Why You Shouldn't Add Those Cucumbers to Your Lemonade
Key Takeaways
- Lemon energetics: Lemons are heating in nature and sour in taste, which can contrast with cooling foods like cucumbers and affect digestive comfort and flavor balance.
- Cucumber cooling: Cucumbers are sweet and cooling, so combining them with lemons creates contrasting energetics; pairing cucumbers with cooling limes offers better balance for a summer drink.
- Lime alternative: Limes share cooling properties with cucumbers, making lime-and-cucumber lemonade a more compatible, cooling summer beverage option compared to lemon-and-cucumber mixes.
Lemonade is summer's favorite drink. If you live in a neighborhood of kids, you have likely been seeing lemonade stands pop up at your street corners. And cucumbers!? It doesn't get more cooling that that! So, it is no surprise that many people have been combining the two in their summer drinks to cut the heat.
Ironically, lemons are actually heating in nature and have a sour taste. That is why lemon in hot water has become such a craze for weight loss and cleansing. Notice just a touch of acidity after a large cup of lemonade or eating a dish with a lot of lemons. Contrast this with cucumbers, which are sweet in taste and are cooling.
I wouldn't say that this is the worst food combination you could ever have. But if you still want to have a cooling summer drink that is more compatible, try limes and cucumbers instead! Limes are cooling just like cucumbers. Not only will this sit better in your belly, it is also likely to be more effective at cooling you down in the summer's heat.
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