Sweating a lot in summer? Sour foods can quench your thirst
The minor heat solar term is approaching, and the continuous high temperatures have filled hospital emergency rooms. High fever, heatstroke, diarrhea, heart attacks... Besides the increase in patients, people generally feel unwell. Experts explain that the weather harms the human body in multiple ways, including temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind, and sunlight. These factors can act alone or combine to cause a series of functional disorders in the body's metabolism, endocrine system, and temperature regulation, leading to illness.
In summer, you sweat a lot and lose body fluids easily, so it's important to eat sour foods appropriately. These include tomatoes, lemons, strawberries, dark plums, grapes, hawthorn, pineapple, mangoes, and kiwis. Their sourness can help reduce sweating, stop diarrhea, and expel dampness. This prevents excessive sweating from depleting vital energy and damaging yin, while also generating fluids to quench thirst, strengthening the stomach, and aiding digestion. If you add a little vinegar to your dishes, the acetic acid can also kill bacteria and prevent gastrointestinal diseases. Scientifically combining these foods can fully meet the heart and spleen's needs for various nutrients.
Experts recommend scientific cooling as a good health strategy to combat persistent high temperatures. The ideal temperature difference between indoors and outdoors should not exceed 5°C to 7°C. The elderly and children have poor temperature regulation and should try to avoid staying in air-conditioned rooms for long periods. People who work and live in air-conditioned environments should wear a light jacket. People who work sitting down, especially women, can cover their knees with a bath towel. Don't chase a moment of coolness by blowing directly on a draft, as this can cause harm to the body from low temperatures, leading to irregular menstruation, cervical spondylosis, or arthritis.
Hydration is important, but don't overdrink
Under continuous high temperatures, replenishing fluids in a timely manner is crucial. Drinking water maintains the body's adequate blood volume, reduces blood viscosity, expels toxins, and减轻 the burden on the heart and kidneys. However, you should not overdrink. Overdrinking not only dilutes stomach acid, reducing its ability to kill bacteria, but also absorbing too much water at once can increase the burden on the heart, which is unhealthy. Generally, drink a glass of cool water after waking up in the morning, drink more tea and light salt water during the day, and aim for 6 to 8 glasses a day.
In summer, the body needs comprehensive and balanced nutrition. In high-temperature environments, the body's nutrient consumption is quite significant. In addition to three meals a day, you should also pay attention to supplementing with extra vitamins C, B1, B2, A, and D from vegetables, fruits, and your diet. People who lose a lot of calcium should also supplement with high-quality calcium preparations. Students and the elderly should especially maintain sufficient sleep and not stay up late. If possible, take a nap at noon.