The summer season is at its peak with days getting hotter and cases of heat strokes increasing. Therefore, it becomes crucial to take care of your diet because what you eat will eventually help you deal with the symptoms of heat exhaustion like fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and more. The combination of foods that you opt for meals is significant in defining whether or not the body receives enough hydration.
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To understand this in-depth, Slurrp spoke to Pune-based functional nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, CEO and founder at iThrive. She recommended certain food combos that can trigger excess heat in the body and lead to digestive discomfort. For example, fried food, fatty foods, seed oil, and spicy meals can cause the body to produce more heat. Hence, if you have recently had any of these food items, you might have experienced a burning sensation in the stomach, nausea, or even stomach ache.
Caffeinated Drink And Sugary Foods
Mugdha Pradhan says, “Caffeinated drinks dehydrate the body, and if you pair them with sweets or sugary foods, your body will have to work extra hard to eliminate the extra amount of glucose that is now circulating in your bloodstream.”
For example, if you have coffee with doughnuts. Coffee has a high amount of caffeine and doughnuts are not only sweet but also deep-fried. This will lead to a thermogenic effect, where the digestive system finds it hard to break down the food. It will increase your body temperature and make you more susceptible to getting affected by heatwaves.
Extremely Cold Food
According to the nutritionist, drinking chilled beverages or foods can also have an adverse impact on your body. Though in summer, iced beverages and frozen food items seem like an obvious choice to beat the heat, they cause more harm than good to the body. Mugdha Pradhan added, “It’s like subjecting your body to extreme temperatures. Outside the temperature is say beyond 40°C, and you decided to eat an ice cream that was frozen at below 0°C. It will lead to dysfunctions in the body.”
Hence, if you remember, your mother and elders would always recommend you to sit down and cool off at room temperature after returning from school or a play session. They always ask you to avoid being in front of the air conditioner or drinking refrigerator water or any other beverage after you have been in the sun.
The nutritionist also said that this can lead you to develop flu symptoms. It happens because the body needs to compensate for the subjection to extreme temperatures. Therefore, you must always remember to allow your body to gradually cool off after being in the sun for long.
She suggested consuming good-quality protein, clean carbs, and fat. According to the nutritionist, the primary focus of everyone should be to opt for hydrating vegetables, fruits, and beverages. Not only will it prevent dehydration but also help the body to replenish nutrients and electrolytes that are lost in sweating.