Ugh. Why is it so hot?!
Call it a weird anomaly, call it climate change, but whatever it is, it needs to go. Summer, in theory, is a great idea; plenty of outside time, plenty of festivals and lots of swimming time, but the novelty of all that wore off back in mid-July and now I'm just slowly melting into every chair I sit in, sweating all over the people I hold dearest.
It sucks.
In these swampy times, it's important to stay hydrated, of course, but it's so damned hot that eating is just an exercise in futility, sweating into sandwiches, spaghetti and pizza in equal measure, ruining every meal. I've resorted to eating BBQ and ice cream all the time, but I'd also like to survive into the New Year without exploding my heart.
How exactly would I go about that?
As a self-identified moron, I'm probably not the best person to ask, but that's why we've got Daniel O’Shaughnessy, a qualified nutritionist who's just as sick and tired of the heat as we are. He's teamed up with the food app Just Eat to figure out the best foods to eat while everything is too hot to exist.
So grab your ice water, turn that fan right up to maximum, and let's dive in, shall we?
Okay. So in these hot summer months, your diet, sleep pattern and overall energy levels are out of whack, and Just Eat's Graham Corfield is totally on the page.
"With the forecast showing no signs of cooling down, we’re all trying different ways to combat the heat – from having a cool shower as soon as you walk through the door, to avoiding standing in a hot kitchen. What people may not realise is that some of your favourite dishes might just help make these temperatures more bearable."
Tell me more, Just Eat! Daniel O'Shaughnessy says there are foods that can reset the balance, helping you function as well as you can in the immense heat. Primarily, the best way to beat the heat when it's a million degrees outside is to tuck into some watermelon and turmeric, and you'll feel a lot better.
But alongside that, another great way to beat the heat is to turn up the heat a little bit in your diet - maybe with a little bit of chilli soup. The capsaicin present in chilli and other spicy foods raise your body temperature, sending signals to your brain effectively saying: "hey, it's really hot in here"! Daniel explains: "It will make you perspire more, but as the sweat evaporates, the energy is absorbed into the air, therefore cooling the body."
On top of that, Daniel says that leaning on the meat is a terrible idea when the mercury's high. Regardless of what the BBQ tells you. "It may be harder to digest a high protein food in a heat wave," the nutritionist explains. "Meat is quite hard to digest and the digestion process creates heat (thermogenesis) and can make you feel hotter in yourself."
Well, then, it might not be easy, but hopefully by following Daniel O'Shaughnessy's advice, then you may have some respite from the insane heat. I don't know about you, but I'm going to get some chilli soup, hide away and wait for October.