That lack of appetite that only goes away under the fan, stuck to the air conditioning, at the beach or by the pool, has an explanation: Spain is becoming more and more like Dubai in terms of temperatures. And so, from heatwave to heatwave (because not everyone is lucky enough to be soaking), our appetite diminishes. Has this happened to you? It has an explanation, according to nutritionist Verónica Chazín: "In summer, our body temperature also rises. And to this we add that digestion is the physiological process that consumes the most calories, meaning it gives us a lot of energy, and that makes us feel hotter."
So, what happens? We will crave lighter foods, whose digestion does not require as much energy. We may even feel less hungry or skip meals. "What does this mean for us? Maybe a piece of fruit, which is something that digests quickly, or fresh foods like cucumber. We won't feel like eating anything heavy, nor eating as much or as often."
It is quite common to confuse thirst with hunger in summer, the nutritionist explains. "In the hypothalamus is the center that regulates both thirst and hunger. It is true that many times, especially in older people who have inhibited the sensation of thirst, or when it is very hot in summer, we start to dehydrate without realizing it. Be careful, because when your body is already asking for water and can't take it anymore, it means you are really dehydrated."
Until then, your body may be reducing the amount of liquid, which often makes it difficult to perceive, even due to stress or rushing, whether it's hunger or thirst. The same sensation is in the same brain receptor, as Chazín explains, so we feel like eating when what we really needed was to drink. "Here, considering the temperatures and the fact that we are not used to drinking so much, the ideal is to start with a glass of water and then, if we feel like it, eat. Sometimes we drink something and the craving goes away."
Another trick to drink more frequently and avoid dehydration, even if we don't feel like it, is to always have a cold bottle at hand or flavor the water with lemon, mint leaves, orange or other fruits, which will give us the sensation of drinking a soda.
Surely before Verónica Chazín responds, you can already imagine that all fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits are welcome at this time to rehydrate and replenish minerals. "We usually think that hydration only comes from what we drink, but it also comes from what we eat. It's not the same for a person who eats a steak with potatoes and bread, or a stew, as for a person who eats a gazpacho, some tomatoes with tuna belly and a watermelon for dessert. The second person will need less water than the other, who has a drier meal."
The nutritionist emphasizes that we are interested in foods that have a lot of water inside to help us hydrate. "The biggest of all would be watermelon. Then we have the rest of the fruits: melon would be the second and then most fruits. Let's say watermelon and melon are around 96-97% water."
But then we have pineapple, papaya, or peaches, none of which have less than 85% or 90% water content, the nutritionist explains. "These are very interesting foods in this season to hydrate without just drinking water: gazpachos, cold soups, salads... Cucumber is the vegetable with the most water, almost like watermelon. Then there's tomato, which also has a lot of water, and lettuce." In other words, everything that is very fresh and without labels. In other words, summer invites us to eat much healthier.
If I feel fatigue or tiredness, what could be happening? "One of the biggest mistakes is starting to consume sugar thinking it's giving us an energy boost, and here the effect is completely the opposite, because sugar actually draws water out of our cells through an osmotic process. This can even cause a spike in insulin," warns the nutritionist. In this case, it is ideal to start consuming something that hydrates us, like electrolytes: "That is, with sodium and potassium: coconut water, isotonic drinks, gazpacho, or even juice," Chazín advises.
At this point, it's not a real energy drop due to lack of sugar, but dehydration, she insists. "For the body to hydrate, it needs to take in water and that water should not empty out too quickly. When we add some electrolytes to that water, we make it stay in the body longer. I mean milk, like gazpacho, like any drink that has some sodium and electrolytes, even by adding them in powder form."
And what about alcohol? Does it dehydrate? Should we avoid it and look for alternatives even if we feel like having a beer or a summer wine? "We have the myth that these drinks refresh us, and yes, but refreshing doesn't mean hydrating. Not everything that is cold and we drink hydrates us. In fact, alcohol is one of the drinks that dehydrates us the most, because it is a natural diuretic," Chazín continues. If we rank them, the worst would be the combination of alcohol with a sugary drink, because there we have a double dehydrating factor, she warns. "Something similar would happen, for example, with the typical slushie, which although very cool and icy, also has a lot of sugar."
Verónica Chazín continues with the list of what to avoid: "A black coffee is fine, but if we have, for example, an energy drink, the high caffeine content also dehydrates us. The same goes for ice cream, which is not a drink, but in the same sense. And of all the options, alcohol would be the last," she concludes. And in the case of having a summer wine or a beer, because in the end you end up having one, the nutritionist encourages us to consider that it is not a liquid intake. "On the contrary, it's a minus one, because it's taking away liquid from us. So, always accompany it with our water bottle, or a juice with water, to take care of our hydration."
In summer, we also tend to eat out more. At the beach bar, journalist Gema García Marcos encourages, with the help of nutritionist María Amaro, to choose better: seafood like cuttlefish and anchovies, and appetizers like gildas and olives. For dessert: seasonal fruit. Also, the decision can start with the restaurant itself. There are places like Greta Salad Bar, which offer colorful and hydrating bowls, or Healthy Poke, with fresh ingredients and which has just launched a one-year collaboration, divided into four seasonal pokes, with renowned chef Ricardo Sanz.
"The way life is now, with fast eating at work and sometimes not feeling like cooking at home, poke is a very simple option to order. Although its origin is Hawaiian, it has roots in Japanese cuisine. It's a rice base with very seasonal, seasonal products, and therefore very healthy," hints the Michelin star chef. However, if we want to follow the advice of nutritionist Verónica Chazín, it's better to have it without sauces.