How to Reduce Body Heat by Taking Cooling Foods

Published on: 11th September 2019
Medically reviewed by: Dr Ahmad Haitham Jamee

Summers are the hottest season of all. As soon as we think about this season, we start feeling hot, and want to get rid of it. The summer period is characterized by extremely hot weather, hot winds, and high humidity in coastal areas, which can make the weather extremely unpleasant in the summer. This is the time when our body feels extremely hot, and we find ways to reduce body heat by taking cooling foods.

Our body temperature measures the body’s capability to generate and get rid of heat. The normal temperature of the human body is often noted as 98.6°F, but it can be slightly lower or higher. The average temperature of adults lies between 97.8°F and 99.0°F. Staying in crowded and confined areas for too long can cause heat stress. Another heating factor of the body is the food that you consume.

The degree of heat strokes during summer always vary in different countries. At the height of summer in UAE, the temperature crosses around the 50-degree mark. This almost prompts residents to spend the entire day – and night – indoors, where air-conditioning helps to maintain more tolerable levels. Summer in Dubai is also characterized by extremely hot weather, hot winds, and high humidity.

According to National Center of Biotechnology Information, cooling foods were found to be higher in water, fiber, alkalinity, and aliphatic compounds; as well as associated with anti-inflammatory and detoxification (elimination) processes.

Understanding the Causes of Increased Body Heat

There are several reasons that can cause your body heat to rise:

Inflammatory illness, such as an infection, can cause you to have a fever, which is one of the signs that something unusual is going on in your body.
Hyperthyroidism, a thyroid disorder, causes your body to produce too much thyroid hormone.
Spending too much time in hot and humid weather, especially in direct sunlight or doing excess physical activity.
Wearing tight-fitting and synthetic clothing. These types of clothing trap moisture and often do not breathe easily.
Eating very spicy, oily, or fried food. In addition, nuts, meats, and other high-protein foods can also become reasons for body heat.
Taking drinks which include caffeine or alcohol.
Performing extremely intense physical exercise can cause an increase in body heat since active muscles and related blood circulation activity create a lot of heat.
Certain medical conditions that cause your body temperature to rise, such as arthritis, leukemia, and neurological disorders, among others.
Taking drugs that are the reason for body heat, such as certain antibiotics, opioids, and antihistamines.
Dehydration can reduce your body’s ability to absorb sweat and cool down at normal temperatures
Obesity or too much weight can affect your body’s ability to maintain its temperature and can cause your body heat to rise instead.
Sudden temperature changes are also a reason for increased body heat.

Impact of Body Heat on Different Age Groups

Following are some home remedies for stomach pain that you can depend on if you have stomach pain after eating:

1. Children:

Higher Sensitivity: Children are more sensitive to body heat since their thermoregulation systems are still growing. Excessive heat can cause dehydration, heat rash, and irritation.
Dietary Needs: Including cooling foods such as cucumbers, watermelon, and yogurt in their diet can help control body temperature while avoiding heat-related problems.

2. Adults:

Stress and Lifestyle: Adults frequently experience elevated body heat as a result of stress, physical exercise, and lifestyle decisions. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to exhaustion, headaches, and heat stroke.
Cooling Foods: Consuming foods such as coconut water, mint, and buttermilk will help manage body heat properly, especially during hot weather.

3. Elderly:

Decreased Thermoregulation: The elderly are more vulnerable to heat stress because their ability to regulate body temperature weakens with age. High body temperature might exacerbate pre-existing health issues.
Preventive Measures: Cooling foods like melons, leafy greens, and aloe vera can give relief while lowering the risk of heat-related problems.

4. Pregnant Women:

Increased Body Temperature: Pregnancy naturally raises the body temperature, making pregnant women more vulnerable to overheating. This might be uncomfortable for the infant and have an impact on their growth.
Cooling Foods: Consuming hydrating and cooling foods such as citrus fruits, cucumber, and yogurt will help regulate body temperature and maintain the health of both mother and child.

Extreme Heat Risks for UAE Workers Due to Lack of Awareness

According to National Center of Biotechnology Information, Workers in the UAE face a very high risk of heat-related illnesses due to extreme environmental conditions, with temperatures often exceeding 45°C (135°F) and 90% humidity. The lack of practical awareness among employers, supervisors, and health personnel regarding heat stress risks has led to significant heat-related health issues.

