You can also eat spaghetti and schnitzel when it is hot

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Which meals are ideal when it is hot?

The “ideal hot meal” does not exist because: There is no scientific evidence (causal evidence) for an established diet for particularly cold or extremely hot weather. It always depends on the individual metabolism and lifestyle. The basic rule is: Listen to your body even more than usual in extreme weather situations. This means that if you feel like a fresh, cold salad and cool, juicy fruit, then enjoy it with your full attention and all your senses – but the same also applies to a plate of hot spaghetti bolognese, hearty fries with Jägerschnitzel or the plump falafel kebab . These “warm eaters” usually drink more in order to intuitively compensate for the increased loss of fluids in extreme heat.

In general, it is better not to listen to any general “well-intentioned” advice such as “lukewarm, light food and drink would be healthier and better for the body”, even in summer. There is no evidence for this – only your own body knows what it needs and when. You just have to listen to him carefully and trust him.

Are there any foods or drinks that should be avoided despite the heat?

No, you can clearly give the all-clear. It is important that you tolerate what you eat really well. This means that only those foods that you don’t eat otherwise remain on the “tropical summer ban list”.

What is the perfect hot breakfast to start the day full of energy?

That is absolutely individual. The more important question is: Are you really physically hungry in the morning? You shouldn’t eat anything when you’re not hungry, but only later when you get hungry (if that’s compatible with your everyday life). The common myth that “breakfast is the most important meal” is one of the myriad nutritional myths that many believe because it has been heard so often, but for which there is absolutely no scientific evidence.

If, on the other hand, you are really hungry in the morning, then the following applies: Eat what you like best for breakfast, what is ideal for your stomach and intestines and what makes you feel really good and “powerful”. For some it can be a very hearty breakfast, for others rather sweet, or cold or warm, wholemeal or white bread, a lot or little – there is no “morning-established gold standard” here. Because depending on your job and physical exertion, breakfast should also be tailored to your personal lifestyle.

Is there an optimal time to eat?

The optimal time to eat depends on your personal “chronobiology”, ie are you more of an “early bird”, i.e. an active early bird (“lark type”) or do you only really get going during the day with the “high in the evening/at night”. ” – then you are the “owl type” and also like to eat later than the “larks”, who generally develop hunger earlier. Important: Listen to yourself and your body and get to know your chronobiology well – and ideally align yourself with it whenever possible. Because that’s you, that’s your genetic makeup.

Which foods contain a lot of liquid and are therefore ideal for hot days?

Basically, almost all types of vegetables contain a lot of water – and here in particular cucumbers and tomatoes. Just imagine this: How much juice do you think will come out of the juicer when you juice the “imaginary vegetables”? Then you have an approximate first impression of the water content. An aubergine, for example, doesn’t bring as much as a carrot. The same applies to fruit: oranges and apples have significantly more liquid than a banana, where almost nothing comes out of the juicer.

How can you make sure you’re getting enough nutrients and vitamins when it’s hot?

It works the same way as when it’s cold: Eat intuitively, ie listen to your body’s signals and ideally align your eating habits accordingly: When am I hungry, what do I feel like, what do I like and especially: What can I tolerate well? Because: In total there are almost 50 minerals (trace elements and bulk elements) and more than a dozen vitamins that are relevant for us humans. You shouldn’t even start doing the math, because that’s way too complicated, just drives you crazy and doesn’t help. When you are healthy, listen to your body, it knows best what you need – who else? An exception is vitamin D, which is actually a hormone – you can hardly “eat” it, but the sun has to shine on the skin for the body to produce it itself. But that shouldn’t be a problem, especially in summer – but moderately, not to the point of sunburn.

Does it make sense to shock-freeze fruit in the freezer in order to then eat it pure or in muesli – or will the vitamins be destroyed in the process?

You are welcome to do that if you like it, it tastes good and is good for you, vitamins are “not destroyed” or lost – only the structure of the fruit suffers a lot when defrosting, i.e. the fruit becomes mushy if you don’t use a shock freezer ) (approx. -40°), but only a normal freezer.

What diet tips can we learn from countries that are regularly exposed to high temperatures?

Yes, there is one very “hot tip” in particular: Get your hands on hot chillies – because spicy food does not heat up the body, as many people think, because it feels so “burning hot”, but: the chilli pungent capsaicin cools the body. You can read about exactly how here: Very important: You must like chili and tolerate it well, otherwise the hot tip is not for you!

In-depth questions & answers on the topic:

Dark-crusty grilled food is considered carcinogenic – what’s the truth?

There is no scientific evidence that grilled meat causes or promotes cancer. Substances that are harmful to health can be produced when barbecuing, but the dose makes the poison. Our taste serves as an indicator of health, rejecting overly charred or charred meat.

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What else can you do to make crispy grilling “healthier”?

Intuitive side dishes such as hot mustard, onions, garlic or intense pepper and chilli seasoning can help with digestion. Although there is no scientific evidence that these spicy side dishes neutralize harmful grilling agents, they do aid in the digestive process.

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Can you grill Kassler and other cured meat?

Grilling salt meat can produce nitrosamines, which are considered potentially carcinogenic. However, there is no known case of cancer resulting from the consumption of grilled salt meat.

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Grilled food from the gas grill should be less aromatic than charcoal grilled food – is that so?

The taste of grilled food is an individual preference. While some prefer the intense smoky flavor of charcoal, others like meat from the gas grill because the heat is more controllable.

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Evidence-focused nutritionist, publicist, speaker and author