The Healthy Summer Foods You May Want to Try Now

Nature’s air-conditioning starts in your kitchen.

By

Susan Marque

 
Published July 16, 2026
A colorful photo illustration featuring an older adult relaxing on a large lemon slice against a soft pink background, surrounded by lime wedges, cucumber slices, mint leaves, celery pieces, and tofu cubes
Elena Lacey (Getty Images, 7)

On a hot day in Bali, there is often someone at your hotel who will hand you a warm mug of ginger tea to cool you down. It works like eating hot peppers, which cause you to sweat and keep cool. I’m not a fan of peppery things. Back in the States, I took notes when I was attending food conferences with wonderful teachers from around the globe, handing down their secrets to those of us searching for traditional dietary wisdom. Some of it really seemed too good to be true. I had to try it out to be convinced.

What I found was that there are many cooling foods that really do act like inner air conditioning, without the sweat. I’ve lived in both New York and Los Angeles apartments that had no AC, so I’ve used these foods to keep my sanity during those inevitable heat waves. Science is now catching up to what some people figured out about how food can affect our temperatures, centuries before refrigeration.

Here are a few you can use for a summer cool-down:

Cabbage

This humble vegetable isn’t just versatile in meals. You might be surprised that you can peel off a full leaf and plop it on your head for some instant cabbage-cap cooling. A little trick we did at one summer class I attended was comparing cabbage leaves to cooling gel pads. The leaves performed just as well and are far better for the earth when you’re done using them.

I also learned how cabbage can reduce inflammation, which is why I use a blended mix of tofu and cabbage with a little flour to form a plaster for sore joints and even breaks or sprains. It’s much easier to leave on than ice.

Tofu

Tofu is one of the most versatile inventions ever created. It can be turned into almost anything, like an omelet, pasta or cheese. One of my super cooling salads combines tofu, cucumber and mint into a cabbage slaw (just add your favorite dressing) because it’s refreshing on a 90°F day and I don’t need to sit in front of a fan to stay comfortable. Soy products like tofu may even help reduce hot flashes.

Tofu is considered a cold food in traditional Chinese medicine. It clears heat and toxins. Eating it uncooked and straight out of the package with seasonings gives the most cooling sensation. But it is usually cooked to lessen the effect since digestion requires warmth. Balance is the key.

Cucumber

This is one of the highest-water-content foods. These green logs are basically 95% water and contain phosphorus and magnesium to help maintain water in our bodies, which help us stay cool as water is absorbed more slowly and effectively than when we just drink it straight.

The skin of cucumbers might taste a little bitter, but it can reduce inflammation, which causes heat in the system. This crunchy green can definitely help you keep your cool.

Asparagus

This one surprised me. Asparagus helps keep us feeling refreshed because it’s full of water and rutin, a flavonoid and one of the primary antioxidant compounds in this vegetable. Asparagus also has a mild diuretic effect, which keeps fluids moving through the body.

Coconut Water

Plain water is hydrating, but coconut water has potassium. This helps keep enough of that wonderful water in your blood to maintain your body’s natural cooling process, releasing the heat through your skin.

Coconut water may also support hydration and electrolyte balance during heat and exercise. You’ll not only feel cooler when drinking it, but you’ll stay energized longer.

Lemon & Lime

Lemons and limes added to water can make it more refreshing and easier to drink. These juices also contain high levels of citric acid. Adding citrus to water may help you stay hydrated enough for more effective evaporative cooling through the skin.

Mint

Mint earns its cooling reputation down to the cellular level. The key compound is menthol, which activates cold-sensitive nerve receptors called TRPM8, the same receptors your body uses to detect cool temperatures. Add fresh mint to water, salads or chilled soups and let your nervous system do the rest.

Celery

Celery may not get the credit it deserves, but it works hard. It’s 95 percent water, providing slow-release hydration that keeps your sweat glands fueled. But its real secret weapon is a compound called phthalides — a natural relaxant that helps widen your blood vessels, allowing your body to move heat away from your internal organs and out through your skin more efficiently. It’s a way to literally vent the heat.

Knowing these hydrating facts, I follow this diet on hot days to stay refreshed — what a relief to have found foods that help me keep my cool, inside and out.

Which of the above do YOU love eating? Let us know in the comments below.

Susan Marque is a Los Angeles-based writer and actor whose work appears in the Los Angeles Times, Healthline, Apartment Therapy, Vitacost and AARP’s digital properties, among others. She holds an MFA from The New School. Find her at susanmarque.com.