Avoiding Foods That Raise Body Temperature

Foods that contain more fat, protein and carbohydrates often heat the body up while digesting food. Better to test your food intolerance before changing your usual diet. So, we must ensure a controlled intake of the following foods to keep our body cool and healthy:

Normal kitchen foods like onion, garlic, black pepper, ginger, and other spicy foods that produce heat in the body.
Root vegetables are innately hot, and are therefore generally recommended during winters
Spinach, beans, potatoes, broccoli, etc. also produce heat in the body.

Complete Guide to Internal Body Heat Symptoms

Symptoms of body heat may develop suddenly or over time, especially with prolonged periods of exercise. Possible body heat exhaustion symptoms include:

Cool, moist skin when in the heat
Heavy sweating during intense exercise
Faintness
Dizziness
Fatigue
Weak or rapid pulse
Low blood pressure upon standing
Muscle cramps
Nausea or vomiting
Headache
Tiredness or weakness

When to Get Professional Help for Internal Body Heat Symptoms

If You Think That You Are Experiencing Heat Exhaustion:

Immediately stop all activity and take rest
Move to a cooler place
Drink cold water or sports drinks
Consult your doctor at home if your signs or symptoms do not improve within one hour. If you are with someone showing signs of heat exhaustion or body heat, immediate medical intervention is recommended. If he or she becomes confused or anxious, loses consciousness, or is unable to drink, then you will need immediate cooling body heat, especially if the body temperature reaches 104 F (40 C) or higher.

How to Reduce Body Heat Immediately

There are many body cooling drinks for reducing internal body heat immediately. Following are the best body cooling foods to consume:

1. Drink Coconut Water

By drinking coconut water, you can reduce the heat of your body and promote wellness at home. This drink contains a good amount of vitamins and minerals necessary for body wellness. Drinking a glass of coconut water daily, especially during the summer can help you to fight infections, boost energy, rehydrate your body, and keep you cool all day long.

2. Lime Water

Lime water is the best food for cooling the body that you can take immediately after experiencing increased body heat. Take a lemon, sugar and some cold water, mix it, and drink a glass of the lime water. This will not only cool your body faster but also provide many health benefits. A glass of lime water mixed with honey can aid in weight loss as well.

3. Whey (Buttermilk)

Whey is also a cooling drink for summer. Taking a glass of buttermilk for breakfast during the summer months will keep your body cool and fresh throughout the day.

Top Body Cooling Foods and Fruits for Temperature Relief

When the summer is in full swing, beating the heat of the summer with these Body cooling foods is essential to keep your body cool and healthy during the summer or else you will end up dehydrated and tired all day. There are a lot of food for cooling body heat. Following are the best cooling food for body:

1. Cucumber

Rich in potassium, vitamin K, vitamin C, copper and vitamin B, cucumber will have a cooling effect on your body and will help you to reduce the risk of many diseases and avoid nutrition deficiency. Eat cucumber daily to keep your body cool. Cucumber is a food for cooling body heat in speed.

2. Watermelon

Refreshing fruit, full of water and just 46 calories per cup: those are some of the many reasons why you should eat watermelons, especially during the summers! This delicious fruit is full of vitamin C, vitamin A and other healthy compounds. So, have this fruit and help your body to stay cool!

3. Mint Leaves

Mint leaves, also called pudina, can be used to reduce your body heat. It is one of the best home remedies to cool your body down quickly.

4. Fresh Curd

Using fresh curd is another home remedy to cool your body. Eat a bowl of curd daily to reduce body heat during summer. You can also have buttermilk – sweet or salted – to intake curd in different forms. Fresh curd is a food for cooling body heat.

5. Spinach

Spinach is not only rich in nutrition but will also help your body to cool down. Easy to digest and high in water content.

6. Coriander Leaves

Eating coriander causes sweating. Coriander leaves also relieve fever or high body temperature by its diuretic properties, which induces perspiration and reduces the inner body temperature.

7. Pomegranates

Have a glass of pomegranate juice every day to stay cool and lower body heat naturally. It is an excellent source of phytonutrients.

8. Onion

Eating onion with lemon and salt, or by mixing with curd is a great way to keep your body temperatures low.

9. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera leaves or gel can help to lower body temperature significantly. You can apply aloe vera gel to your skin for a cooling effect or eat its inner gel or make drinks using the gel since it’s full of antioxidants. It is especially good for the summer since this is the season when the body is more sensitive to infections.

10. Celery

Celery is one of the best choices for leafy vegetables. Celery is full of water along with sodium, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.

11. Ghee

Ghee is known as a cooling agent for both the body and mind. As it helps in pacifying the body heat, it must be consumed either before meals or at the start of the meals. Ghee is a source of food for cooling body heat. Make sure not to eat anything cold such as ice-cream or cold water after consuming ghee. It is always advised to drink lukewarm water during meals.

12. Melon

Melon is one of the best body cooling foods. There is 95% water in it, which keeps your body cool. Melon quenches thirst and is plentiful during the summer months. Melons help you to stay cool and refreshed throughout the day.

13. Mushroom

Mushrooms are a valuable source of 15 essential minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Eating them raw or cooked can help the body stay cool and retain essential nutrients in the body.

14. Fenugreek Seeds

Fenugreek seeds or methi seeds will help lower the body temperature. You can either eat raw fenugreek seeds or soak one tablespoon in a glass of water overnight and then drink the water in the morning.

15. Poppy Seeds

Poppy Seeds are plant-based chemical compounds that have antioxidants which are full of disease-preventing and health-promoting properties. Poppy seeds also have a cooling effect on your body that helps regulate the temperature.

16. Coriander Seeds

Coriander seeds help the body to get rid of extra heat and toxins, and keeps the body cool and fresh. It soothes the digestive tract, and fights inflammation. Use of coriander seeds in summer is good for body cooling.

17. Sabja Seeds

Sabja seeds are one of the best cooling foods for the body. It helps to cool the body heat. Take 2 tablespoons of sabja seeds and soak them in water for a few minutes, add milk and rose water. Drink them to reduce heat in the body.

18. Flax Seeds

Flax seeds have a cooling effect on the body and can be consumed at any time of the day. They are good to fight constipation, obesity, and high blood pressure thus making it a best food to reduce body heat

Best Practices to Manage and Reduce Body Heat

1. Try Soaking Your Feet in Cold Water

Soaking your feet in cold or lukewarm water could just be all you need to fight off body heat during summer. This practice will help you relax easily and bring down a high body temperature.

2. Use Sandalwood

It is available in a number of forms such as soaps, powder or cream. Applying this regularly on the body gives a cooling effect. Ayurveda also believes that sandalwood can be used as a constant source of cooling down the body.

3. Choose a Helpful Curtain Color

Quite often, we make the mistake of choosing very dark color curtains to protect the terrace or rooms of the house from the heat and the light of the sun. However, we should always choose light colored curtains during summer as they give a cooling effect overall.

4. Breathing Exercise

We should always avoid breathing exercises in the central hours of the day, since that is when it is hotter and the practice can be dangerous. It is also not good to practice it before sleeping, because after exercising, we are more active and it will be difficult for us to fall asleep.

5. Summer Diet

Always avoid eating very spicy, oily, fried, or hot foods, and substitute them with cooler and lighter options such as Broccoli, carrots, spinach, cucumber, melon, watermelon, lemon, sabja seeds etc.

If we take care of ourselves based on all the information mentioned above, then we can enjoy the heat of summer without suffering from its negative effects. It is a good idea to reduce body heat by taking foods having body cooling and avoid spicy, oily, and fried foods. Always wear light colored and loose-fitting clothes in summer that keep you cool and fresh for long. Prefer body cooling foods in your diet during summer and reduce body heat.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. How to Reduce Body Heat in Female?

To minimise body heat, females should stay hydrated, consume cooling foods like cucumber and watermelon, and avoid spicy or caffeinated foods.

Q. What Are 3 Ways the Body Can Lose Heat?

Sweating, breathing, and blood circulation to the skin all assist the body lose heat and maintain temperature naturally.

Q. Which is the Fastest Method of Heat Loss?

Sweating is the most efficient technique to reduce heat since sweat evaporates quickly and cools the body. Try to do exercise that helps you sweat

Q. Which Drink Will Reduce Heat?

Coconut water is a delicious drink that helps the body chill down and rehydrate fast, making it ideal for decreasing heat.

Q. Which Food Decreases Body Heat?

Watermelon is great for reducing body heat since it is nourishing and high in water content, which helps you chill down.