Men's Health News and Information


Beat the Heat with the Right Foods
Summer snack suggestions to protect your body.

Summer weather and outdoor activities can have negative effects on your body. But, fret not, Mother Nature provides us with the necessary nutrients season to season. Along with the hot weather and direct sun comes an array of foods that help your body counteract the elements.

For example, berries, which are loaded with antioxidants, grow wild in the summer are abundant at your local grocery store. Antioxidants are natural compounds that help protect the body from groups of atoms (free radicals) that can cause damage to cells, impairing the immune system and possibly leading to infections and disease. Tomotoes, rich in lycopene, and sweet bell peppers, an important source of vitamin C, can either be grown in your back yard, or of course purchased at the store. Lycopene and Vitamin C are also both antioxidants that help to improve immune function and help to fight degenerative diseases.

By simply choosing the right summer foods to add to your daily diet, you can help prevent or alleviate common summertime afflictions such as dry skin, parched hair, yeast infections, fatigued muscles, dry eyes, and cold sores.

Sweat, salt water, sun burns, and chlorine all dry out your skin. Aside from wearing sun block to protect your self on the outside, consume plenty of raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, plus protein, in the form of lean meats, beans, nuts, and seeds, to your daily summer diet, in addition to drinking lots of water. This provides your body with the necessary antioxidants to fight free radicals and the necessary protein essential for proper growth and development.

Yeast infections thrive in the summer due to the ideal situations created by women sitting around in wet bathing suits. Women should cut back on sugary foods, as yeast infections also thrive on sugar, consume yogurt containing acidophilus, a friendly bacteria that prevents candidiasis, and change out of wet clothing as soon as possible.

Salt water, chlorine and sunlight all work together to dry out your hair. Be sure to eat adequate amounts of protein to strengthen your hair. Healthy protein sources include seeds, nuts, beans, and vegetables. Vitamin B-5, found in fresh vegetables and eggs, folic acid, found in brown rice and legumes, calcium, found in dark green leafy vegetables and yogurt, and zinc, found in seeds and mushrooms all help to reduce hair loss and replace dull hair with shiny hair.

Overexertion and dehydration lead to muscle cramps. If you don't have enough fluid in your system, your supply of electrolytes becomes imbalanced, causing your muscles to cramp. Sodium, calcium, and potassium are the main electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise. In order to maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes and important minerals, consume mineral rich foods such as bananas, raisins, potatoes, and spinach and drink plenty of water in addition to sports drinks that contain electrolytes.

Bright sunlight can also damage the eye. Aside from wearing quality sunglasses, consuming vitamin rich foods can help to protect your eyes from the inside. Vitamin A, and beta-carotene, selenium, and Vitamins C and E are beneficial to the eyes. Dark green vegetables such as kale, chard, and mustard greens, plus bell peppers, carrots, and blueberries are rich sources of these vitamins. Eggs contain a high dose of lutein, which is an important antioxidant that protects the optic nerves and helps prevent eye damage.

For people prone to cold sores, you are aware that the sun can trigger them. The amino acid L-lysine inhibits the herpes virus from replicating itself and can also help to speed up the healing process. L-lysine can be purchased in supplement form, but it can also be found in cheese, eggs, lima beans, potatoes, soy products, and red meat. Be sure to eat enough of the B vitamins, found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, plums, dandelion greens, raspberry leaves, tomatoes, nuts, carrots, spinach, kelp, soybeans, and many more.

Enjoy your summer from the outside in!