When the weather is hot in summer, many people love to drink beverages to cool down. To stay healthy, it's important to consume cold drinks correctly. The following introduces the proper ways to drink cold drinks in summer and beverages suitable for the season. If you want to know more, take a look!
How to correctly drink cold drinks in summer?
1. The best temperature for beverages is between 30-32°C
The ideal temperature for a drink is between 30-32°C, which is close to body temperature. Warm tea is a more suitable beverage. The temperature of cold drinks is generally lower than the temperature inside the stomach. Long-term excessive consumption of cold drinks can cause the blood vessels under the gastric mucosa to constrict, weakening the stomach's defensive functions and affecting health. It is best to drink less cold drinks and ice water, especially not before or after meals, so as not to easily affect your health.
2. It is not advisable to eat cold drinks before or after meals
When eating, most of the body's blood is concentrated in the digestive organs like the stomach. If you eat cold drinks immediately after a meal, it causes the expanded blood vessels in the stomach to constrict, reducing blood flow and hindering the normal digestive process. The stimulation from cold water also speeds up gastrointestinal motility, affecting the body's absorption of nutrients. At the same time, cold water can also dilute gastric juice, affecting digestion.
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3. Don't drink iced beverages for breakfast
The human body always prefers a warm environment. When the body is warm, microcirculation is normal, and the transportation of oxygen, nutrients, and waste is smooth. Therefore, when having breakfast, avoid drinking iced beverages and eating cold foods. Breakfast should consist of "hot food" to protect the "stomach qi." In Traditional Chinese Medicine, stomach qi is a broad concept, not referring solely to the stomach organ. It includes the digestive and absorption capacity of the spleen and stomach, acquired immunity, and the function of muscles.
In the morning, the yin energy from the night has not yet dissipated, and the earth's temperature has not yet risen. The body's muscles, nerves, and blood vessels are still in a state of contraction. If you consume cold food and drinks at this time, it will inevitably cause all systems in the body to constrict further and blood flow to become even more unsmooth.
4. Be cautious with cold drinks after exercise
It is unscientific to consume a large amount of cold drinks after summer exercise. Intense exercise raises body temperature. Consuming a large amount of cold drinks at this time is a strong cold stimulus to the digestive tract, which can cause strong peristalsis in the digestive tract, leading to abdominal pain and diarrhea. At the same time, the drastic change between cold and heat can cause the blood vessels in the stomach to suddenly constrict. Frequent occurrences can lead to digestive and absorption dysfunction, causing indigestion or other diseases. Furthermore, the throat may be in a state of congestion after exercise, and a strong cold stimulus can cause sore throat, hoarseness, and other symptoms. Therefore, it is not advisable to eat cold drinks immediately after exercise; it is better to rest for a while first.
5. Cold and hot drinks should not be alternated
Some people drink a cold beverage and then immediately follow it with a hot coffee or hot milk. This kind of alternating cold and hot stimulation can easily irritate the teeth and lead to dental diseases. Moreover, alternating between cold and hot drinks is also detrimental to the gastrointestinal tract and can easily cause digestive tract dysfunction. Therefore, cold and hot drinks should be consumed separately, with an interval of at least 30 minutes. Eating cold drinks 30 minutes before or after a meal can dilute gastric juice, reduce the activity of digestive enzymes, and is unfavorable for the digestion and absorption of food, thereby harming human health. In the hot summer, drinking a little light salt water before a meal can supplement the body's needed salt and water, making it unnecessary to eat cold food or drinks.
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