Certain Foods Have Cooling Effect in Hot Weather

 Many countries have experienced record-setting high temperatures this year that many attribute to global warming.  While governments have spent billions of dollars to study climate change and ways to counteract¹ it, scientists say there are inexpensive, low-tech ways people can keep cool - and they can be found at the local food market.

Vegetables, including celery and cucumbers, are 90 percent water.  And fruits such as apples and watermelon, where available, are not only tasty but hydrating. In fact, food scientists call them 'a wrapper for water,' and encourage people to eat lots of them.

What isn’t good for you, believe it or not, are ice-cold beverages², according to biochemist Shirley Corriher, who studies nutrition. She says cold drinks will only make you hotter, because your body has to expend³ energy to bring the liquid to a warmer, more useable temperature.

Corriher notes there’s a biological reason why mothers hold babies close while they nurse them.

“If the baby was fed ice-cold milk, it could die of malnutrition⁴ because it took so much out of its body to bring that cold liquid up to body temperatures," said Corriher.

Tea and dry wine contain tannin, a naturally occurring substance which has been shown to have heart healthy benefits.

Nutritionist Sara Risch says tannins can also cool you off.

“It causes a precipitation and kind of a drying out," said Risch. "And that actually from what we can speculate, it helps so that the cells will want to absorb more water.  And that’s what we are trying to do is to make sure that we do in fact stay hydrated.”

Finally, there are chili⁵ peppers and other hot spices.   

“You might be thinking, ‘Wait a minute.  These are foods that make you perspire⁶. What’s that going to do?  They are really hot, and you really feel like you are burning. Why in the world would you want to eat those?’ Well that perspiration⁷ is actually good for you. It comes to the surface of the skin and you get evaporative cooling," said Risch.

In addition to chilies⁸, Risch says some good hot spices for cooling you down include ginger⁹ and peppermint¹⁰.

Sara Risch and Shirley Corriher discussed cool foods for hot weather at the American Chemical Society meeting this week in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1 counteract   

vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some medicine to counteract the effect of the poison.医生给他些药解毒。
• Our work calls for mutual support.We shouldn't counteract each other's efforts.工作要互相支持，不要互相拆台。

2 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

3 expend   

vt.花费，消费，消耗

参考例句：

• Don't expend all your time on such a useless job.不要把时间消耗在这种无用的工作上。
• They expend all their strength in trying to climb out.他们费尽全力想爬出来。

4 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

5 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

6 perspire   

vi.出汗，流汗

参考例句：

• He began to perspire heavily.他开始大量出汗。
• You perspire a lot when you are eating.你在吃饭的时候流汗很多。

7 perspiration   

n.汗水；出汗

参考例句：

• It is so hot that my clothes are wet with perspiration.天太热了，我的衣服被汗水湿透了。
• The perspiration was running down my back.汗从我背上淌下来。

8 chilies   

n.红辣椒( chili的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some people like to harvest the plants, when the chilies are green. 一些人喜欢在辣椒长成绿色的时候就采摘。 来自互联网
• Sprinkle with scallions and sliced chilies and served hot. 洒上葱粒、辣椒丝，趁热上桌。 来自互联网

9 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

10 peppermint   

n.薄荷，薄荷油，薄荷糖

参考例句：

• Peppermint oil is very good for regulating digestive disorders.薄荷油能很有效地调节消化系统失调。
• He sat down,popped in a peppermint and promptly choked to death.他坐下来，突然往嘴里放了一颗薄荷糖，当即被噎死。