Extreme heat is the story of the year. It affects our health, our food and our options for staying active. Nutrition educators have important messages to share on this topic.
How heat affects the body
How heat affects the body: including a good analogy about the temperature light that goes on in a car and what happens if we don’t stop to let the car cool off (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heat-wave-health/). How heat affects the body and three groups most at risk: babies, pregnant women and older adults (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-happens-to-the-body-in-extreme-heat/). Heat and high humidity put us at risk (https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/blistering-heat-high-humidity-puts-us-risk).
How heat affects our food
How summer affects our favorite foods’ availability including peaches, wheat, tomatoes and berries
(https://www.wired.com/story/this-scorching-summer-is-taking-a-toll-on-your-favorite-foods/). How the heat affects restaurants: a decrease in staff
(https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/workforce/summers-exceptional-heat-creating-more-challenges-restaurant-employers).
How heat affects our physical activity
As hot weather extends into more months those seeking outdoor activities will need to adjust including those training during the summer for fall marathons, children’s summer camps; poorer communities often have less access to indoor spaces, trees and shaded areas (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/extreme-heat-outdoor-sports-how-will-your-workout-change/). How to exercise in the heat – 10 good tips (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/19/1016989389/how-to-heat-proof-your-summer-workout). Exercising in the heat: what happens to our body (https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/gh1900). Heat and walking/hiking in parks…prevent heat-related illness (https://www.nps.gov/articles/heat-illness.htm).
More resources…
Extreme heat info/resources (https://www.ready.gov/heat); HEAT.gov: tools, resources, webinars (https://www.heat.gov/); CDC: staying safe in hot weather – English/Spanish (https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/extremeheat/index.html). Tips to keep children safe when the temperatures soar: if you don’t have AC, signs of heat-related illness – English/Spanish (https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Protecting-Children-from-Extreme-Heat-Information-for-Parents.aspx). How can extreme heat impact health? Heat index: temperature and relative humidity and how hot it ‘feels’ (https://help.riskfactor.com/hc/en-us/articles/7948404300567-How-can-extreme-heat-impact-health-).CDC’s tracking: extreme heat – English/Spanish (https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/trackingheat/index.html). State/county health department/environmental health departments are other sources of information.