Why you don’t want to eat in the heat and isn’t it dangerous for your health?

With the arrival of summer, many people notice a significant decrease in appetite. On particularly hot days, we don’t feel like eating at all, and we just drink a lot. But isn’t this harmful to the body, since we get vital substances and energy from food? What do scientists and healthy eating experts say about this?

In the heat, appetite decreases because the body seeks to lower body temperature. To produce less heat, you need to reduce the amount of energy produced by slowing down your metabolism. The easiest way to do this is to limit digestive functions. Scientists have calculated that in the heat, the need for calories decreases by an average of 5 percent.

Overeating in the summer causes especially unpleasant sensations. The body goes into energy saving mode, and the digestion process occurs more slowly. Therefore, nutritionists recommend temporarily avoiding heavy foods such as meat and fatty foods. Some are even advised to temporarily switch to a vegetarian diet.

This advice can be helpful, but not everyone is ready to give up animal protein. As an alternative to fatty and difficult-to-digest meat, you can choose fish and seafood. Special attention should be paid to dairy products. Many of them are difficult to digest in hot weather, so it is better to temporarily exclude them from the diet. The exceptions are ayran and low-fat kefir.

In the summer, many people try to cool off with ice cream and eat it in large quantities. The result is nausea and heaviness in the stomach. This product contains a large amount of milk fat and the temporary cooling effect is unlikely to bring joy against the backdrop of digestive problems. If you eat ice cream in hot weather, it is made exclusively from low-fat yogurt or fruit ice.

When it's hot outside in the summer, you're constantly thirsty. You can often hear advice to drink as much fluid as possible to compensate for its loss through sweat. But everything is good in moderation. If you take in too much fluid, your kidneys may not be able to regulate electrolyte levels in your body. This is especially true for people who have problems with these organs.

Electrolyte imbalances can lead to hyponatremia, a dangerous condition of low sodium in the blood. In this case, a person may experience dizziness, nausea and headaches. Even healthy athletes who train outdoors in the summer are at risk. To avoid problems with well-being, experienced athletes drink liquid in small portions and control its volume.

So poor appetite in hot weather is not an alarming symptom, but a natural reaction of the body. If you organize your diet correctly, excluding heavy foods, coffee and alcohol, there is no threat to your health.