# Beat the Heat: What to Eat and Drink During a Heatwave
Your body burns extra calories fighting heat stress, but turning on the stove feels impossible during a sweltering heatwave. The right foods help you stay cool, hydrated, and energized without adding heat to your kitchen.
Hydrating foods with high water content should anchor your meals. Watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries, and lettuce deliver fluids alongside electrolytes your body needs when sweating increases. These foods cool you from the inside without requiring cooking. Tomatoes and zucchini work similarly for cooked or raw preparations.
Protein becomes trickier in heat. Your body needs adequate protein to maintain muscle and strength, but heavy protein sources like red meat and rich dairy can feel sluggish and tax your digestive system when it's already working overtime regulating temperature. Instead, reach for lighter proteins. Grilled chicken, fish, eggs, and yogurt digest more easily. Plant-based options like beans and lentils work well in cold salads or chilled soups, pairing protein with hydration.
Beverages matter as much as food. Water remains essential, but drinks with electrolytes help retention. Coconut water, coconut water mixed with juice, and sports drinks replenish sodium and potassium lost through sweat. Avoid excessive caffeine and alcohol, which both increase dehydration. Cold tea, smoothies, and iced coffee (in moderation) satisfy cravings without heat.
Skip heavy, processed foods and rich desserts that require digestion energy your body needs elsewhere. Instead, opt for no-cook meals like wraps with deli meat and vegetables, chilled grain bowls with pre-cooked components, and fruit-based breakfasts.
The BBC's practical recommendation reflects basic physiology. Your