Beat the Heat: 6 Foods to avoid eating in Singapore’s scorching weather

Beat the Heat: 6 Foods to avoid in Singapore’s scorching weather

Kanako Sugawara

22 Jun 2018

updated the 2 May 2019 à 23:48

Hint: you might have to give up your booze and beef!

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Meats
We all know that protein requires a lot of energy to digest (just think back to that horrible food coma you had after you had that steak). Due to a process called thermogenesis, having to digest a lot of protein creates heat within your body, which is the last thing you want on a hot, humid day!

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Alcohol
While it’s tempting to “crack open a cold one with the boys (or girls)” on a hot day, alcohol is dehydrating and can make you susceptible to heat stroke. It’s still okay to enjoy a nice mimosa in the sun -- just make sure you alternate your drinks with shots of water!

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Ice
While it’s so tempting to take a deep swig of an ice-cold drink or devour that ice kacang, it’s so much better for you to eat and drink foods that are lukewarm or at room temperatures. This is to avoid irritating your gastrointestinal tract, which could cause stomach and intestinal cramps. Cold foods and drinks can also stress the digestive system because your body has to work harder to raise the temperature of the food in order to digest it properly.

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Coffee – or caffeine, in general
Diuretic foods like coffee, flush water out of your body and are not the best idea when you want to retain as much water as possible in your body during the hot weather months! Diuretic foods include other drinks like tea and soda, and foods like mangoes, fennel, artichokes and asparagus.

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Spicy foods
Forgo the extra spicy mala and go for mild! Even though it might seem healthy to sweat out those toxins in your body by eating spicy food, when its really hot and humid outside, you don’t need to help your body do the work. In fact, it's better to keep your body temperature as low as possible to keep you energy levels up!

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Sugary foods and drinks
Similar to meats and other protein, the body also uses a lot of water to metabolize foods that are high in sugar such as candy bars, doughnuts, and cream-based ice creams. The same goes for sugary sodas and juices as well! When the body uses excess water to metabolize food, it depletes the water reserves within your body, which in many cases, leads to dehydration. So instead of going for that sugar cane juice, reach for your water bottle instead. Your body will thank you later!

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“Summer” (or just hotter days) are officially upon us here in Singapore, and now more than ever we need to take care of our bodies so that we can beat the heat! One way we can do so is to be mindful of what we eat — and by avoiding certain foods that can make us seriously sick in this weather.

Some of the things on this list may surprise you, while some may make you a bit sad (warning: you might have to forgo your favorite coffee shop after work for a while!), but here are 6 foods you should avoid in order to take care of your body while living in this Singaporean heat.

So, what can you eat instead?

It might seem like you need to avoid everything, but that’s not the case!

The processed sugary food can be substituted by fruits with “natural” sugar, such as watermelons, papaya, pink grapefruit, and guava, all which include a nutrient called lycopene which can also protect you from sun exposure.

And although we did mention meat on our list, you don’t have to give them all up! Chicken kebabs are packed with protein but low in calories, fat, and carbs (and the grilled vegetables it comes with is also good for you!). It is also encouraged that you eat seafoods, such as shrimp, as an alternative to meat. So don’t lose all hope; there are definitely delicious alternatives!

Kanako Sugawara

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