I'm cooking, my food is not

[Autumn]

I don't know how much more of this heat I can stand. This has been the most humid summer since my arrival in AL 6 years ago. Tomorrow, with the heat index, the prediction is that it will feel like 124 degrees.

My problem is that no matter how lightly I eat, I cannot stand to be outside for more than a few minutes and it's making me depressed. I am sleeping later into the day because I don't feel a need to be up earlier. I'm sleeping more overall-like 10 hours a day instead of my normal 6 hours. I feel drugged and groggy. I often get a headache after only a few minutes outside.

My question is, is there a food that I should be eating more of in such opressive weather-kinda like a pick me up? I make lots of ice-cold slushies and smoothies, and banana ice cream, and eating greens and have been laying off the dehydrated foods (too heavy right now). I also drink lots of water. Any ideas to perk me up and out of this wet dish-rag mood I'm in? :(

Or should I just stay in the house and pray for.... wait for it.... Autumn ! :rolleyes: :D

[sweetgoddess]

Come visit me Autumn! We have had snow and have had our heat on this week.
You are seriously invited if you want and so is your baby! :p

[Rawkinlocs]

In Detroit, we had some hot, humid days but not quite THAT hot!

I know you asked specifically for foods to eat, but what sometimes helped me was bathing in a tub with drops of peppermint essential oil added to the water OR washing my hair and doing a final rinse with a large cup of water that had drops of peppermint EO added.

The cool, tingling feeling of the peppermint temporarily helped with keeping me cool.

[SedonaSun]

Dang, I thought we were hot here!

I like to eat frozen grapes when it's hot out -- so do the doggies ;)

[SwishTN]

Oh my gosh, Rawkin, you reminded me of a terrible time I had bathing in peppermint EO's one time. A little too much, and I was a shiverin like I don't know what for I don't know HOW long!! My windows had been open for the nice breeze it provided, until I came screaming out of the tub yelling at my roommate to please come SHUT MY WINDOW, because the chill in my bones was HORRIBLE! That is only if you use too much peppermint EO : ).

So, Dear Autumn, that is one way to cool off : )...... Dump in a bottle of peppermint EO, and you'll be a chillin in no time : )....

Lauri

Also,
I thought that I heard if you want to cool off, NOT to drink cold things, b/c that only lowers your core temperature which then causes you to be more sensitive to the heat. Any thoughts on this?
L.

[Rawkinlocs]

WHOA Lauri! How much peppermint EO did you use?!?

Yeah, not too much Autumn!

But I was thinking the exact same thing you just said about drinking cold stuff when you're hot. Kinda like when you eat something really, really hot and spicy and then drink cold water, it makes your mouth even hotter.

I was eating something spicy the other day and decided my tongue needed an ice cube...I might as well had put a jalepeno pepper directly on my tongue it burned so badly after doing that! My husband then told me that was one of the worst things I could have done after eating something super spicy.

[Doe]

Cold water on the back of the neck cools the blood going to the brain and prevents heat stroke. Don't mean ice cold, just cool tap water.

Teri S

[Sharon in Colorado]

This weather is sick. Today we drove through a severe thunderstorm and hail storm. The temp dropped from 80 to 60 degrees. I don't ever remember the weather being this crazy in August. Usually the thunderstomrs stop by now.

I think I'm gonna take a HOT bath now.

Maybe ditch the bra tonight? :p :o

[Doe]

Sharon that's a good idea for Autumn too. Not hot, but cold showers. Forgot about that. One year when our firstborn was a toddler we had to take 2 or 3 quick cold showers every day to keep our body temp down. It worked real well for several hours at a time. And none of us got heat rash. That must have been '76. We lived in a metal trailer in direct sun without even a fan. Yep, didn't even touch the 'hot' knob. Oh, it felt so good.

Teri S

[Autumn]

Thank you for all your great ideas. I'm going to try ALL of them, I'm *that* miserable!

But here's a really dumb question that I've been embarassed to ask because everyone here seems to use them: where do you buy EO's?

