IPWS annual sponsor, Epermarket, is an online expat supermarket that offers over 7,000 products from reliable brands from around the world at diverse price ranges to be delivered directly to your doorstep. This month, the team at Epermarket wants to make sure you keep cool this summer!

Since ancient times, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners have placed a high value on food and what it does to your body. The principle is based off the concept of the body’s yin and yang – the duality of the body to complement itself and find harmony.

Not all foods are made the same, and they are categorized into one of three groups: warming, neutral, and cooling.

Warming Foods raise your yang and your organs’ energy (qi) by warming and improving the circulation in the body to help you battle the cold. People who have poor circulation in their hands and feet or feel fatigued and lack energy can benefit from eating warming foods, whereas Neutral Foods are suitable for any type of body and diet and do not have an effect on the body’s harmony.

On the flipside, Cooling Foods are necessary when the body is overheated or inflamed, so they are perfect for battling hot weather. In addition, not only can cooling foods help you overcome anxiety of periods of high emotions, but they can help clear toxins while cooling and calming the blood by nourishing your yin.

One of the basic concepts of Warming & Cooling foods is to make sure that warming foods are paired with cooling foods, especially in hot weather. By doing so, they can balance each other out to maintain harmony in the body. For example, deep-frying or grilling adds warmth to foods, so if you plan on either this summer for a meal, make sure to pair it with something to counterbalance the heat!

8 Foods to Keep You Cool Through Summer!

1. Cucumber – There’s a reason why people say, “As cool as a cucumber.” Refresh yourself with a little cucumber action by throwing a few slices in your water or whipping up a quick side dish cucumber & yogurt salad (yogurt is also a cooling food) to boost your yin.
2. Watermelon – Perhaps Mother Nature intentionally designed for summertime to be watermelon time, because watermelon is one of the best cooling foods you can eat when you’re feeling the heat. Need to cool your body quickly? Go for some watermelon juice!
3. Pineapples – If you’re thinking that BBQ is in your future this summer, a fantastic pairing is grilled chicken with a fresh mint and pineapple salsa. Not only do you get a tasty condiment, but you’ll get a double bonus in the cooling department with the addition of mint.
4. Tea – Even served as a hot beverage, tea actually promotes cool energy in the body, unlike coffee which is a warming beverage. If you need a real cool down, try a cup of Chrysanthemum or Peppermint tea, as they have the most cooling properties.
5. Buckwheat – Rich in complex carbohydrates, buckwheat is actually not a grain at all, but the edible portion of the seed and is more related to greens like rhubarb and sorrel and can be used as an alternative to rice. Naturally gluten-free, buckwheat grains can be cooked as an oatmeal, added to soups and stews, and added to baked goods. For a quicker solution, substitute Japanese buckwheat noodles for pasta in dishes.
6. Lettuce – Summertime is salad time, and for more reasons than you can think. Lettuce and most green leafy vegetables have a cooling effect on the body, so keep munching on that daily lunch of salad, and make sure to top it with some body-cooling fresh tomatoes as well.
7. Mushrooms –Antimicrobial and antiviral, mushrooms promote our cooling in our bodies and aid in reducing or preventing inflammation, and help the body with detoxification. To release the full health benefits of mushrooms, stew them for long periods in water for a delicious and cooling soup broth.
8. Clams & Crabs – We know what you’re thinking, “Of course clams and crabs are cooling, they live in cold-water!” Actually that’s not the case. Just because seafood comes from the sea, it doesn’t mean all seafood has cooling properties on the body. Foods like shrimp, lobsters, mussels and oysters are actually warming foods, so when it’s hot out, opt for a clam bake or crab boil rather than shrimp scampi or fresh oysters.