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Five hot foods that help you keep your cool
As the hot weather bears down on us, we look for any way to cool off – heading to the beach, the
mountains or the great indoors to escape the sun’s rays.
04 November 2011 | By Luigi Gratton, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Herbalife, International We tend to eat differently when the weather is warm, too - steering clear of stick-to-the-ribs soups and stews that were so appealing during the cold months in favour of lighter meals. It’s a good thing that we naturally gravitate toward more fluids, fresh fruits and veggies when it’s hot. As temperatures rise, so does the rate at which we perspire, causing us to lose fluid - along with minerals such as sodium, potassium and magnesium - in the process. As a result, listlessness and fatigue might set in. “Drinking the right liquids and eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables can really make a difference in helping you to beat the heat”, says Luigi Gratton, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Herbalife International. “Not only do these foods help to replace fluids and minerals that are lost through perspiration”, Gratton notes, “but fruits and veggies also contain antioxidants that can help protect your body against sun damage, too” – and that’s cool. Next time the heat is getting you down, here are some of the best foods to help you keep your cool: • Cantaloupe melon. Nothing says summer like melons. They’re all great sources of potassium, but cantaloupe has nearly three times the potassium found in watermelon. And, cantaloupe gets its pretty orange hue from beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. • Berries. Too much sun? Sweet, delicious berries naturally contain compounds related to aspirin that can reduce inflammation, and may help take the sting out of sunburn. They’re also a great source of antioxidant vitamin C. • Spinach. Leafy spinach has lots of water and is a terrific source of magnesium. Not only that, spinach gets its green colour from lutein – an antioxidant that helps protect the skin and eyes from sun exposure. • Chilli peppers. Hot foods during hot weather? You bet. Those vitamin-C laden spicy peppers can stimulate perspiration – which, as it evaporates off the skin, helps to cool you off. If you’re not a chilli pepper fan, other pungent foods like garlic and ginger have similar • Sports drinks. Plain water is a great fluid replacer, but if you are exercising in hot and humid conditions, sports drinks might be a better choice. They help replace valuable minerals and they’re specially designed to help maximise fluid absorption. And, their light sweet flavour might encourage you to drink a little more

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