Heatwaves are no fun as they take the fun out of you want to spend your time outdoors. However, what you can do is have a nice soak in the pool and you can run around with your kids or grandkids in the sprinkler. You also want to ensure that your skin is protected from the high UV rays during those heatwaves. And you also want to ensure that you drink plenty of water because staying hydrated is essential when it is unusually hot for prolonged periods. And you may even have a craving for ice cream! Why wouldn’t you? It is delicious and it is cold, which is what you need. However, that is not a good idea since ice cream, among five other foods, is not good for you if there is a heatwave. Let’s talk about why!
Ice Cream
It may be counterintuitive to hear this, and disappointing as well. However, eating ice cream or even sorbet which is lower in sugar is not ideal to eat. The idea of eating ice cream on a hot day sounds perfect as it helps you cool down, but does it really? When you eat cold foods, your digestion of them causes an increase in temperature in your body. If you combine the heat generated by digestion with quick cooling, then your body will overcompensate by making your core temperature higher. You will feel quite hot after eating the ice cream and you will feel worse.
Meat And High-Protein Foods
When you digest meat, it takes a lot of work and energy to do that and too much heat will happen as a result. The heat that is caused by digestion is known as thermogenesis. Therefore, if you are planning to have a barbecue that involves chicken, burgers, hot dogs, or sausages, you will want to plan it at a time when the weather forecasters are telling you that there will not be a heatwave during a certain timeframe.
Coffee Or Tea
Coffee or tea contains caffeine which is a natural diuretic. Therefore, if you drink coffee or tea during a heatwave, you are going to end up losing a lot of fluids that you need to stay hydrated. The best thing to do is to either switch to a non-caffeinated beverage or find other ways to stay awake during a heatwave.
Alcohol
Alcohol is another diuretic which means you will want to avoid it at all costs when there is a heatwave. It does not matter if the alcoholic content in a drink is low. Any traces of alcohol will strip away the water in your body that you need so you stay hydrated. Therefore, if you want a wine cooler, you will want to save it for a time when the heatwave is over – and you can do so safely as you enjoy your barbecue.
Foods That Are Highly Processed
If you are having a craving a donut, some candy, fast food, or a microwaveable dinner, you will want to save the indulgence for a time when there is not a heatwave. That is because when you are digesting highly processed food, your body uses a lot of water to do so. Therefore, that can leave you dehydrated in the end.
Fruits And Vegetables That Are Diuretics
Fruits such as mangoes and vegetables such as fennel, asparagus, and artichokes are natural diuretics. That means they will flush the water right out of you. Once again, you need as much water in your body as you can during a heatwave.
However, vegetables such as carrots, endive, broccoli, celery, radishes, peppers, spinach, tomatoes are good for you as they help replenish your water and keep you hydrated. Most fruits such as melons, berries, apples, plums, and oranges are good to eat during heatwaves, and soups are as well. So, therefore, you will need to change your diet a little when there is a heatwave.
