Beat the heat with these cooling foods

Cucumber

Get in your daily intake of greens and stay as cool as a cucumber because this rejuvenating vegetable eliminates the heat in your body. Nosh on cucumber slices for a refreshing low-calorie snack, or include it in your green smoothie for a soothing touch. The presence of refreshing cucumber in your gut douses the heat within your body and nurses your inflammation with its invigorating quality.

Watermelon

Alleviate the discomfort with a juicy slab of watermelon. Fresh slices of this ruby-red fruit deliver a burst of hydration to your body with its high water content. Snacking on watermelons ensures that the moisture in your body is regulated as you lose water through sweat. Watermelon also contains a compound called lycopene that protects you from external environmental damage and keeps your skin protected from the sun's harmful rays.

Leafy greens

One might not associate leafy greens like spinach or bok choy with cooling benefits, but including them in your diet ensures that you stay hydrated with their high water content. Leafy greens are also easy to digest, which means that your body will not expend too much energy or heat while processing these crunchy leaves.

Hot tea

Getting an iced drink to beat the heat? Surprisingly, your favourite teh peng might be making you feel even warmer, because your body naturally heats up cold drinks to accommodate to the temperature of your digestive system. Surprisingly, sipping on hot tea on a hot day is a smarter way to stay cool in this heat, as your body cools down in response to warm beverages.

Honeydew

Chill out with sweet and juicy chunks of honeydew, or melon, that serve as an internal fan to your body with their cooling benefits. This juicy fruit has a high water content that replenishes the fluids in your body after a long day in the sun. Plus, its sweet flesh satiates your taste buds for a diet-friendly dessert.

Barley

If you are looking for an alternative to plain old water, try dousing the heat in your body with a glass of barley water. You can bet on this hawker favourite as its sweet taste appeals to your taste buds while quenching your thirst. In addition to flushing toxins out of your body, barley also does an ace job at clearing the heat from your body with its cooling quality.

Tofu

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, tofu is considered a yin food item, which means that it promotes coolness within your body. Let this tasty protein be the star of your dishes as it regulates the temperature inside your body. It also promotes healthy skin and bones with its high protein content.

This article was first published in Shape