Below are a few tips on eating to fight the heat, but most important is hydration from simple water.
Can you believe soup is good?
We automatically associate soup with cold wintry days with the heating on, listening to the rain outside. For most of us it’s a comfort food, however it’s ideal in the heat because of it’s fluid content which helps towards hydration. Instead of opting for a thick meaty soup, choose a lighter vegetable broth with herbs, tasty yet fulfilling. Check out these hot and cold tasty recipes here.
Super food – The tomato
Tomatoes are a real super food in the heat. Think of all the Mediterranean countries where tomatoes are included in most meals. Greek salads, mazzarella and tomato salad, Murcian salad, toasted baguette with chopped tomatoes and olive oil, Mediterranean stuffed tomatoes, roasted cherry tomatoes on the side, grilled tomatoes with steak, garlic fried tomatoes, homemade pasta sauce, the list is endless. Tomatoes are high in the antioxidant lycopene, also known as a potent cancer preventer. Both red and green tomatoes have a high percentage of water around 93/94%. It’s so easy to introduce them in your daily meals….even just with a tad of salt and olive oil, or added to the basic sandwich. Try these super tomato Mediterranean dishes.
Any Melon
Cool melon quenches even the most intense thirst and the fruit is abundant and cheap here throughout the summer months. If you don’t want to buy a half or whole one, many of our supermarkets are selling a variety already chopped. A simple slice offers a superb, refreshing experience. Melon is extremely low in calories and high in water content (95 per cent), making it an extremely cooling bite to eat. A salty cheese like feta is delicious chopped up on a plate with melon for a quick snack.
Vary your leafy greens
Leafy greens, especially spinach are composed of 80/95 percent water, which makes them very easy to digest. This means they go through the digestive system quickly, giving a cooling sensation in the body. Easy to introduce them on any plate of food.
Spicy peppers and chilli’s
Yes it’s true! Probably the last thing you fancy in hot weather, but curries and chilli’s stimulate heat receptors in the mouth thus enhancing circulation and causing you to sweat, which cools the body down. A little mango chutney and cucumber yogurt raita on the side should help.
Cooling cucumber
Cucumbers are a great vegetable for intense hot summer days as they also contain a lot of water to help keep you cool, in fact, cucumbers are 95% water. They can also be mixed with yogurt and mint to make a cooling, tasty raita as mentioned above. A great accompaniment to any BBQ dish, salad, potato wedges dip etc. Simple and easy to add to a sandwich or a cream cheese bagel.
Coconut water and milk
Coconut milk and water contain important nutrients that aid in hydration, meaning that both are not only delicious but also full of health benefits. Many Asian countries add coconut milk to their dishes as it tastes delicious but also thickens the sauces. Ideal with fish, meat and vegetables.
All the berries
Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries are all very alkaline, yin fruits. According to traditional Chinese medicine they generate a cold energy in the body,
So try to incorporate the above into your diet and you will be eating to fight the heat.