[LISAinTN]

Autumn,

I am originally from Minnesota, but have lived here in Tennessee for 7 years now and I will never get used to this heat and humidity. It has been an especially horrible summer this year. I am hoping when I lose some weight that it will help, but I don't think I'll ever be totally acclimated to this weather.

Blessings,
~Lisa~

[cattzeye]

Hi Autumn,

Sorry it is so unbearably hot where you are. Although I have to say, I will take hot weather over cold any day! I am very sensitive to cold temps, and even though I live in southern California, I absolutely freeze in the winter. But definately temps in the 100's are not fun.

You can buy essential oils at just about any health food store. The bigger stores like Whole Foods and Wild Oats have them, and most of the smaller HFS's do as well. Just ask a sales clerk, and they can show you where they are. Usually they are in the health and beauty section, with all the lotions, shampoo, etc.

I have found that cold showers work wonders, and it is helpful to use a cold washcloth on the face, and back of the neck. An icebag on the forehead can work wonders, too.

Hang in there!

Christine

[sweetgoddess]

What about an air conditioner??? :confused:

[tames]

Some thoughts. We have had some hot humid weather here in Ohio too. Several days over 90 degrees. What I have noticed is that if I DON'T use air conditioning, my body acclimates better. It is actually nice to go outside if the house is warm.

I work in a basement (uggg) and in air conditioning. When I go outside in the heat it is really awful for about an hour. I have a Jeep Wrangler without air, and sweat quite a bit driving home (but it is nice and breezy!). By the time I get home (a 1 hour commute), I am much better. It is like my body is saying "OK, I can adjust to this." I don't have the air on at home. I used it a little bit in early July when I first went raw, but now I like the fresh air - even though it is warm. It just seems since going raw that I can tolerate the heat more. I am very curious how I will do with cold weather since I will be 6 months raw by that time.

I am 8 weeks raw!!

Have any of you noticed this?

--Tim

[sweetgoddess]

Oh, thats too bad. I dont have air-conditioning so didnt know. Just wanted to help poor Autumn. Feel so bad for her.

I know Autumn~move to Montana. You will never be hot again!! ;)

[Mommax4]

.

I was eating something spicy the other day and decided my tongue needed an ice cube...I might as well had put a jalepeno pepper directly on my tongue it burned so badly after doing that! My husband then told me that was one of the worst things I could have done after eating something super spicy.

Put papaya on your tongue after you eat something spicey...it works, it really really works..lol

[rawpriestess]

To feel cooler drink celery juice, because of the sodium content.

Also, think tropical, what ever grows tropical will be what you should eat in a hot climate.

So, hot, humid, think papaya, guava, coconut, pineapple watermelon, jack fruit, druian, banana, star fruit etc.

I wouldn't eat any oils or nuts or anything heavy like that.

Also, if you choose to use peppermint oil in the bath, it is 1 Tablespoon to the bath.

I have this thing I wear around my neck that keeps me cool

it is a tube with a few crystals inside (the baby diaper lining stuff that absorbs moisture) you soak it in water, until it is really full of water, and all plump and then you tie it loosly around your neck, it will keep you cool for days.

Mine takes about 3 days to go back to dry, you can keep plopping it back into water to re-saturate it, it takes about 15 to 30 minutes to absorb all the water it can.

But before I had this, I would take a bottle of alcohol with me, and a wash cloth, and saturate the washcloth with water, then pour some alcohol on it, and dab my face and chest with it.

You loose 50% of your body heat from your head, and another 25% of your body heat from your chest (above the breasts) so keep these areas out of the sun, and cool, also keep your pulse points cool, like inside of wrists and back of knees, under arms, and neck, you will feel alot better.

And the cold showers are nice too.

I actually would get into a cold shower with my clothes on, there is nothing cooler than wet clothes on your body, I loved this.

I could actually stay outside as long as I could get my clothes wet, even in the heat, that I hate.

