4 foods to avoid during a heatwave

Not only can heat waves be incredibly uncomfortable, they’re more dangerous than you think. Our body is so sensitive to it that what you eat and drink can have an impact on your well-being and health if it is exposed to extreme temperatures.

Heat and sun are things we normally can’t get enough of, especially if we live in a cold climate. While cool temperatures are also associated with risks, the heat is easier to ignore and therefore more likely to lead to dehydration, heat stroke, and more.

As you take care of yourself and fight the heat, what you eat can have an impact from what feels obvious to what isn’t. Here are 5 foods to avoid when it’s really hot outside:

coffee and tea

Photo by Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash

Aside from the fact that they’re hot (unless they’re served over ice), these drinks have powerful diuretic properties and aren’t the best for when you’re looking to quench your thirst. When it’s hot outside, holding onto our fluids is important and consuming large amounts of coffee or tea, even if they are frozen, could withhold that from us.

alcohol

Photo by Adam Jaime via Unsplash

RELATED: 3 Precautions To Take During A Heatwave

We probably don’t need to tell you this, but alcohol can dry out our bodies quickly. Once it gets into our system, our liver tries to flush out the natural toxins in alcohol. Dehydration usually leads to a hangover. Braving really hot conditions makes it worse as the stress and exposure to the heat can trigger a more complicated episode.

Spicy dishes

Photo by Artem Labunsky via Unsplash

RELATED: Coffee Can Protect You From This Disease, According to New Research

Spicy food isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when it’s hot outside, and that’s because spicy sweat isn’t nice to have when you’re dealing with regular sweat as well. Science explains that capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, can temporarily raise our body temperature. When it’s very hot outside, try your best to keep your body as cool as possible.

High protein foods protein

Photo by Szabo Viktor via Unsplash.

Proteins like red meat feel heavy in the stomach. This is because they take a lot of your body’s work to be fully processed, which forces your body to do a lot of heavy lifting, which leads to thermogenesis. This is normal, but it creates a lot of heat that should be avoided on really hot days. Lighter foods like fruit are easier to process and produce less heat.