Diet and Food Guidance for Heat Rash

Diet does not cure heat rash, but staying hydrated and eating light food in hot weather helps your body stay cool and sweat normally.

Drinks that help

• Water, sipped regularly through the day
• Coconut water, which provides fluid and some potassium
• Buttermilk (chaas) and lassi, lightly salted or plain
• Oral rehydration solution if you are sweating heavily, vomiting or have diarrhoea
• Lemon water and diluted fruit juice, without too much sugar

Foods that suit hot weather

• Cucumber, watermelon, muskmelon, oranges and other water-rich fruits
• Seasonal vegetables such as bottle gourd, ridge gourd and pumpkin
• Light meals such as curd rice, dal and khichdi
• Smaller, more frequent meals rather than heavy ones

What to limit

• Very spicy, oily and fried foods, which can leave you feeling hotter
• Excess tea, coffee and fizzy drinks
• Alcohol, which dehydrates you
• Very heavy meals during the hottest hours

Ayurvedic suggestion

Ayurveda recommends cooling, light, easily digested foods in hot seasons and limiting hot, spicy and sour foods to calm pitta. This is a traditional guideline. It may help comfort but there is no proof that diet clears heat rash.

Special cases

People with heart, kidney or liver disease on fluid limits should follow their doctor's advice. Babies under 6 months need only breast milk or formula for fluids unless a paediatrician advises otherwise.

Key point

Stay hydrated, eat light and keep the body cool. The rash itself responds to cooling and dry skin.

Before your appointment

Note when the rash began, where it is and what makes it better or worse, such as heat, clothes, creams or sweating. List any products, medicines, oils or herbal pastes you have used, and whether anyone at home has a similar rash. For a baby, note fever, feeding, and what the baby wears and sleeps in. Take photos of the rash over a few days.