Do ‘cool’ foods help cool the body? Yes, they do. Try out these fun and healthy recipes that help keep your body cool.

Healthy Recipes That Help Cool The Body

It’s not just the AC or a fan that can keep you cool on a hot summer day. It can serve the purpose of keeping you externally cool, but internally, your system will need more than just the AC to remain cool. This is when food waltzes into the picture. The food you eat determines how ‘cool’ you actually are, internally of course. Ayurveda, the ‘Science of Life’ considers all bitter foods cooling. Pungent bitter food battles against the moistening qualities of salty foods. Eating natural bitter foods like bitter gourd helps in cooling you down. Cooling foods also tend to assist in the process of digestion. Dill, coconut, milk, yogurt, banana, clams, lettuce, sugar cane, radish, strawberry, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, apples, grapes, and watermelons are all good examples of cooling foods. A certain element of yin (cooling) is needed to ensure that your diet is balanced as too much of yang (heat) in your diet can lead to a swarm of complications. ‘Hot’ foods can lead to constipation, fever, irritability, pimples, rashes, indigestion etc. so, it is better to include the cooling foods in your regular diet to beat the heat. Try out these healthy recipes to install oodles of yin, and balance out the yang in your life and lifestyle.
 
Easy  Recipes That Cool The Body
 
Watermelon Wonder
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups watermelon juice
  • 3 tablespoons sugar or honey                                             
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
Instructions
  • Pour the watermelon juice into a baking dish, add the sugar or honey, lime juice, and stir. Place this dish in the freezer.
  • Every half an hour take the dish out of the freezer and stir. Do this until the juice is completely frozen. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for a week or so and take pleasure in this cold treat every single day. 
Bitter Gourd – Stir Fried
 
Ingredients
  • 1 bitter gourd
  • 1 medium-sized onion (chopped)
  • 1 tomato (chopped)
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/4 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 cup coriander leaves (chopped)
  • Salt to taste 
Instructions
  • Wash and slice the bitter gourd. Do not remove the seeds.
  • Add a pinch of salt to the bitter gourd and set aside for half an hour then rinse with water.
  • Heat oil, add gourd and fry for around 5 minutes, add garlic, onions, tomatoes and other ingredients and stir-fry. Add salt to taste and top off the dish with the chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot. 
Corn And Bean Salad
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups kidney beans (cooked)
  • 2 cups sweet corn (cooked)
  • 1 onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • A handful of coriander leaves (chopped) 
Instructions 
  • Heat the oil in a skillet and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds stop popping, add the onions, and cook until transparent.
  • Now, add the cooked corn and kidney beans, salt, sugar, limejuice, and pepper. Stir all the ingredients and top off dish with the chopped coriander leaves. 
Apples Teamed With Yogurt
 
Ingredients
  • 1 apple (peeled and chopped)
  • 3 cups vanilla yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt to taste
 
Instructions
  • Take the apples and yogurt in a bowl and stir. Add honey, pepper, sugar, and salt. Stir all the ingredients and chill for an hour or so; your dish is ready to serve and relish.

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