When it's this hot, what should you eat?

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Eating to beat the heat By Alice Park Senior Health Correspondent When it’s this hot, what should you eat? As I sweltered through another humid city day, I wondered whether there are certain foods, or diets, that are better to eat during heat waves. So I consulted some nutrition experts who specialize in understanding how food can serve as medicine, to better understand if there are foods that biologically make more sense to eat when the temperatures soar. And it turns out, there are, including some that—counterintuitively—actually make you feel hotter and sweat more. But sweating is what you want to do in hot weather, because that’s the way the body cools itself down. Here are a few of the experts' insights: It's important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and eating fruits like watermelon that have a high water content. Eating spicy foods—seasoned with chilis, garlic, and ginger—can trigger a physiological response that makes you sweat, which in turn cools the skin and body. Even non-spicy foods like durian and pineapple can help cool the body down by slowing digestion and generating less heat. READ MORE Share This Story

What Else to Read How to Build Up Your Heat Tolerance to Prepare for a Hotter World By Angela Haupt Plus, what to know about how humans can—and can't—adapt to rising temperatures. Read More » The Safest Sunscreens to Buy—and Which Ingredients to Avoid By Tik Root Chemical and physical sunscreens both come with pros and cons. Read More » The Unsettled—and Unsettling—Science of Lawn Chemicals By Tik Root Here's what experts say people should do to keep their grass, and themselves, healthy. Read More » How to Exercise When It’s Really Hot Outside By Elizabeth Millard Want to avoid the health effects of extreme heat but still appreciate fresh-air workouts? Here's what you need to know. Read More » What to Know if Your Doctor Put You on Statins to Lower Cholesterol By Elizabeth Millard Answers to five questions about this common treatment for lowering cholesterol. Read More »

One More Read From Elsewhere Good news for weekend warriors If going to the gym falls off your to-do list during the chaotic work week, don’t stress too much. Reassuring new research suggests you’ll still boost your heart health if you squeeze a week’s worth of exercise—150 minutes—into just one or two weekend days, NBC News reports.   Read More »

If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here. Today's newsletter was written by Alice Park and Jamie Ducharme, and edited by Angela Haupt.

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