Summer Survival: Don't Sweat It

There are a few simple things you can be doing to keep cool in the scorching sun.

Popsicle Party

Though you might be tempted, stop yourself from reaching for that super-cold tub of ice cream in the freezer. A healthy and more delicious alternative is fruit popsicles – they’re just as cooling and contain half the calories.

Two Easy & Yummy Popsicle Recipes

Virgin Piña Colada Pops (Serves 8)

These popsicles deliver a tropical punch while keeping you cool.

Ingredients:

1/2 large pineapple, chopped (about 4 cups)

One 15-ounce can cream of coconut

Three tablespoons fresh lime juice

Pinch fine salt

Method: Puree the pineapple, cream of coconut, lime juice, and salt in a blender until smooth. - Pour the mixture into 10 3-ounce or eight 4-ounce ice-pop molds, dividing evenly. Insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until firm, at least four hours and up to four days.

Banana Nutella Fudgesicles (Serves 10)

These banana Nutella fudgesicles are a healthier, yummier alternative to ice cream.

Ingredients:

Six large overripe bananas, peeled

1/2 cup nutella

Method: Blend the overripe bananas until completely pureed. - Add nutella, and blend until completely mixed in. - Pour into popsicle molds with sticks and freeze for three to four hours.

What to Eat in the Heat?

Fruit with Yogurt – As fruit has high water content, it will help maintain your body fluid, by making you sweat – this is the body’s method for cooling down in the heat. Yogurts contain friendly bacteria which can help protect against food poisoning – something that is more of a frequent occurrence in hot temperatures.

Rice, Baked Potato & Pasta Salad – Eat regular, small, starch carbohydrate snacks or enjoy a weekend roast with ample potatoes or a pasta dinner, and how about a yummy risotto? Why? Well, carb-rich foods keep the body’s blood sugar and energy levels even, helping to combat heat exhaustion.

Onions – Really? Especially red ones! Red onions contain a chemical called quercetin which is believed to have an antihistamine effect. So for those people who suffer from irritants like heat rash or bad reactions to insect bites and stings, eating onions daily could be the answer to these summer complaints.

Eat Spicy Food – A vindaloo in the summer might sound crazy, but chillies and spicy curries can stimulate heat receptors in the mouth, enhance circulation and cause sweating, all of which cools the body down.

Eat Small, Eat Often – The larger the meal, the more metabolic heat your body creates breaking down the food. Eat small portions but eat regularly!

Hot Tips for Cooling Down

◆ Run your wrists under a cold tap for five seconds each every couple of hours. A main vein passes through this area, and it helps cool the blood.

◆ Wear lightweight, light-coloured cotton clothes. Light colours reflect the sun’s radiation and heat is trapped by synthetic fibres, but cotton absorbs perspiration and its evaporation causes you to feel cooler.

◆ Replace your usual body moisturiser with a cooling aloe vera aftersun product to use morning and night. This will help lower your skin temperature.

◆ While you’re out, keep the house blinds or curtains drawn to stop it heating up like a greenhouse. ✤