Beat The Heat This Chinese New Year With These 5 Cooling Foods

These past few weeks have been unusually hot in Malaysia due to the El Nino weather phenomenon. Not only the dry weather phenomenon is expected to last from January to March 2016, there will be significantly less rainfall as well. Moreover, CNY (Chinese New Year) is just around the corner, which means there will be an inevitable temptation of consuming hard-to-resist delicacies such as cookies, kuih kapit (love letters) and bakkwa (dried meat). As you know, too much “heaty” food can cause cough, sore throat and whatnot that will make you sick at the end of the day. But hey, we all heard about “eat first, worry later” ~~philosophy~~ excuses, right? After all, we are talking about a CNY festive season here! Unless you don’t mind falling ill, here is what you can do to beat the heat with these following five foods.

a) Watermelon

There’s a reason why watermelon is often dubbed as the quintessential summer fruit in the America itself. After all, this oval-shaped fruit is a well-known cooling food that contains 92% water and blessed with a rich source of vitamin A and C! Whether you opt for some fresh slices or a glass of watermelon juice, it helps cool down your body temperature and replenishes lost fluids. While watermelon is a perfect heat buster, always remember not to go overboard or you will risk symptoms like diarrhea and other intestinal problems.

b) Cucumber

Okay, the popular “cool as a cucumber” phrase doesn’t literally means the “cucumber looks cool in its appearance”. In fact, it’s hardly seen as such. However, other than the reason of describing how cool a person is, cucumber actually has its own “cool” factor. Get this: cucumber contains extreme water content as high as 96%! There are many ways you can enjoy a cucumber. You can either snack on this hydrating fruit or make a cucumber water by adding a few slices. In fact, here’s a more useful tip to boost your cucumber water: consider adding a few slices of limes and/or a sprig of mint leaves for that ultimate cooling effect! If that’s not enough, you can even juice them on its own or with other fruits such as apple and lemon.

c) Coconut Water

Coconut water is popularly known as a natural isotonic drink because it has a rich source of electrolytes that helps refuel your body. Not to mention this tropical fruit is blessed with cooling properties that keeps you refreshed and hydrated during a hot sunny day. If possible, opt for fresh coconut water without additional sugar syrup to reap its full benefits.

d) Chrysanthemum Tea

Instead of cooling down your body with a can of ice-cold soda, consider a healthy alternative drink such as chrysanthemum tea. This classic herbal drink can be consumed in either hot or cold and has a load of health benefits such as lowering your body temperature, cholesterol levels, ease digestion and even provide relief for sore throat. If time allows, you can prepare a homemade version by steeping a few chrysanthemum flowers in hot water with additional drop of rock sugar to sweeten the flavour. Alternatively, you can always choose to buy those ready-to-drink can/packet of chrysanthemum tea sold in supermarkets and grocery stores.

e) Pineapple

Pineapple may have been known as a symbol of good fortune during the Chinese New Year season, but also benefits for its cooling properties. On top of that, this tropical fruit has a rich source of bromelain – a digestive enzyme that helps reduce inflammation in the body as well as aids indigestion, heartburn and constipation. You can choose to eat raw or blend them into juice or smoothie.

No doubt these five recommended foods above has its own cooling benefits and best of all, they are easy to get! Last but not least, never underestimate the power of consuming water every day to help you stay cool and hydrated during the scorching hot weather, as well as upcoming Chinese New Year season.