These foods may help you during hot temperatures (Picture: Getty)
Hot, isn’t it? Many of us have been thinking the same thing over the past few days; who put the UK in a furnace? There’s only so many showers one can take in a day (and so long one can sit in front of a fan). To deal with the heatwave we’ve been experiencing lately, it’s worth making sure you’re eating the right food and drinking plenty of water. There are some foods that are better at keeping you cooler than others. While you might think an ice cream or two might do the trick, cold snacks might not be the answer to keeping cooler. Even though ice creams and lollies have a temporary cooling effect, eating food leads to an increase in temperature as the process of digestion is heat-generating. The fact that cold snacks and drinks make your body over-compensate by increasing your core temperature means that ice creams and slushies are not the answer to keeping you cooler for the duration of the day.
The answer to keeping cool is eating food that raises your core body temperature, so while it may sound counterproductive, things like warm drinks and soups can do the trick. Meals that are rich in fluids are good ways to not only keep the body hydrated, but also to keep it from feeling too hot. According to the UK Eatwell Guide, you should be drinking about six to eight glasses of water or other hydrating liquid. But beware of natural sugars in juices and drinks that have a diuretic effect such as coffee and alcohol which makes you lose fluids. You can opt for food that also have higher fluid content such as strawberries, melons, cucumbers, lettuce and celery. Yoghurts are also good at retaining water so be sure to add some to your meals. While soups and stews are thought of as wintery meals, they are great fluid-rich meals you can eat to inspire the body to be cooler in the long run.
Hot weather may make you want to choose iced teas and coffees over their hot counterparts but warm drinks are better for you in balmy temperatures. This is because once consumed, they raise your body’s core temperature, which makes the body want to cool down which it does through sweating. Sweating has a cooling effect. And yes, that includes spicy meals. Eating a chilli-rich meal might not sound ideal but it inspires the body to sweat which will help it feel cooler. So go forth and add these items to your shopping list. – metro.co.uk