We will remember the heat this year for a long time. Scientists have already declared that we have passed the point of no return for the melting of the glaciers, which combined with increasingly massive deforestation, skyrocketing air pollution and ever more present and less controllable fires, raise the temperature levels and therefore also the warning levels of the recommendations to follow.
Let's start with the first and most important:
– Drinking: the sense of thirst is stimulated and trained, consequently, in simple terms, the more you drink and the more you would drink, the less you drink and the less you would drink. With age, the sense of thirst decreases, therefore it is more difficult to recognize when we should actually stop and drink. In the summer season we should all have a bottle of water available from which to draw approximately every half hour. Being subject to greater perspiration, it could be useful to consume mineral water, the "hardest" one in the jargon. Sweat is mainly composed of minerals such as sodium, chlorine and potassium (but also of other substances you would never imagine such as urea and gamma globulins), and low-mineral waters have a lower total mineral content than "hard" waters. This could help us not have to take any supplements. Let's remember that dehydration is not felt immediately and could present itself in the form of tiredness or headaches that we can attribute to other things.
– Increase the consumption of fruit: we say it all year round and above all in winter, "now summer fruit is missing a bit in winter, then it's cold I would like something warmer", now that we are in full swing of the summer season and, therefore, we have "good" fruit, let's use it. Watermelon, melon, strawberries, peaches, pineapples, all very watery, sweet and fresh fruit. We can make a fruit salad with a bit of everything inside, we can even make a meal based on fruit alone, since the heat also lowers the sense of hunger. We must bear in mind that the food we ingest during meals generates reactions within us, which are those of digestion. These reactions produce heat, so it's easier to feel even warmer after meals. Not only that, our body registers that we have introduced food and that we are digesting, therefore it concentrates the blood in the stomach as much as possible, leaving less flow to the extremities (hands and feet in particular). That's why it's also recommended, for example, to wait a few hours before taking a bath in sea water or a pool. Undoubtedly this weather changes respectively from what was eaten. More fat or protein or more abundant meals will need more time to be digested, therefore this time could be lengthened to avoid congestion.
– Vegetables: whether it's summer or winter, vegetables are good to consume, even as a side dish, a little is better than nothing. If in summer fruit is somewhat the mistress, vegetables are not very varied. Carrots in abundance, especially raw, cucumbers and tomatoes also raw can contribute to collecting abundant, delicious, low-calorie dishes and which can also promote the long-awaited and sought-after tan. – Cereals: risotto and cold pasta. In the summer you live on these things under an umbrella, away from home or even during trips out of town. During the day make sure you have at least one cereal-based meal, whether it's lunch or dinner, or why not, even both. They are more digestible than proteins and fats and certainly give more satisfaction. Couscous, buckwheat or millet, to change a little from the usual routine can help. Season them with vegetables and a spoonful of oil. If necessary, remember the possibility of replacing a meal with fruit only.
– Fats and proteins: in the summer it would be a good idea to split up your meals, and above all try to have a regular schedule. A good morning wake up call with a hearty breakfast with more protein can help us feel less hungry during the day. A slice of bread, butter and jam, a juice and an egg allow us to stay away from food for several hours, arriving easily at lunchtime without having to refuel in the morning. Or adding or replacing with a yogurt. Savory breakfast is not part of our culture, but once you try it it's hard to go back!
– Respect food preservation methods: it might seem obvious or superficial, but interrupting the food preservation chain could be an unpleasant thing both for the food itself and for us consumers. Let's go in order. By now our perception of how food should be stored comes from how we find it in the supermarket. If I find the eggs in the refrigerated cabinet once I get home where should I put them? Yet eggs can be stored both in and out of the fridge. The concept is to not alter the state of conservation of the product. If I bought a tray of 4 eggs that was out of the fridge, I won't have to put them at a controlled temperature once I get home but, regardless of our habits, I can still put them in the fridge, as they are used to preserve food. If instead at the time of purchase they will be in the refrigerated counter, it will be advisable to continue with that method of conservation. The heat could help bacterial proliferation, such as Salmonella or other microorganisms, even molds.
– Supplements: the word itself says what these products are and how they should be used. Integrating items we don't need will give us no advantage over not taking them. Respecting the indications mentioned above, it should not be necessary to integrate anything. Possibly a supplementation of magnesium and above all potassium can be useful in particularly sultry days.
– Alcoholic drinks: in the summer, we all have more possibilities for convivial events where we also go too far with the alcoholic component, but this does not change the nature of the drink. Whatever alcohol it is we would have an increase in heat and sweating, plus it is a caloric drink, regardless of what you choose and how much you drink, even very caloric. We can use it as an accompaniment to a meal, but we should try to keep our alcohol level close to zero during the day.
