Foods That Can Help Prevent Heat Stroke
By Sara Butler
When the sun is shining and you’re outside, you have to keep aware of your body and how you’re feeling or you could be setting yourself up for a heat-related illness such as heat stroke. Heat stroke is very serious and, at its worst, can result in death. Staying hydrated is one way to help prevent heat-related illness when you’re outdoors in the summer sun, and here are some foods you should incorporate into your next summer outing that may help to keep heat illness at bay!
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are mostly made up of water, so they’re a great way to keep you hydrated. One cup of sliced cucumber has just 16 calories, but it also has a lot of fiber to help your body flush out the bad stuff. Just make sure you keep the skin on because it is packed with Vitamin C to help keep your skin healthy and assists it in fighting the cancer-causing rays of the sun!
Watermelon
Few foods say summer as watermelon does. Who doesn’t have summer memories involving watermelon? This fruit is refreshing in the hot summer sun since it contains so much water, and it also helps stimulate you to sweat, which helps to keep you cool.
Mint
If you like a big scoop of mint ice cream in the summer there may be a good reason for it. The menthol in mint makes your brain think it’s cool, so it pulls double cooling off duty when you eat mint in ice cream! You can add it to your summer drinks too!
Kiwi
These green gems keep you hydrated and they also are packed with potassium, which is an electrolyte that helps to keep your muscles healthy and working right as you sweat. So, grab a kiwi or a banana to keep your system balanced and everything working as it should, even when you’re sweating buckets in the heat.
Celery
Same as cucumbers, celery is mostly made up of water – 96 percent to be precise. That means eating just a couple of sticks of celery can help to keep you hydrated as well as provide minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, zinc, and iron that will help to keep your body healthy. Add a little nut butter and you’ve got yourself a snack full of healthy fats and protein too!
Just remember, when you’re out in the summer you have to pay close attention to how much water you drink and how your body feels so that you can escape the dangers of heat-related illness!