Food Myths: Can Hot Foods Really Cool You Down?

(bright music)

[Narrator] When it's super hot outside,

you first instinct may be to grab something cold to drink.

But in some countries, like India or South Korea,

you'll find people taming the summer heat

with hot tea or steaming bowls of spicy soup and curry.

There's even a Korean phrase for this.

It basically means fight fire with fire,

as if slurping hot broth is actually going to cool you down.

So is there any proof for it?

Eating or drinking hot things

can actually cool you down on a hot day.

True or false?

Your body is already really well-equipped

to regulate basic functions like digestion

and body temperature, all on its own.

So when it's hot out, your body works

to let out excess heat, and you start to sweat.

The moisture you produce cools you down.

Consider it nature's air conditioning.

When you eat or drink something hot and spicy,

it ups that internal body temperature

and turns that cooler on hyperdrive,

and you start sweating like, a lot.

In fact, scientists have found

that if you're consuming something hot,

the amount you sweat increases so much

that it makes up for the added heat

you're putting in your body.

But the trick here is evaporation.

On a hot, dry day, your sweat keeps you cool

as it evaporates off your skin.

But in really thick humidity,

all that additional sweating

just means you're losing a lot of water unnecessarily.

So while a scalding pot of chicken soup

might not sound appealing in the middle of a dry August,

it might be exactly what you need.

This food myth, it's true.

Just make sure to stay dry.