The South is extremely hot, what should we eat and drink to cool down?

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, today, April 9, the Southern region will continue to experience hot weather, with some areas experiencing severe heat. The meteorological agency also said that the heat in the South is likely to last for many days to come.

Hot weather, the body needs a lot of water

Nước chanh dùng để giải nhiệt rất tốt - Ảnh: THÙY DƯƠNG — Lemon juice is very good for cooling down - Photo: THUY DUONG

Ms. NTN, 62 years old, living in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, complained that she lives in a house facing west, with an area of just over 20 square ^meters . From noon to late afternoon, the sun shines into half of the house. The weather is already extremely hot, and her house is even hotter. In addition to drinking a lot of water, she also wants to learn about foods to cool down.

Doctor Ngo Thi Bach Yen , head of the treatment - skin care and beauty unit , dermatology , Traditional Medicine Hospital , Ho Chi Minh City, said that on hot days , the body needs a lot of water, it is necessary to ensure enough water intake and maintain normal body temperature. In addition, you should also consume foods that contain a lot of water.

According to Dr. Yen, the following foods are not only delicious, help cool the body, detoxify, reduce heat in the body, and are also good for health.

- Watermelon

Watermelon is one of the foods with the highest water content, about 90% water. Watermelon is also rich in antioxidants, which help keep the body cool.

Watermelon has a very high cooling effect and contains a lot of water, so it can compensate for the amount of water lost by the body due to high temperatures.

In addition to providing skin-protecting lycopene, watermelon is 92% water, making it a great fruit to hydrate your body on hot days. Watermelon is also rich in fiber, which helps with indigestion caused by hot weather.

- Coconut water

Drinking coconut water is a great way to increase your water intake. Coconut water is rich in vitamins and minerals, which help protect your body from summer illnesses.

Coconut water hydrates while being low in calories and fat. Additionally, coconut water provides natural electrolytes, making it a great drink to have during hot weather.

- Artichoke tea

The main active ingredient of artichoke is cynarine. There are also inulin, inulinase, tannin, organic salts of metals potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium...

Artichoke has the effect of lowering cholesterol and urea in the blood, creating bile, increasing bile secretion, diuretic, often used as a medicine to clear bile, clear urination, treat liver and kidney diseases.

In addition to its ability to help clear heat and reduce internal heat in the body, artichoke also has other functions such as promoting urination, promoting bile secretion, supporting liver and kidney symptoms... Regular use of artichoke also helps strengthen the digestive system and participates in the body's natural detoxification process.

- Gotu kola juice

Gotu kola, also known as pennywort, scientific name is Centella asiatica, is a creeping herb with bird-eye-shaped leaves and scalloped edges, easily found in every province in Vietnam.

Gotu kola is cool, neutral, non-toxic, and can effectively cool and detoxify. Therefore, gotu kola is often popular among people when used as a detoxifying drink, cooling the liver, reducing internal heat and mouth ulcers.

Herbs with many miraculous health properties

- Fresh lemon juice

Lemon is not only a spice that can be easily found in any family, lemon is also a herb with many miraculous properties for health.

Lemon juice helps supplement vitamin C for the body, supports strengthening the immune system, is an antioxidant, helps cool the body, stimulates the digestive system, prevents kidney stones...

- Arrowroot powder

Arrowroot has a sweet taste, neutral properties, cooling properties, and is effective in treating colds, fever, new measles, bloody dysentery, thirst, and boils.

In kudzu powder, the starch content is 12 - 15%. In addition, kudzu powder also contains isoflavones - a natural active ingredient that functions similar to estrogen, helping to improve hormones, beautify the skin and keep women in shape.

Boiled and grilled cassava is a snack with many health benefits, loved by many people. In addition, cassava flour can also be used to make cakes, cook sweet soups, and make soft drinks; lotus seed sweet soup, areca flower sweet soup... are often cooked with cassava flour to create a moderate viscosity, increase natural sweetness, and help cool the body.

- Aloe vera

Aloe vera is a water-rich plant that helps cool the body if consumed regularly. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and soothes the skin during summer.

- Green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables, including cruciferous vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, etc., have a very high water content, making them easy to digest and packed with nutrients. This means that the body doesn’t have to work as hard, helping you conserve energy and keep your body cool.

In addition, you can drink teas such as green tea, guava tea, chrysanthemum tea, black bean water which also have a cooling effect. Teas and water made from foods and leaves such as corn silk, bitter melon, plantain, squash...

According to folk experience, these are also plants and leaves that have the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, and preventing heat in the body.

Notes when drinking cold water

According to Dr. Yen, when the body is suffering from some chronic diseases, one should not abuse these cooling foods. In addition to quenching thirst and cooling the lungs and stomach, many herbs used in cooling drinks have diuretic effects.

This effect on the one hand helps to reduce fever, lower blood pressure, calm the mind, and make the user comfortable, but on the other hand, it can interact with some new drugs, reducing the effect of the main drug.

In addition, you should avoid drinking cold drinks at night because it can cause nocturia, causing sleep disorders. If you need to use additional products to detoxify the liver, you should consult your doctor.

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