How To Prevent Heat Illness
By Dr. Lucie
Healthy Athletes Are Also at Risk to Heat Related Illness
Heat related illness can occur when a person does not take the necessary precautions against the heat.
Nutrition is defined as the process of food intake and utilizing food sources. Nutrition is important for maintaining the body’s proper physiological functions, growth, and avoiding disease. A proper diet can help prevent illnesses including by not limited to certain cancers, diabetes, liver disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Fad diets are dangerous, and they don’t provide long lasting weight loss. Fad diets make promises they cannot live up to or are dangerous to general health and well-being. You may lose a larger amount of weight quickly, but it is usually water weight or creates a state of malnutrition in the body. That weight lost will also most likely come back relatively quickly at the cessation of the diet.
Fad diets such as the “cabbage soup” diet and lemonade diet are missing key elements to good nutrition. The lemonade diet is simply missing everything. These diets will commonly leave its users ravenous to a point they breakdown and gorge on anything they can find.
Hydration to Prevent Heat Illness
Living in Florida and playing sports in the hot weather can certainly be a challenge. It is important to hydrate before, during and after a practice or competition. To learn more about sports drinks vs water for hydration, please read this article. It is so important to stay hydrated. Here are some tips:
- Keep a record of your fluid intake.
- Drink lots of fluids, especially water. Avoid drink with caffeine.
- Drink before you start to feel thirsty.
- Check the color of your urine (it should be a light yellow).
- Wear light colored clothing or dry fit clothing.
- Take frequent cool down breaks when working outside.
- Be aware of the outside temperature and humidity and limit your time in the environment.
- Be aware of the signs and symptoms of dehydration so your condition doesn’t lead to a heatstroke.
To learn more about heat related illness, please read this article by Dr. Yorio.
High temperatures can produce heat illness.
This article by Dr. Lucie spotlights some of the concerns that parents may have when it comes to their athletes and heat related illness.
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