It is more crucial than ever to watch what we eat, as temperatures are rising across the country and forecasts suggest that this long, hot summer may continue. Fatigue, dehydration, and even severe heat-related disorders can be brought on by heatwaves. Your body's ability to tolerate the stress of intense heat is greatly influenced by your nutrition.

Along with tips on foods to avoid and heatwaves, here are some suggestions for being hydrated, fed, and comfortable throughout the summer.

What Is A Heatwave?

A heatwave is a prolonged period of extremely hot weather, sometimes with significant humidity, that can be especially dangerous for already susceptible people. In these temperatures, our bodies must work harder to stay cool, primarily by sweating. This may affect overall health and vigor, as well as raise the danger of dehydration.

To help your body cope, avoid foods that can aggravate the condition.

To help your body cope, it's essential to avoid certain foods that can make things worse.

Highly Spiced Foods

Spicy foods might be tempting for their bold flavors, but they can raise your body temperature and increase perspiration. This extra sweating can lead to fluid loss and, eventually, dehydration if not balanced with enough water intake. It's best to reduce the use of hot peppers, chilli powder, and other intense spices in your summer meals.

Highly Processed Foods

Processed foods tend to be loaded with sodium. Too much salt in the body signals it to retain more water, which ironically can lead to a sensation of thirst. If this thirst isn’t addressed with adequate fluid intake, dehydration can result. In addition, processed foods generally lack the natural water content found in fruits and vegetables, making them a poor choice during hot weather.

Fried Foods

Fried items are often high in unhealthy fats, which can be tough to digest—especially when your body is already working hard to regulate its temperature. These foods can leave you feeling sluggish and heavy. Choose alternatives like grilled, baked, or steamed dishes that are easier on your digestive system.

Caffeinated Beverages

Coffee, tea, and energy drinks may give you a quick energy lift, but they can also act as diuretics. This means they cause increased urination, which can speed up fluid loss and lead to dehydration. Try herbal teas or infused water instead.

Alcoholic Beverages

Alcohol has a strong dehydrating effect and also impairs the body’s ability to control its internal temperature. Drinking alcohol in hot weather can increase your risk of heat exhaustion. If you choose to drink, balance it out with plenty of water and limit your intake.

Sugary Foods and Drinks

High sugar content can cause rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, which lead to fatigue and irritability. Sugary beverages are especially risky as they can also dehydrate you. Instead, hydrate with fresh fruit juices, lemon water, or drinks rich in electrolytes.

Heavy Meals

Large, calorie-dense meals take longer to digest and can cause discomfort in the heat. Eating smaller, lighter meals more frequently can help. Include hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber, berries, and tomatoes. Fresh salads, yogurt, coconut water, and bananas also help replace minerals lost through sweating.

Those who have belly fat know it is a war when it comes to shedding that fat. It has been fought with everything, from crash diets to endless crunches, but the stubborn midsection just does not go away. Intermittent fasting is not a diet but a way of timing your meals that could help trim that fat. And according to Harvard-trained gastroenterologist Dr. Saurabh Sethi, there are three best tips to lose belly fat with intermittent fasting. One of these is particularly crucial.

Here is how intermittent fasting, done the right way, might finally come to your rescue.

The 12-12 Kickstart

The idea of fasting can sound intimidating. Skipping breakfast or dinner or going without snacks sounds like punishment. But Dr. Sethi suggests starting simple: “First, start with a 12-12 fasting schedule, which is the mildest option. This approach helps you sleep soundly at night and reduces the likelihood of unhealthy food choices the next day."

What does that mean? You fast for 12 hours (say, 8 pm to 8 am) and eat during the other 12. It is not extreme; you are basically just cutting out late-night snacking and mindless munching. That alone can save you hundreds of calories without you even noticing. Plus, your body finally gets a break from digesting round-the-clock, which helps regulate insulin and metabolism.

Sip Smart During the Fast

If you think fasting means surviving on air, you are wrong. Dr. Sethi is clear: “Second, during your fasting window, only drink black coffee, green tea, black tea, water, apple cider vinegar, lemon water, fennel or basil water, chamomile or ginger tea."

In other words, hydration is key. These drinks not only keep you from feeling bloated but also help curb hunger pangs. Black coffee can give your metabolism a gentle push, while herbal teas like chamomile or ginger soothe your system and reduce bloating. Flavoured waters (lemon, fennel, basil) keep things interesting and refreshing. The trick is: no sugar, no milk, no additions. Pure, clean liquids only.

Why does this matter? Because breaking your fast with a sugary coffee or fruit juice is like trying to lose weight while eating cake for breakfast. Staying disciplined with what you sip makes intermittent fasting effective.

