01/07/2024
Did you know that the worst thing you can do to satisfy your thirst is to drink a glass of water filled with ice? 😱
From a Western scientific standpoint, drinking icy cold beverages causes blood vessels to contract. The tightening of vessels hinders our ability to absorb nutrients and prevents water from entering our cells for proper hydration. If we don’t get enough hydration, our blood vessels constrict, leading to high blood pressure. In addition, ice-filled drinks wear away tooth enamel and also cause excess mucus in our bodies.
In Chinese Medicine, it is taught that cold beverages and foods weaken the spleen and stomach. The spleen plays a vital role in the transformation of nutrients, which then support the formation of blood.
According to research done by neurobiologists at Cambridge University, warm beverages help you cool down more effectively than cold ones.
There are nerve cells, or receptors, on our tongue and digestive tract that will signal our brain, which then sends a cue to our internal cooling system to dissipate heat (by sweating) when the receptors sense warm or hot drinks entering the body. This is also traditional empirical knowledge in places like Morocco, where drinking hot mint tea in the heat of the day is known to have a cooling effect.
Cucumber Lemon Mint Water
Cucumber is 95% water and is high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Lemon naturally cleanses and alkalizes your body. Mint helps aid in digestion and has cooling and refreshing properties.
4 – 5 slices of cucumber
1 - 2 slices of lemon
3 - 4 fresh mint leaves
10 -12 oz. filtered water, room temperature
Allow the cucumber, lemon slices, and mint to steep for about 10-15 minutes, then drink.
Enjoy your summer! Stay cool.
Source: https://www.crowconsultations.com/blog/three-simple-cooling-drinks
