The Heat is On! It’s Time to Stay Cool this Summer with ‘Neer’ and ‘Beer’?
Mangaluru: “Hot town, Summer in the city; Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty; Been down, isn’t it a pity; Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city; All around, people looking half-dead; Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head…”-those lyrics from the 1966 song “Summer in the City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful group is quite a perfect match to the scorching hot weather people are feeling in this coastal city. Summer is synonymous with cold “beer”, days by the pool, and frozen desserts and Ice Creams at Ideal Ice cream parlours, fruit juices, watermelons, and off-course, lots of cold “Neer”, that’s Tulu for “Water”. It’s all about beating the heat. However, foods that seem like chill choices may have the opposite effect also.
With the scorching heat pounding the city, people are just consuming anything that will keep them cool and also quench their thirst. As reported few days ago, Karnataka had the highest sale in beer consumption-thanks to the hot weather, and also to the youth and adult who tried to keep themselves cool sipping on some chilled ones at the pubs or bars. Next to beer, water aka Neer has been the most wanted product to keep oneself from dehydration. Water is Life during Scorching Sunny Weather in City-there is nothing else to beat the good benefits of water during hot weather. No doubt that water is one of the best and cheap source to keep oneself cool and hydrated during scorching weather. Each summer, hundreds of people are hospitalized for dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and other potentially serious conditions.
With no signs of cool weather, the bright sunny weather with rising temperatures days are here already, and citizens are feeling the heat of it. Although there are many ways/sources you can beat the heat and keep yourselves cool and comfortably happy, but water is one source which can beat the rest in providing comfort – that’s right, water is life ! Be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, especially if you’re going to be outside. When doing outdoor sports/activities, bring plenty of cold water and try to stay in the shade as much as possible. A spray bottle with cold water can help you avoid heat exhaustion too, if you want.
Drink plenty of cool water. During summer, you sweat more, and you have to replenish the water in your body. So drink a nice cold glass of water, and keep a bottle with you always. A tip to stay more cool is fill up a water bottle and put in the freezer for 30 min to an hour, and freeze another to take outdoors and the “iced-water” will last much longer. Don’t risk dehydration. You can’t sweat if you’re dehydrated. Find a friend, and go for a swim, have a water fight, or just dump buckets of water on each other. If you don’t have a access to a swimming pool, spending time at the beach will be an ideal thing.
Take cold showers. If you live in an area experiencing water shortages, skip this one. Otherwise, a quick three-minute cold shower is a fantastic way to cool down. The cooler you run your shower, the less heat and steam you’ll need to remove from your living space. Use the exhaust fan if it’s vented outdoors. Yet another way to have a pleasant and comfortable sleep is to spread a wet bath towel on your bed, and sleep on it with a fan directly pointing at you. It feels so refreshing- I have tried it. You should too !
Other than Neer and Beer, there are other things people are consuming to keep themselves cool in order to beat the scorching hot weather, like drinking tender-coconut water, sugarcane juice, watermelon juice, lime juice/lime soda, other fruit juices, cold milk shakes, ice-creams etc etc. Yes, school’s out and you’re planning a great summer with the family. The sunny skies are perfect for beach trips, picnics and other outdoor adventure, and you can’t wait! But before you go out and enjoy, make sure you’re protected from extreme heat that the summer season can bring. As temperatures rise in different locations, we become vulnerable to heat cramps, exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke. Older adults (ages 50 to 70) and kids must be especially careful as they are more prone to these.
Does the scorching heat tempt you to guzzle down some cool sugarcane juice, watermelon juice stored in a glass container (with lots of sugar and other additives added into it), old-fashioned squeezed musumbi (sweet-lime) Orange or pineapple Juice, artificial flavoured Ice-Creams, Golas etc; at a roadside corner? Hold yourself back. The mouth-watering drinks and foods sold in the open might land you in a hospital with dysentery. Or, worse still, typhoid. With the onset of summer, the number of juice centres and cut fruit vendors has mushroomed; most of them do not have licences. Experts warn that the seemingly innocuous food items sold at such outlets could prove harmful, as they are prepared in unhygienic conditions. The question is what the heck is our MCC Health department doing by letting all these roadside food/juice vendors who are serving their clients under harsh and non-hygienic conditions?