Build a Plate That Works Harder Than You

Fasting is not a free pass to eat pizza and pastries during your eating window. Dr. Sethi emphasises: “Third, focus on a high-fibre, high-protein diet during your eating window. High-protein foods like paneer, tofu, chickpeas, chicken, turkey, and fish, and high-fibre foods like fruits and veggies. This combination will keep you full and satiated while promoting fat loss."

Protein helps repair and build muscle while keeping you fuller for longer. Fibre slows digestion, keeps blood sugar stable, and gives you that lovely “I’m full, I don’t need dessert” feeling. Together, they form a dynamic duo that not only supports fat loss but also makes fasting easier because you won’t be ravenous when the clock says “no food”.

Intermittent fasting will not melt belly fat overnight, and you still need to eat mindfully. But when done consistently, it can create a calorie deficit, improve metabolic health, and reduce cravings that hamper your goals. And you do not have to cut out entire food groups or live with greens. You just have to learn when to eat, what to sip, and how to build your plate.

For nearly 50 years, the U.S. government has urged Americans to avoid whole milk. The shift began in the late 1970s, when rising rates of obesity and heart disease led to strict recommendations: drink low-fat or skim milk, limit cheese, and keep saturated fat to a minimum. These guidelines became official in 1980, shaping what schools served, what food aid programs provided, and even how families stocked their refrigerators.

Now, that long-standing stance may soon change.

Kennedy Pushes for a Policy Reversal

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly argued that full-fat dairy deserves government endorsement. Backed by President Donald Trump, Kennedy is spearheading the “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy,” a plan that would allow whole milk in public schools and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) assistance program.

The move is part of Kennedy’s broader “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, which encourages eating less processed food and re-examining decades of nutritional advice. Unlike some of his more controversial positions, such as promoting raw milk or questioning vaccines, this proposal has mainstream support. Dairy farmers, nutritionists, and even some public health experts agree the science on dairy fat may have been misunderstood.

Is Whole or Skim Milk Healthier?

For decades, the case against whole milk rested on one concern: saturated fat. Experts feared it clogged arteries, contributed to diabetes, and drove obesity rates higher.

But the evidence has never been airtight.

Randomized trials have not proved that low-fat milk is healthier than whole milk, while newer research suggests dairy fat may actually help regulate blood sugar, improve satiety, and slow digestion.

A 2020 meta-analysis of 28 studies found mixed results, in most, children who drank whole milk were less likely to be overweight, but in others, milk type made no difference. Some researchers now argue the distinction between whole and low-fat dairy may not matter as much as once thought.

Read: Why Does RFK Want Whole Milk To Return To Schools?

As cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian of Tufts University put it: “Dairy fat was given a wrongful conviction in 1980. Forty-five years later, that wrongful conviction might be overturned,” as reported by the Washington Post.

What Health Organizations Still Say

Despite shifting research, most health authorities continue to recommend low-fat dairy for children over age two and for adults. Their advice remains consistent: limit saturated fat to under 10 percent of daily calories (or 6%, in the case of the American Heart Association).

U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Whole milk for toddlers; skim or 1% for older children and adults.

American Heart Association: Whole milk for toddlers; skim, 1 percent, or 2% for older groups.

American Academy of Pediatrics: Whole milk for toddlers unless obesity risk is high; skim or 1% afterward.

World Health Organization: Breastfeeding preferred for infants; whole milk acceptable for older babies; saturated fat capped at 10% of daily intake.

This gap, between official recommendations and newer research, is at the heart of Kennedy’s push.

Industry Support for Whole Milk

Dairy groups have lobbied for years to bring back whole milk in schools and food programs. Producers argue consumers are already shifting toward higher-fat products as newer studies cast doubt on the dangers of dairy fat.

“It’s time for federal nutrition policy to catch up with the science,” said Andrew Jerome of the International Dairy Foods Association to the Post. The National Milk Producers Federation has also pressed the government to give families more choice.

Sales trends reflect this change: while 2% milk remains the most popular, whole milk consumption has been climbing slowly over the past decade.

Also Read: 5 Cow’s Milk Substitutes—And What To Look For Before You Buy

The Politics Behind Milk

Kennedy has criticized the current dietary guidelines as “antiquated” and too lengthy, promising to replace the 149-page report with a shorter version focused on whole foods. He has also called for re-elevating milk, cheese, and yogurt as central to children’s health.