I live in Western Washington, because it is cool, grey and damp, I like it like that.

I grew up in the desert, and swore NEVER to be dry and hot again as an adult.

Good luck with the cooling off.

[Sweet lips]

Autumn,

It is hot like this in Maryland as well, something lile the last days in time hot! I have done cucumber and lime juice with atad of agave as a cooler. In the old days (before raw), we ate really hot veggie soup and it actually cooled us off, now I do hot tea.

Yes, I have air and ceiling fans, which have helped, and I have done the peppermint thing, which as already reported too much as caused some anatomy problems for folks, but a tsp in a full size tub is not bad. Also make a spritiz with witch hazel, water and peppermint - God, that feels great!!!

Stay as you are with the greens, and light food which help release fluid retention, and pray for a break - it is coming. I have to be careful because w/o my thyroid glan, I am know to just pass out - so, I have gone out for a little sun, and then come back in for my afternoon nap, just as a child does - it helps.

[twinyoga]

Lime is suppose to be very cooling. Put it in your water. We love it.

[Autumn]

What about an air conditioner??? :confused:


Well I have central air throughout the whole house, but you can't take it *outside* with you unfortunately. :( The problem is I get overheated *very* quickly when I go outside, so I thought some of these remedies might buy me some more time outside. ALSO, with the high temps, I think the electric company is cutting back a bit on the electricity,since our house doesn't seem to be getting as cold as usual. I tried the cold rags, (wrapped one around my neck while I was outside and laid a flat cold washrag on my chest under my shirt), the heat/cold shower therapy, lime in the water, a water bottle spritz *and* celery juice today. I also didn't drink ice cold water-more like cool water. I also had some warm tea to try to keep my internal temperature regulated. It all seemed to help quite a bit. See, even though we have central air inside the house, NONE of our cars have A/C! We have a small SUV which we normally use and hubby doesn't seem to care too much about a/c. The rest of the cars are pre-1968, so no air in them.

<<keep your pulse points cool, like inside of wrists and back of knees, under arms, and neck, you will feel alot better.>>

Hey my great granny used to do this! She'd have little cold, wet hankies under her watch and/or bracelets, against the inside of her wristsand one in her cleavage to keep cool.

<<I actually would get into a cold shower with my clothes on, there is nothing cooler than wet clothes on your body, I loved this.>>

Hee hee I thought I was the only person who did this. I wear semi-wet clothes often (as long as they don't "look" wet) in public. It does keep me cool!

Thank you all for your suggestions. I hope everyone that has been affected by this terrible heat will get some relief very soon!

[Autumn]

Hi Autumn,
You can buy essential oils at just about any health food store. The bigger stores like Whole Foods and Wild Oats have them, and most of the smaller HFS's do as well. Just ask a sales clerk, and they can show you where they are. Usually they are in the health and beauty section, with all the lotions, shampoo, etc.

Ohhh, thank you. I'll probably have to get them online somewhere. Our tiny, dinky HFS doesn't have a H&B section (not that I've ever seen, anyway), and we don't have WF or WO. Pooh. I'll keep looking. :)

[Doe]

Autumn,

It's a wonder you haven't done baked. Try keeping a spray bottle and an extra gallon of water in each car. When you spray the water on you with the windows down and all that air hitting your wet skin it is very cooling.

Haven't taken a shower in my clothes, but have taken them from the washing machine and put them on wet. That feels good.

Teri S

[Autumn]

Autumn,

Haven't taken a shower in my clothes, but have taken them from the washing machine and put them on wet. That feels good.

Teri S

That's what I meant too-I take them from the washer wet. I never tried showering with clothes on. Hmmm, I might just try it though!

[RawTruth]

And some people still say there's no global warming -- or that it won't affect the weather.

A slight bit off topic :p

p.s. Autumn, I spent the weekend camping in the high desert -- in the 100s and sitting in natural hot springs there. Watermelon was the key to staying cool(er) and hydrated. And cucumbers & tomatoes. Oh yes.