The record-breaking high temperatures of the summer can dehydrate you and make you feel tired. Keep your body cool with these refreshing chamoy candy foods.
With summer’s hot and humid weather, it is essential to consume foods that help us keep hydrated and fresh throughout the day. Thankfully, there are so many creative ways to beat the heat of peak summer.
Read on to find out how our Sophia’s Spicy Treats family fixes a refreshing snack using our favorite ingredient: chamoy.
1. Stay Hydrated With Cucumbers
Summers are always hot, but 2023 has been reported as the hottest ever. Dangerous heatwaves swept across parts of the Northern Hemisphere in July, including US, Mexico, China and Southern Europe.
Probably the simplest explanation is climate change. Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused by five key greenhouse gasses: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, and water vapor.
Now that temperatures have reached record highs, many of us are finding summer challenging especially when it comes to keeping ourselves cool and refreshed. Why not give your AC unit a break and instead beat the heat naturally with body cooling foods?
Cucumbers are popular cooling foods during summer. Its high water content not only hydrates your skin, but also helps maintain the water-balance of your body.
Try This Chamoy Cucumber Sorbet Recipe!
Think of this refreshing treat as a relaxing spa day for your tummy. This recipe only requires four ingredients: cucumber, lemon juice, and sugar, which you can easily replace with monk fruit sweetener as a carb-free alternative.
Wash, peel and deseed 3 cucumbers. Cut the cucumbers into chunks and blend with ½ cup of lime juice and 1 cup of granulated sugar (or its sweetener equivalent). Transfer the puree to the ice cream maker and let the pureed mix churn.
If you want to make sorbet without an ice cream maker, freeze the cucumber chunks prior to blending with the lime juice and sugar.
Serve the sorbet on a chamoy paste rimmed cup and garnish with classic chamoy sauce and squishy chamoy gummy bears.
Did You Know?
The origins of the idiom “as cool as a cucumber” has a history extending back to the 1700s. The phrase first appeared in the work of the British poet, John Gay, in his poem, “New Song on New Similes.”
Its meaning refers to being relaxed, calm, or composed under pressure, in a dangerous or exciting situation.
2. Combat The Heat With Spicy Chamoy Candy
You’ve read that right! Cooling down with a cold drink is often the first thing people do when it gets hot outside. However, there’s plenty of scientific evidence that suggests eating spicy food can cool you down, even more effectively than a cold treat.
The reason? Sweat—the body’s main heat regulator.
A Yale University report claims that the body’s reaction to consuming spicy foods is linked to a chemical called capsaicin, a chemical prevalent in chili peppers.
When ingested, capsaicin triggers a response in the nervous system that leads to sweating and flushing. Therefore, the more spicy foods you eat, the more likely you’ll sweat from your head. The evaporation of sweat removes heat from your body, ultimately cooling you down after that initial flush.
Try This Spicy Tostilocos Snack Recipe!
Tostilocos, also known as Dorilocos, are popular Mexican antojito. This delicious guilty pleasure comes filled with flavor, spice, and crunch to spare. Think of Tostilocos as nachos with a fun, flavorful twist!
To fix yourself this spicy snack, all you need is a bag of your favorite Tostitos for Tostilocos, or Doritos for Dorilocos. Cut open the bag sideways to make a bowl. Add 1 bag of cacahuates Japoneses (Japanese-style nuts) and mix.
Add diced cucumbers, jicama, and chamoy candy—we recommend sour raspberry tuberoos, chamoy gushers or chamoy Trolli sour worms. Squeeze the juice of two limes into the mix and top with chamoy sauce, Valentina, and Tajín.
Did You Know?
Humans have long combatted the heat by eating spicy food. The sweating and cooling effect of chili peppers were used in Mesoamerican cuisine for several thousand years. Additionally, Aztec and Mayan civilizations not only used chilies to flavor food but also to fumigate houses and to help cure illness.
3. Replenish Electrolytes Quickly With Pickles
You’ve probably never considered snacking on a pickle after a tough workout, your 3km run around the park, or a good day on the beach. But, guess what? You should!
Our bodies rely on electrolytes to maintain fluid balance and keep all systems running smoothly. Sweating, however, risks losing too many electrolytes. Here’s where pickles come in.
Pickle juice and pickled veggies contain electrolytes in the form of sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which are for hydration too. These minerals carry an electrical charge and are responsible for directing water to the areas in your body that need it most.
Pickle juice, or the vinegar present in pickle juice comes with its own set of benefits. Research has found that drinking pickle juice—roughly one-third of a cup—relieved muscle cramps better than water did. It can also help regulate blood sugar and improves gut health by boosting the growth of good bacteria in the stomach.
Compared to other snacks, pickles are generally low in calories, providing our taste buds with a refreshing and spicy respite during the hot summer months.
Try This Tasty Chamoy Pickle Kit Recipe!
For this quick delicious snack, you’ll need your favorite chamoy pickle kit. At Sophia’s Spicy Treats, we offer delicious varieties to satisfy your craving: cherry, sour, Tapatio, and Warheads.
The main ingredients of a chamoy pickle kit vary, but a traditional one consists of a chamoy pickle, sweet and tangy chamoy candy, like Salsaghetti, spicy chips such as Takis or any spicy chip, and toppings like Tajín and chamoy sauce.
Take the pickle out of its bag and carefully pour the juice in a glass. Save for later. Bite off the top of the pickle and scoop out some of it to make room for the Takis and candy “stuffing.” Drizzle lots of chamoy sauce and wrap the pickle with a fruit roll up. Drizzle more spicy chamoy sauce and top with Tajín.
Did You Know?
The Chamoy Pickle Kit trend is one of the most popular TikTok food crazes of 2023. At the time of writing, the “chamoypiklekit” hashtag has been viewed over 284 million times!
