It seems impossible, but in this fiery August the alarms for the arrival of new heat waves follow one another without stopping without giving us a breather due to the high humidity levels. And already July had been a disastrous month from many points of view. In the immediate future we live with the nightmare of drought, fires, record temperatures, skyrocketing humidity even at night which makes it difficult to fall asleep. And in the long term, serious consequences are expected with foodstuffs literally gone up in smoke, early harvests but of insufficient consistency, harvests that will not see the beginning because the grape stalks vary from too small, to burnt, to already rancid. In short, wherever we turn the situation is not the best, we need to find a way to get through the days in the best possible way, especially in the cities, not to go out too much as long as the sun is out. Whether on foot or by car, after perhaps it has been parked in the sun, travel is not recommended.
What can we do to protect ourselves from the heat?
- Water
The sense of thirst is stimulated and trained, consequently, in other words, 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 prone to increased sweating could be helpful consume mineral water, the "hardest" so in jargon. The sweat is mainly composed of minerals such as sodium, chlorine and potassium (but also of other substances that you would never imagine such as urea and gamma globulins), and low-mineral waters have a total mineral content lower than "hard" waters.
This it 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.
- Fruit
We say it all year round and above all in winter, "now in winter the summer fruit is a bit lacking, then it's cold I would like something warmer", now that we are in the middle 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 little of everything inside, we can even have a meal based on fruit only, 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, in order to avoid congestion.
- Vegetables
Whether it's summer or winter, vegetables are good to consume, even as a side dish, little is better than nothing. If in summer the fruit is a bit the mistress, the vegetables are not very varied. Carrots in abundance, especially raw, cucumbers and tomatoes also raw they can contribute to collecting abundant, delicious, low-calorie dishes and which can also promote the long-awaited and sought-after tan. More, iceberg lettuce nice crunchy and fresh it can be found in the supermarket already in an envelope or in bulk.
- 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. Plan to have at least one grain-based meal during the day. 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 good practice to split up meals, and above all try to have regularity with the times. 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 the food storage 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 preservation 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, depending on 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.
- Alcohol
As we know, in summer we all have more possibilities for convivial events in which the alcoholic component is exceeded, but this does not change the nature of the drink. From whatever alcohol it is we would have an increase in heat and sweating, plus it's 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 ours alcohol content tending to zero during the day.
