Recommended cooling food and beverage menus for chronic patients help balance the body in hot weather, reducing risks of dehydration and heatstroke, along with tips for selecting low-sugar ingredients to maintain health.
When outside temperatures rise sharply, chronic patients—especially those with diabetes and hypertension—often struggle more than healthy individuals to adapt. Besides avoiding strong sunlight as protection,heatstrokechoosing"foods and drinks"that have cooling properties and help replenish the body's water is also crucial to safely get through the hot season.
Patients with chronic diseases should focus on foods that are"easy to digest, high in water, and low in sugar"to reduce the body's burden from heat, with the following recommended menus:
Winter melon is a cooling herb with very high water content, helping quench thirst and reduce body heat effectively. Kaeng liang, containing various vegetables, provides minerals lost through sweat.
Cucumber is 95% water, offering immediate refreshment. It can be prepared as a sweet and sour stir-fry (with minimal sugar) or eaten fresh with chili paste to stimulate appetite on very hot days.
Instead of high-sugar fruits like durian or ripe mango, choose watermelon in moderate amounts (about 6-8 bite-sized pieces) or rose apple, which is high in fiber and effectively cools the body.
Choosing cooling foods helps balance the body internally, but the most important thing is"to drink clean water frequently"throughout the day, because dehydration thickens the blood and increases the risk of complications in chronic diseases.