A few cool ways to beat the summer heat

It's 114 degrees Fahrenheit out there, and your skin seems to be sucking the heat in deeper into your body rather than helping you cool down. An occasional afternoon downpour brings more grief than relief, because it layers on humidity that is thick enough to slice through with a knife. Throw in a little pollution and each second becomes sheer hell when you are outdoors.

The recent heat wave that killed 24 people in India is probably indicative of an even hotter approaching summer, for brutal May, sizzling June and searing July and August are yet to make their presence felt.

Can certain foods help towards reversing some of this exchange of body heat? Yes, they most certainly can!

And why or how does this heat exchange happen? On sultry, humid days, muscles compete with the skin for blood circulation. When it's hot outside, more blood flows near the skin to help dissipate body heat and cool the body down, thereby keeping your temperature from rising to dangerous levels. But that can mean less blood reaches your muscles, hence the lethargy.

At the same time, as when your body becomes hotter, muscle enzymes speed up and burn glycogen more rapidly, depleting stores of the sugar that your muscles use for fuel. Hence it's imperative to drink plenty of fluids that help hydrate your muscles and skin adequately in order to maintain internal cooling down.

Is it a good idea to apply cool compresses to your forehead, thereby reducing the heat entering your brain?

Not necessarily. Neither is it a good idea to wet your head down entirely, especially for kids who have just finished playing a sport. You have to make the heat move outwards. Too much water on the skin's surface inhibits sweat evaporation that helps cool the body down.

To handle this heat onslaught and ensure your body is as cool as it can possibly be, we suggest a few measures that are easy to follow:

Eat light, small, frequent meals: Start the morning with a sweet, juicy fruit at breakfast. Ripe summer fruit -- peaches, plums, melons and pears -- are exactly what your skin craves for in the hot season. Citrus fruit are also very cooling. Eat them whole or extract their juice, store in the refrigerator and sip often throughout the day.
Include salads in your diet: Consuming leafy lettuce and summer greens, corn on the cob and cucumbers in salad are delicious ways to stay cool. These foods contain a significant amount of water and can actually thin the blood, which has a cooling effect. Onions too are great in the summer, because of their ability to beat the heat and provide relief from summer ailments. So scatter a few washed onion slices onto a sandwich or in your salad.
If you get burnt (sun stroke or heat stroke): Seek relief by sipping on green tea or take a spoon of onion juice. They are potent antioxidants that can neutralise cellular damage caused by the sun's rays.
To cool the body through sweating: Add small amounts of hot spices to food while cooking. Hot peppers, fresh ginger and black pepper are all great spices to make it really hot for you and then to cool you down.
Hydrate your body: Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. Water is the best drink as it doesn't contain any sugars that can add up to unnecessary calories. For a change, a lemon and honey drink can also instantly replenish your body's lost fluids and work as an energiser. Drink fluids even if you are not thirsty -- once you are thirsty, it means you are already dehydrated.
Wear loose, full-sleeved cotton clothes: To protect the body from the sun and to aid evaporation of sweat. Use a hat to protect your head from the sun if you step out.
Stay indoors: Restrict outdoor activities to the cooler parts of the day -- early mornings before 10:30 am or late evenings after 5:30 pm.
If you're a non-vegetarian: You should limit red meat consumption in summer and opt for fish and oysters instead.
Avoid extremely chilled foods and drinks: Most of us normally pick these and they are actually known to interfere with digestion and sweating, thereby interfering with the body's natural cooling mechanisms. So, however tempting it may be to sit on your porch licking an ice cream cone or sipping a cool glass of tea, try a wedge of watermelon instead.

As the mercury rises, the last thing on one's mind is food, but if you eat smart, small light meals and accompany them with plenty of fluids you will be one cool cucumber. So go ahead and take these obvious precautions! Remember, the best place to start the cooling process is at your body's core.

Courtesy: www.rediff.com