Abstract Climate change is exacerbating extreme heat events, and individual cooling measures are becoming vital, particularly in communities lacking access to air conditioning or other cooling systems. This review introduces a new framework that bridges the gap between nutrition and climate adaptation, highlighting the potential of using traditional, nutrient-rich diets as evidence-based, practical methods to help individuals manage heat stress. We integrate biochemical, physiological, epidemiological, and cultural approaches, unlike most studies that have concentrated primarily on engineering or technological interventions, to demonstrate how regular foods help maintain body temperature, hydration, and mitigate inflammation and oxidative stress. Considering nutrition as a means of heat resilience, we can observe that familiar foods can provide cost-effective, easily available, and sustainable solutions to numerous vulnerable groups. Notably, we also discuss how to incorporate such traditional cooling foods into national food programs and school meal schemes, combining the local knowledge with contemporary climate adaptation policies. Although this approach is India-centred, it has broad applicability and can be used to provide a replicable, scientifically based, and culturally informed framework on how community heat resilience can be improved throughout the Global South.
Kumar et al. (Tue,) studied this question.