If you’ve ever been in a really hot country during the dog-days of summer, you might have noticed the locals have a curious habit of drinking hot tea and spicy foods all day long, swearing it makes them cooler. There’s a two-fold method to this seeming madness:

Firstly, if you increase your body temperature, you won’t feel as much of a difference between yourself and the hot air around you. As you know if you’ve ever taken a cold shower, it works the other way too - when you step out into the bathroom, the air feels warm as toast, even if it isn’t. Second is the idea is that if you can make yourself sweat, you’ll feel cooler when that moisture evaporates off your skin.

The problem with the spicy food and hot tea method of cooling is that warming the body and inducing sweating during summer can make you even more dried-out and depleted in the long-run. We suggest an approach of helping the body deal with excess heat through the use of cooling, rejuvenating, moist foods and drinks. Here are our top five choices:

1. Chilled watermelon
2. Cucumber
3. Mint tea or lemon balm tea, iced and sweetened to taste
4. Bitter greens, such as red lettuce or rocket
5. Fresh fruit, preferably juicy ones such as blueberries, ripe apricots or melons

If you got too hot and thirsty, try our sweet lime electrolyte-replenisher: Just squeeze some lime juice into a glass, add a little sugar and a pinch or two of mineral salt, a crushed up multi-mineral tablet, and some water. You’ll be amazed how refreshing this is.