summer?

During summer, foods that can increase body heat or cause dehydration should be avoided. This includes spicy foods, heavy fat-laden meals, caffeinated beverages, alcohol and processed snacks high in salt. Instead, focus on a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and lots of fluids.

How can I reduce heat in my body?

Reducing body heat during summer involves staying hydrated, consuming body-cooling foods, avoiding spicy and fatty meals, and maintaining a well-balanced diet. Foods rich in water content like cucumber and watermelon, and cooling foods like mint and curd, are ideal for maintaining your body temperature in the summer heat.