Cases of gastro-enteritis, jaundice, typhoid, dysentery and other diseases that spread through consumption of contaminated water and food items are trickling in. They peak during the month of April, May and June as people continue to throw caution to the winds and drink contaminated water and spoilt food items. If you look around Mangaluru, you will notice there are a few strangers in town who have come down from Uttar Pradesh, and have all started up street juice vending shops selling freshly squeezed Musumbi, Orange or Pineapple juice. Even though the freshly squeezed juice may taste awesome, but the way the juice is made under non-hygienic conditions may ruin your health.
Even though you feel very thirsty, you should seriously think of your health and stay away from consuming water, sugarcane juice, and other openly prepared juices from roadside vendors which are the main culprits behind the spurt in cases of gastro-enteritis, jaundice and other water and food-borne diseases during the summer. So your best bet is to drink packaged water, thereby avoid any problems arising towards heath. Hundreds of people around the world also die every year from heat-related conditions, which can be completely avoided if preventive measures are taken. To avoid these conditions, according to a website “Good News” here are 10 tips that can help you stay cool and comfortable even under the summer heat.
1. Spend time in cool and air-conditioned places
Air conditioning generates cool air around the house that serves as protection from the heat outside. Those who do not have air conditioner at home may choose to hang out in air-conditioned places like cafes and malls. For those who want to stay home, create a DIY air conditioner with a bowl of ice cubes and a fan. When the fan’s breeze blows across the cubes, it will melt and evaporate, causing the ice-cooled air to spread and help cool off an area.
2. Always stay hydrated
Staying hydrated is a must during this season. Make sure that you drink plenty of water; better if you take in more than the standard eight glasses a day to avoid rapid fluid loss. Other cold beverages and sports drinks rich with electrolytes can also help replace minerals and cool down the body temperature at any time.
3. Consume cold and frozen treats
Frozen treats like ice cream and Popsicle can bring delight during hot and humid days, so fill up your refrigerators with these refreshing goodies during summer. Here’s a simple and healthy Popsicle recipe you can try at home: Cut up fresh fruits (best are pineapple, oranges, strawberries and grapes). Squeeze pineapples and oranges to make the juice. Put the fruits into Popsicle molds, leaving some space at the top to be filled with the juice. Add the liquids. Wrap each mold with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm.
4. Enjoy an ice-cold water spa
Relaxing at an Ice-cold water spa helps spread refreshing feeling all over the body, starting from the feet. To do this at home, simply soak your feet in a half-filled pail with ice cubes and water. Our body radiates heat from the palms of our hands and feet, our ears and our face, so cooling down any of these parts will eventually cool the entire body.
5. Keep a cold water spray bottle
Another simple yet effective way to lower the body temperature is by spraying yourself with cold water from a spray bottle in the refrigerator. Spraying water over the body’s pulse points like the neck, wrist and temples of the head – where blood vessels are closer to the surface of our skin – can help the body cool down. Make sure to bring a hand towel to wipe off excess water.
6. Wear loose-fitting and light-colored clothing
Tight and dark-colored clothes tend to trap heat coming from the sun, keeping our body feeling warm. For protection when outside, it’s best to cover yourself up with loose-fitting and light-colored clothing which reflects heat, helping the body maintain normal temperatures.
7. Make your refrigerator your friend
You can put household items inside the refrigerator to cool them off. Want to have a good night’s sleep during summer time? Chill your bed by placing folded sheets and pillow casings in plastic bags and letting them cool off in the fridge for a few hours. Pull them out just before going to bed for a cool and comfortable sleep.
8. Turn off appliances when unused
When appliances run on electricity, they create their own heat. So turn appliances off – laptops, lights, television – when not in use. By turning them off (and unplugging them), heat circulating within the area can be reduced.
9. Slow down
Strenuous activities should be reduced, if not eliminated, during hot days, especially during the sun’s peak hours (11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). If these activities cannot be avoided, do them during the coolest time the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
10. Take a cool shower everyday
When all else fails, taking a cool shower once or twice everyday never disappoints. Frequent showers help lower body temperature while also rinsing off body sweat, making you feel a lot more comfortable even during hot days.
In conclusion, the importance of water in our lives will always remain the same even after the summer is gone. Water is essential for our survival. It is important to remember that water is not a permanent resource available through the year. So make the best use of water during this hot weather- drink water, spent more time in water-like swimming pool, water ponds/river, beaches etc, After all-Water Is Life!
