Still trying to beat the summer heat? Fall may be just around the corner, but for now we’ve still got hot days and warm nights. If you’re like me, you try to save power by not running the air conditioning constantly… so how do you cool down?

Ice cream seems like the perfect summer indulgence. That will cool you down—but not for long. A few minutes after you’ve finished eating, you’re hot again.

Why does this happen? It’s because your internal temperature has cooled rapidly due to the cold food, and to compensate, your body ends up actually raising your temperature. So you may actually end up feeling hotter after eating ice cream!

If you really want to beat the heat, you may have to turn up the heat on your food and eat something spicy. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s true: spicy foods can cool you down.

Think about it: cultures in the hottest places on earth tend to include spicy foods in their cuisine. From the Caribbean to Southeast Asia, you can find tons of local food filled with peppers and spices. Why would they want to eat foods that will make them sweat even more?

It’s because the more you sweat, the more you’ll cool down. Spicy food has the opposite effect of, say, ice cream, because it raises your temperature to match the temperature outside. Once your sweat starts to evaporate, you’ll cool off!

Eating spicy foods on a hot day might not seem that appealing to you, but if you really want to cool off, then go for the hot salsa or add a few chilies to your meal. Next time I’m feeling the heat, I think I’ll keep the A/C off and give this a try!