Hot is hot and cold is cold, right? It turns out there may be more to it than temperature when it comes to using food to cool your body down. Certified health coach Kerry Bajaj  explains, “Cooling foods help to clear heat and toxins from the body, whereas the warming foods increase circulation.” Keeping this explanation in mind we’ve created a list of foods that will help keep you cool even on the hottest of summer days:

Lemon

Lemons, along with many other citrus fruits, are natural detoxifiers and provide a cooling effect on the body. Adding lemon to dressings, juices, or even to your water bottle before heading to the beach for the day, can help you to feel a little more “chill” in the blazing heat.

Cucumber

There are a number of health benefits to adding cucumbers into your daily diet especially during the summer months. Since cucumbers are made up of mainly water they are extremely hydrating and therefore the perfect mid day snack when hanging out in the sun.

Leafy Greens

The greener the better! Leafy greens like romaine, kale, spinach, and collard greens are perfect additions to any plate or smoothie during the summer months because they’re loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. Greens also have a high water content making them easy to digest, saving your body from having to work too hard to break down a bulky meal. If you’re looking for a real green smoothie recipe to enjoy this summer, give our Clean Green Smoothie a try! It’s packed with all your favorite leafy greens, cucumbers, apples and bananas.

Watermelon

The key summer staple at any cookout is a bright, juicy watermelon! Watermelon, like cucumbers are made up of mainly water (hence the name). They’re also loaded with antioxidants and a number of vitamins, making them not only delicious and hydrating but beneficial to your health. Try our Berry, Watermelon, Peach Salad. Now that we’ve all cooled off a bit, you may be wondering if there’s any way you can still enjoy a little spice this summer without burning up.   Want to really cool down this summer? Than bring the heat! Many cultures closer to the equator enjoy adding spices and peppers to foods because it helps bring the sweat. Consider spicy chai tea in India, on-fire pho in Vietnam, and chili-charged salsa in Mexico. There’s good reason why so many cuisines coming out of hot climates bring a little heat. Why? When you eat spicy foods your internal temperature increases to match your external temperature, therefore making you sweat. It’s your bodies way of coping with heat and inevitably cooling you off. So if your speciality dish is a hot one, bring it on. We’ll all sweat it out this summer and enjoy the heat in and out of the kitchen!