Foods that cool you from the inside

It would be smart, for example, to take a look at traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It assigns foods to different groups based on their thermal properties: cold, cool, warm, hot, and neutral. When which food is good for us is derived from the yin and yang principle: the "yin" stands for the cold part, the "yang" for the warm part. In TCM, it is assumed that our body only functions properly when both sides are in balance.

When we're hot, we should primarily reach for cooling foods - which I'm sure most of us already do intuitively anyway. But here we'll tell you which things you should especially dig into:

You avoid hot spices because you get much hotter when you eat? Better not. Chillis, ginger and chayenne pepper help us to cool down. Although many people associate the burning sensation in the mouth with a feeling of heat, it is precisely this that is responsible for small beads of sweat appearing on the skin. And the evaporative cooling that develops then cools.

In summer, watermelon is a staple in your fridge? Very well. According to TCM, it is the superhero par excellence when it comes to sweating and hot flashes. Besides - but you probably know this - they contain a lot of vitamin A and C, magnesium and iron. By the way, all types of fruit cool the body. Big exception: cherries, peaches and mirabelles - according to TCM they have a warming effect.

Traditional Chinese medicine trusts nature's intelligence: vegetables and fruits ripe in summer and grows in hot regions have a cooling effect. Oranges, lemons, and grapefruits would be such candidates - and coconuts (TCM turns a blind eye to the ecological balance).

Acidified dairy products act like a cold shower from the inside at high temperatures. Yogurt, quark, buttermilk or kefir kill the internal heat. What's more, their protein components are easy to digest and supply the body with energy without overloading it. So it's no wonder that people in India, for example, love to drink lassis (which consist of half yogurt and half mineral water). If you want to try it out right away, it's best to mix it with mango or cucumber - both have a cooling effect.

Tomatoes are acid-forming and soften the body due to their high water content. They also contain mood boosters such as the protein tyrosine, which is also said to promote sleep. By the way, tomatoes have a particularly cooling effect if you prepare them cold - for example in a gazpacho or a salad. Delicious.

According to TCM, green tea drains so-called heat toxins: According to this, sipping green tea should primarily free the head from too much heat and thus increase the ability to concentrate. Nice. It's best to drink the tea chilled (but not too cold, otherwise the body starts the engine too much, which again leads to heat) and pimp with a few slices of lemon and mint.

While we are on the subject: The menthol contained in mint is supposed to dissolve hot flashes into thin air and cool down the entire organism. In addition, peppermint stimulates the taste buds and inhibits the desire for sweets - which is good: sugar heats up the body even more.

Tofu is the perfect addition to any summer meal - because its phytoestrogens work against hot flashes and sweats. Added bonus for vegis: like meat and fish, tofu has a lot of protein, but unlike them, it has a cooling effect.