Keeping cool with curries and saying no to beer

Notice how some of the world's hottest countries consume the spiciest food? No doubt, chilies have antimicrobial qualities that prolong the shelf-life of food. But they also contain capsaicin, the chemical that fools your brain into thinking your body temperature is rising, thus making it activate your sweat glands. And as our sweat evaporates from our skin, it helps cool us down.

Chinese traditional medicine refers to "heaty" and "cooling" food to balance the body's yin (cold) and yang (heaty) energies. Cooling foods include watermelon, celery, cucumber and even green tea. In Indian ayurveda, tender coconut water, which is widely available in humid tropical countries, is also considered cooling. It is also rich in several essential vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.

Whether it's "nimbu paani" in India, "limonana" in the Middle East, "limau asam boi" in Malaysia or "Zitronensaft" in Germany, most countries have a thirst quencher in which various species of lemons or limes play a central role supported by a cast of flavor enhancers like a dash of pepper, a handful of mint leaves, preserved plums or a spoonful of honey.

In its 2022 statistics on global beer consumption, worldpopulationreview.com states that beer "is one of the oldest beverages in the world, having been invented before written language, and is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage on earth." However, as it contains alcohol — which dehydrates the body — health experts advise aficionados not to overindulge during heat waves. Ditto for coffee.

Even our clothing matters when the mercury rises. Though our tendency is to have the least fabric on our skin, if we have to be out and about during a heatwave our best bet is loose-fitting, airy, long-sleeved clothes made of natural fibers or breathable material like cotton or linen. Remember the sweating after the curry? Loose clothing enables air to circulate while our sweat evaporates.

A 1980 study in the journal Nature examined whether clothing colors matter in the heat. Experimenting in a desert with loose white and dark clothing and an army uniform and shorts with no shirt, they found that, while lighter colors do indeed reflect heat, black helps absorb the wearer's own body heat. What matters is that the clothes — whether black or white — are loose for air circulation.

Steadily rising temperatures have Europeans themselves carrying umbrellas and parasols as shelter against the dry summer heat, especially when the sun is at its zenith. During a heat wave, it is best to stay indoors between 12 and 4 p.m. Umbrellas, too, have now evolved to include heat-reflecting models.

With energy prices set to soar in Europe, handheld fans could help ward off the heat — even if only a little. Fans were used as far back as 4,000 years ago in Egypt. The concertina fan is said to have originated in either Japan or China. With fans long a status symbol and fashion accessory, Dior's 2023 Cruise collection featured models walking the runway with lacy black Spanish fans.

Dubious as it sounds, there is some wisdom to this, with even kangaroos and monkeys doing it. Our wrists contain pulse points, and saliva mimics the effect of sweat, thus cooling the skin's surface. Naturally, with COVID-19, the more hygienic option would be running your wrists under water or holding a chilled bottle of water against them. Do the same for your temples and neck.

In winter, we walk faster to warm our bodies; in summer, the aim is to produce as little heat energy as possible. In hotter climes, people take long siestas during the hottest part of the day and avoid strenuous activities such as outdoor games, exercise, etc. In the urban jungle, one could also seek respite in cool public buildings like museums.

Don't underestimate the role of forests in mitigating temperatures. In addition to providing much-needed shade, during the process of transpiration trees and plants absorb water through their roots and emit it through their leaves, cooling their surroundings in turn. Studies have suggested that suburban areas with mature trees are 2-3 degrees Celsius (3.6-5.4 F) cooler than suburbs without trees.

The conic Austrian artist-cum-architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser had it right all along. His famous Hundertwasserhaus, one of Vienna's most famous and beloved landmarks, could prove to be a blueprint for homeowners in marrying architecture and nature and thus ensuring cooler homes shrouded with greenery. With climate change upon us, this may be a long-term solution for staying cool.