Love it or loathe it, the heat is back in Europe this week – and in the UK, temperatures are climbing once again to the mid-thirties. 

For a country that isn’t built for hot weather, living in towns and cities here can feel suffocating. 

But whilst you may already be keeping your curtains shut, windows ajar, and water bottles in the freezer, being mindful about what you eat and drink during a heatwave is an important (and delicious) way to stave off any adverse impacts from the rising heat. 

With cultures close to the equator having fine-tuned recipes that keep you both cool and hydrated in the sweltering summer sun, here are a few tips and tricks from the warmer climes that truly know how to handle the heat.

Fight the fire with fire

Hot, spicy food may not be the first thing on your mind as the mercury shoots up; yet the benefits of capsaicin-rich meals in hot weather are well documented across hot and humid regions. 

This is because the heat of the food helps your body to trigger a sweat response. As you perspire, the sweat evaporates from your body, cooling you down as you eat.  

Thailand is known for having some of the spiciest food in the world – and summer is the best time to tuck into light, herby dishes like pork larb, green papaya salad and Pad Krapow (thai basil chicken). 

Counterintuitively to some, a hot, fiery broth like Tom Yum Soup is a great addition to your lunch or dinner, getting those sweat glands really working whilst keeping your meal light and nutritious. 

Just make sure to replace the water that you are losing from your body (keep on reading for more tips on that!). 

Hydration, hydration, hydration

It will come as no surprise that during warm weather, you lose more water from your body, and rapidly. 

In fact, on a hot day, your body can lose up to two extra litres of water per hour through sweat, and up to 10 litres a day if you are engaging in strenuous activity. 

Not only will this water loss leave you feeling thirsty and dehydrated, but it can affect your digestion, temperature regulation, and energy levels. 

But while all that water needs replacing, practically drinking your way through a water fountain may not appeal to everyone. 

Make life easier and incorporate high water content foods into your meals and snacks. At up to 96 percent water, adding fruits and vegetables like cucumber, apples and watermelon into your daily diet is a key hidden hydration tactic.

For even more benefits, go one step further and pair your five-a-day with healthy fats and electrolyte-rich dips. The combination helps your body actively pull and retain moisture at a cellular level, slowing down digestion so you absorb more water from your meals. 

If you're after inspiration, look no further than countries along the Mediterranean. Here, the long sunny summers give way to bountiful fruit and vegetable harvests, and have instilled a reverence for local produce. 

Try classics like thick Greek cucumber tzatziki, minty Lebanese watermelon and feta salad, Turkish pickles paired with creamy hummus, and intensely-tomatoey Spanish pan con tomate drizzled with peppery olive oil. 

But Roberta of Malavenda Cafe in London's Hackney area insists that her hometown in the south of Italy has the best answer to a summer lunch.

"The typical caprese salad, it's our dish for lunchtime when it's really hot. Fresh vegetables, nothing really cooked because you need the liquid."

Medicine never tasted so good!

Swap out your cup of joe 

While this may at first feel like bad advice, salt-forward drinks are a great way to replenish any sodium and fluids you may have lost throughout the day. 

Sodium acts as the body's primary mechanism for retaining water, but we lose this all-important electrolyte when we sweat and drink diuretics like coffee and alcohol. 

Mexico is one such country with the right idea. From street corners to supermarkets and even swanky restaurants, you can order a glass of fresh suero, a non-alcoholic mineral water cocktail made with lime and sea-salt. It’s salty, tangy and perfectly refreshing, helping you stay hydrated even out in the sun. 

Banta soda from India is another savoury offering to reach for as the temperatures climb. While widely sold across the country, making your own is a matter of combining spite and limes with a spice mix of salt, sugar, black pepper and cumin. 

And from Türkiye comes ayran, a thin, salty yogurt drink often paired with soda or sparkling water. 

Robin at Clapton Brasserie in London's vibrant east often adds a squeeze of lemon for an extra refreshing kick to the drink: "it's tasty, quite nice, usually traditional in the Mediterranean."

Great news for grazers

You may have found that spells of hot weather hurt your appetite. It's not hard to see why: when the temperatures are reaching past the mid-thirties, a large meal is often the last thing on anyone’s mind. 

There’s some science behind it too: digesting food, especially heavy, protein-rich meals, releases something called ‘thermic energy’. Making your body warmer through eating could add more stress to the body, and so a large, stodgy meal will naturally appeal less to many. 

What’s more, your body requires less energy from food to maintain its baseline temperature in warm conditions, and so the desire for calories begins to dissipate as the mercury climbs.

Still, it’s important to fuel your body and get in all the essential minerals and vitamins you need throughout the day. This is where smaller, more regular meals that are highly nutritious really start to punch above their weight, as your body is able to digest these intermittent meals more easily, and without overheating. 

Spanish tapas is a great example of keeping satisfied with small plates. What were essentially bar snacks have become a popular way to enjoy socialising, with just enough food to keep you going, without becoming sluggish. Perfect in the intense southern European heat. 

That’s not an excuse to simply snack 24/7 however! As always, prioritise hydrating foods with additional benefits such as electrolytes, to truly beat the heat, stomach first. 

Opt for popular tapas dishes like stuffed olives, padron peppers, and Spanish omelette to enjoy the experience, minus any digestive discomfort.