Teaming up with online delivery company Just Eat, nutritionist Daniel O’Shaughnessy recommends eating the ten foods below to cool down:
- Spinach
- A bowl of soup
- Chilli-laden dishes
- Watermelon
- Turmeric
- Reduce carbohydrates
- Cut down on meat
- Up your onion intake
- Food and drink with mint
- Dishes with coconut milk
While soup is normally considered a winter dish, O’Shaughnessy said eating a bowl in the evening “will make you perspire more but, as the sweat evaporates, the energy is absorbed into the air and therefore cools the body.”
Explaining the chilli, he said: “Spicy chilli is an excellent choice in hot weather, as the capsaicin found in the food sends a signal to your brain that your body is overheated. As a result, you will sweat more to cool your body down.”
Meanwhile, carbohydrates and protein are harder to digest in a heat wave, which can make you feel hotter so plant-based dishes are advised as “less energy is needed to break vegetarian dishes down.”
Just Eat’s Graham Corfield concluded: “With the forecast showing no signs of cooling down, we’re all trying different ways to combat the heat - from having a cool shower to avoiding standing in a hot kitchen.
"What people may not realise is that some of your favourite dishes might just help make these temperatures more bearable, from a simple bowl of soup to spicy Thai green curry.”