How to eat cool and healthy in the summer?
As the scorching summer arrives, high temperatures and the blazing sun sound a health alarm. From our skin to our spleen and stomach, the sweltering heat brings us endless troubles.
Ultraviolet rays sunburn our skin, bacteria that thrive in the summer irritate our stomachs, and of course, the high temperature also makes many people listless, and even suffer from heat exhaustion and collapse.
To escape the sun, people flock to beaches, forests, and various indoor facilities. But at the same time, we cannot ignore adjustments to our eating habits. The following will tell you how to "eat for coolness and eat for health" through dietary therapy.
Fruit and Vegetable Rule:
As the temperature rises, our sweat production also accelerates. With the loss of water, as well as minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, we can become listless and exhausted. "Consuming adequate fluids and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables can help you beat the heat," says Luigi Gratton, an expert from the American Dietetic Association. "These foods not only replenish the water and minerals lost through sweat, but the antioxidants they are rich in can also effectively prevent the damage sunlight causes to the human body."
Therefore, when the weather is hot, we should consume more fluids and fresh fruits and vegetables. But which fruits and vegetables are the most effective health treasures for beating the heat?
Five Treasures for Beating the Heat
When high temperatures strike, Dr. Luigi Gratton recommends the following five foods to help you eat your way to coolness:
Hami Melon:
Nothing says summer more than melons.
They are all rich in potassium, but Hami melon has three times the potassium of watermelon! The orange-yellow color of the Hami melon's flesh comes from carotene, a powerful antioxidant that can help you resist the harm of the scorching sun.
Berries:
Spent too much time in the sun? Sweet and delicious berries are rich in substances similar to aspirin, which have anti-inflammatory effects and can effectively reduce the damage caused by sunburn.
In addition, they are also a primary source of the antioxidant vitamin C.
Grapes, bananas, tomatoes, and citrus fruits are all common types of berries suitable for consumption in the summer.
Spinach:
Leafy spinach is rich in water and a large amount of magnesium. The green color of spinach comes from lutein, an antioxidant that can protect the skin and eyes from the harm of the scorching sun.
Red Chili Peppers:
Eating spicy food on such a hot day? Absolutely right.
Chili peppers rich in vitamin C can effectively promote sweating, which has a cooling effect. If you are not a fan of red chili peppers, other spicy foods like garlic and ginger will have a similar effect.
Sports Drinks:
Plain water can effectively replenish fluids, but if you exercise in a hot and humid environment, a sports drink might be a better choice. They can help you replenish valuable minerals and improve the body's absorption of fluids.
Furthermore, their lightly sweet taste will also give you an impulse to drink more.
The five fruits/vegetables/drinks introduced above are all common and inexpensive foods in daily life.
By consuming their nutrients, we can resist the scorching heat in the most natural and healthy way through dietary therapy. As long as you pay a little more attention in your daily life, your health will be that much better.