Cooling off in summer: Hot or cold drink?
Is it better to sip a hot or cold drink in the summer to cool down and hydrate? In Japan, the Japanese have a similar drinking style to ours: hot tea is reserved for the winter while fresh teas and infusions are consumed more in the summer. With the current high temperatures, we asked ourselves the question for you: are we right? Should we drink hot or cold when it's hot?
Table of contents:
Should you drink hot food when it's hot?Mugicha, a drink to drink hot or cold
Should you drink hot food when it's hot?
We are homeothermic beings. In other words, we naturally regulate our internal temperature to maintain it at a more or less constant level (around 37° C) for the perfect functioning of our vital functions. However, maintaining the right temperature does not happen without spending energy and this is where the temperature of what we drink comes into play!
Hot drinking makes you sweat
If we drink very hot food when it is hot, it increases our body temperature a little more. To return to its basic temperature, our body automatically starts to sweat. This mechanism is interesting and you can even look for it because sweating allows us to be cooler . But it is a double-edged sword because sweating dehydrates and this can be problematic.
Drinking cold slows down our system
Conversely, drinking very cold water when it's hot will instantly bring a great feeling of freshness. While this is often welcome, it sends erroneous information to our internal thermosensors, which pause in response. Perspiration is slowed down , or even stopped, and heat is then retained in our body... we get hot faster!
The solution? Drink at room temperature
So should we choose a hot or cold drink when it's hot? Neither: the drink to choose in case of extreme heat is a drink at room temperature . Indeed, the further the temperature of a drink is from our body temperature, the more our body must provide energy to bring its temperature back to that of our internal temperature.
When it's hot, the ideal would be to drink lukewarm drinks , between 12 and 14°C. These allow us to both quench our thirst and effectively hydrate our body.
And more importantly, drink enough to stay hydrated.
That being said, the most important thing is to drink enough when temperatures rise in order to maintain good hydration of your body. Hot or cold drink, lukewarm drink: it is especially important to drink! So find a drink that gives you pleasure and abuse it!
Mugicha, a drink to drink hot or cold
The summer drink in Japan is without a doubt mugicha .
This barley infusion, also called barley tea (mugi-cha) or even barley coffee, is prepared from crushed barley. Beyond containing neither theine nor caffeine, what makes it a star drink of the summer is that it has two big advantages:
- Mugicha can be consumed as a hot or cold drink
- Mugicha can be infused cold : unlike other teas, this makes its preparation much easier since it is not necessary to infuse it hot and then cool it. It is therefore possible to consume it directly!
Hot, mugicha has a taste that is similar to coffee and cocoa. Cold, it has a taste between caramel and cereal: it all depends on how you like to drink and enjoy it! You can also add milk, cow's milk or vegetable milk (oat milk goes wonderfully with it), to make your drink more delicious. Some time ago, we offered you an article on the preparation of mugicha to help you discover this drink!
When it's very hot, drinking warm is the best way to quench your thirst and properly hydrate your body. However, hot or cold or even warm, it is especially essential to drink enough when temperatures rise! Find a drink that gives you pleasure and adopt it!
💡 You liked it, you will also like it