The geographical area in which we live has a temperate climate with characteristic, distinct, and fairly pronounced seasons. This affects, among other things, our diet, which is also varied due to the changing weather. In winter, we tend to reach for warm dishes that are higher in calories and high in fat. In summer, when a heat wave hits, the craving for heavy meals disappears completely, and our bodies begin to crave lighter and simpler dishes. What's the best thing to eat in summer, when the 30-degree heat is hitting us, to feel fresh, light, and healthy? Let's get acquainted with the list of healthy and refreshing products that lower our body temperature.

Diet against heat – a list of recommended products

With the onset of summer, when temperatures reach 30°C in the shade, fluid needs increase significantly. It's estimated that the body should consume 30 ml of fluid per 1 kg of body weight, or about 35 ml in hot weather. Drinking water is, of course, the best option, but there are also many healthy, tasty, and mineral- and vitamin-rich products that perfectly hydrate our bodies. These include:

• Watermelon – up to 90% of it is water. It perfectly quenches thirst, refreshes, and provides the body with vitamins A, B, C, and E, potassium, iron, magnesium , zinc, and manganese, as well as lycopene and lutein. Slightly chilled, it tastes great as a standalone snack, but you can also make a light dinner out of it in the form of a salad with basil, feta cheese, balsamic vinegar, and a little olive oil.
• Strawberries – they are low in calories and, like watermelons, are perfectly hydrating, as they consist mainly of water. They also provide vitamins A and C, fiber, and plenty of iron and potassium. For your second breakfast, you can prepare a delicious, light, and refreshing cocktail. To make the cocktail more nutritious, we can add banana and pomegranate – these fruits also have properties that lower body temperature.
• Cucumbers – very low in calories, perfectly refreshing, moisturizing, reducing swelling, and also helping to remove toxins from the body. They provide a large portion of potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, as well as vitamin B, and can be used to prepare delicious snacks, as well as salads and salad dressings.
• Mint – cooling, refreshing, and relaxing – it helps lower body temperature, even when prepared as a warm infusion, while also having an exceptionally refreshing flavor. Fresh mint leaves are delicious with both vegetables and fruits – we can add them to dishes, salads, cocktails, drinks, and water.
• Hot spices – it's worth adding them to dishes in hot weather, because even if they seem to warm us up, this is only a temporary sensation. Capsaicin and piperine, found in cayenne pepper and chili peppers, actually cause our bodies to sweat, which naturally affects the regulation of body temperature. In all countries where it's hot all year round, the hottest foods are eaten.

The foundation of a diet in hot weather is fresh vegetables and fruits, preferably minimally processed products with a high water content. In summer, we have unlimited access to a wide variety of produce, such as aromatic strawberries, tomatoes, refreshing watermelons, cucumbers, chives, crisp lettuce, broad beans, and asparagus. This is the season for cherries, raspberries, blueberries, and gooseberries. We can eat them immediately after washing and use them to prepare healthy meals, salads, cocktails, sandwich spreads, desserts, or cold soups.

Summer dishes do not require any heat treatment, their preparation is neither time-consuming nor complicated, and the more digestible they are, the less energy our body needs for the digestion process and the lower the heat-generating effect.