The Trump administration’s upcoming dietary guidance is expected to highlight whole milk as a healthy choice, though it has remained silent on flavored milks like chocolate or strawberry. These remain available in reduced-fat varieties, despite concerns over high sugar content.

Critics, however, caution against rushing to rewrite policy. Erin Ogden of the Center for Science in the Public Interest warned and told the Post that saturated fat is still linked to health risks: “There hasn’t been enough evidence indicating that the source of saturated fat changes its impact on the body.”

What Comes Next

Most public schools have been barred from serving whole milk since 2010, when a law signed by President Barack Obama tied lunches to federal nutrition guidelines. The WIC program follows the same rules, restricting families from buying whole milk for children over age two.

That could soon change. If the administration finalizes Kennedy’s proposals, both school lunches and WIC benefits may once again include whole and 2 percent milk. Kennedy has pledged to complete an overhaul of the dietary guidelines by the end of the year.

“The attack on whole milk and cheese and yogurt has gone on for decades,” Kennedy said recently. “It’s time to elevate those products to where they belong in contributing to the health of our children.”

Creatine, long hailed in bodybuilding circles as a must-have for muscle strength and growth, is now making waves far beyond the gym. Social media influencers, health podcasters, and even physicians are touting its potential benefits for brain health, hormonal balance, and healthy aging—prompting busy professionals and workaholics to take notice.

But while research strongly supports creatine’s athletic benefits, evidence for its wider applications remains mixed. Here’s what science says.

What Exactly Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound produced in the kidneys and liver from amino acids. It fuels short, explosive movements by rapidly recycling energy in muscles. Around 95% of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscle, with the rest in the brain, liver, kidneys, and heart.

Our body produce about one gram of creatine daily, while the rest must come from diet. Meat and fish are the richest sources, 225 grams of beef or salmon can provide up to 2.5 grams. This makes supplementation particularly beneficial for vegetarians, who often have lower baseline creatine levels.

Experts suggest three to five grams daily to maintain optimal muscle stores.

Proven Benefits in the Gym

Creatine’s reputation was cemented in 1992 when a landmark study confirmed that supplementation with creatine monohydrate boosts muscle creatine without harmful side effects. Since then, hundreds of studies have shown it helps athletes perform better and recover faster.

By extending the body’s energy system during high-intensity efforts, creatine allows athletes to push harder—whether it’s sprinting, lifting heavy weights, or powering through explosive moves.

A 2024 meta-analysis found that adults under 50 who combined creatine with resistance training gained significantly more strength than those who only trained. On average, lifters on creatine added an extra 4.4 kg to upper-body lifts and 11.3 kg to lower-body lifts.

However, most of these benefits were observed in men, with research in women still limited.

Brain Health and Beyond: Hype or Hope?

The new surge in interest stems from claims that creatine supports cognitive function and women’s health.

A 2003 clinical trial suggested creatine improved working memory and processing speed, sparking speculation that it could benefit older adults or those with demanding mental workloads. More recent reviews, including one in Frontiers in Nutrition, published in 2023, found moderate evidence of improved memory and faster information processing, though no significant improvements in overall accuracy.

Women’s health is another frontier. Some studies hint that creatine could help during pregnancy or menopause, when hormonal fluctuations affect energy metabolism. A review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition linked low dietary creatine intake with higher risks of menstrual irregularities and pelvic disorders. Still, experts caution that most findings come from small or association studies, not large-scale clinical trials.

The supplement is also being explored for its role in blood sugar regulation and type 2 diabetes, but current evidence remains speculative.

How to Take It Safely

The Australian Institute of Sport recommends sticking to creatine monohydrate, the form backed by 99% of research. It is widely available, affordable, and easy to mix into water or shakes.

Most evidence supports a daily dose of three to five grams, which saturates muscle stores after about four weeks. For faster results, some use a “loading phase” of 20 grams daily for five days, followed by maintenance dosing.

While higher short-term doses may be needed for potential brain benefits, the optimal amount for cognitive support remains unclear.

Side Effects and Risks

Creatine is generally considered safe, with few reported side effects. Some users may experience stomach upset or water retention, particularly with large doses.

Concerns about kidney or liver damage have been largely debunked in healthy individuals. That said, experts recommend buying from trusted brands to avoid poor-quality supplements that could increase digestive issues.

Interestingly, up to 30% of people may see no noticeable benefits from creatine supplementation at all—a reminder that individual response varies.

Creatine’s transformation from a muscle-builder’s secret weapon to a potential “workaholic supplement” highlights how quickly wellness trends spread in the age of social media. While its benefits for athletic performance are firmly established, claims about brain health, hormonal balance, and blood sugar support remain promising but unproven.