The UK's first-ever red weather warning for extreme heat has been put in place, with record temperatures expected in Scotland. Met Office forecasters have warned the mercury could rise to above 33C north of the border, and Nicola Sturgeon has offered her advice.
The highest temperature recorded in Scotland was 32.9C at Greycrook in the Borders in August 2003, which could be exceeded next week. In England, the first-ever warning for temperatures higher than 40C has been issued.
The hot weather might make you want to choose iced coffees or tea over their hot counterparts but warm drinks are better for you in hot temperatures. Warm drinks, which raise your body’s core temperature, encourage sweating and in return cool the body down.
So what else will help you keep cool? Dorset Live reports what you should be eating to get through hotter days.
Meals that are rich in fluids will keep your body hydrated and keep you from feeling extremely hot. These include strawberries, cucumbers, celery, lettuce, melons and yoghurts. These types of foods retain water and have other minerals that are beneficial for your health.
Similar to warm drinks, wintry meals such as soups and stews are great-fluid rich meals and encourage the body to sweat to cool you down. They can be made less wintry with certain seasonal ingredients.
The same rule applies to spicy foods. A curry might not sound appealing in these conditions but it will help cool you down in the long term through sweating.
Sweating also means your body is losing liquid, we typically lose between two and a half and three litres of fluid a day through sweating, urine, breathing and faeces. Nutritionists recommend we should be drinking about 6-8 glasses of water each day.
If it’s far too hot for you to cook and you haven’t really got an appetite, there are various few meal ideas that could work for you. A fruit and cheese board, fresh chicken and avocado nachos or lettuce wraps with your favourite fillings.
Eating smaller portions regularly as well as keeping hydrated will help you beat the heat this summer. How are you coping with the weather? Let us know in the comments.
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