Keep a Calm Mind to Stay Cool
In the hot summer, people tend to become irritable and impatient, which only adds to the inner frustration and brings more troubles. A calm mindset is the key to staying cool and clear-minded in the summer. Taking care of your mental well-being is the best remedy for relieving summer heat. Maintaining a positive mindset, avoiding impatience and anger, and practicing activities like meditation and deep breathing can help stabilize emotions and reduce stress.
Take a Midday Nap
Make it a habit to take a midday nap, especially during the hot summer days. One of the reasons is that it can be difficult to fall asleep at night due to the heat, resulting in inadequate sleep. Additionally, the busy daytime schedule and physical exertion can easily lead to fatigue. Even a short nap of 20 minutes can effectively rejuvenate your spirits, refresh your mind, and reduce stress.
Dietary Adjustments
Diet plays a crucial role in the summer, as it can greatly affect one's mood throughout the day. In the summer, it is important to focus on consuming cooling foods and avoid those that are too sweet or heat-inducing.
Seafood and Bottle Gourd Porridge
Ingredients: 30g dried shrimp, 300g bottle gourd, 50g glutinous rice, 10g minced ginger, salt, cooking wine, and water as needed.
Instructions: Soak the dried shrimp in water with a tablespoon of cooking wine to remove any fishy smell. Wash the glutinous rice and cook it in a pot with an adequate amount of water over low heat. Peel the bottle gourd and cut it into small cubes. When the porridge is 80% cooked, add the bottle gourd, dried shrimp, minced ginger, and a small amount of salt. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes before serving.
Benefits: Bottle gourd has a cooling effect and can help clear heat, cool the blood, and detoxify the body, making it an ideal ingredient for relieving summer heat.
Mung Bean Winter Melon Pork Rib Soup
Ingredients: 300g pork ribs, 250g winter melon, 500g mung beans, 5g ginger, salt as needed.
Instructions: Wash and cut the winter melon into chunks, and wash the mung beans and ginger. Cut the pork ribs into small pieces and blanch them in boiling water to remove any blood residue. Put all the ingredients into a pot with enough water, then cook under high pressure for 25 minutes. Add a small amount of salt before serving.
Benefits: Winter melon and mung beans are both excellent ingredients for the summer. They can promote diuresis and reduce swelling, detoxify the body, and when cooked together with pork ribs, create a delicious and refreshing soup that aids digestion, replenishes fluids, and relieves summer heat.
Cooling Fruits
Many fruits in summer have a cooling effect, such as pear, apple, and various melons. Generally, summer is a time of high metabolism, excessive sweating, dry mouth, and irritability. People are particularly fond of consuming cold foods during this season. Therefore, cooling fruits are highly recommended for relieving summer heat.
Cooling fruits include: cantaloupe, watermelon, pear, banana, kiwi, mango, persimmon, water chestnut, sweet melon, grapefruit, etc.
Tips
During the hot summer, it is important not to consume icy water or cold beverages solely for the sake of refreshment. Drinking cold water or beverages in hot weather can hinder the body's ability to sweat and may lead to catching a cold.
