One of the nutritional tips for getting through the summer is to drink enough water. But with the sweltering heat and high temperatures, it’s important to get the right hydration from solid foods too.
Experts recommend drinking at least two litres of water a day and always carry a water bottle with you. They also recommend eating fruit to avoid dehydration and replenish the vitamins and minerals lost through sweating.
But if you are a true coffee lover, surely your biggest concern is whether you can drink coffee in summer.
Until a few years ago, there was a false myth that coffee and caffeinated beverages were responsible for dehydrating the body.
This is why many people still have doubts about drinking coffee in summer.
But can coffee really cause dehydration in the body?
Let’s see what doctors think about the consumption of caffeinated drinks in summer.
What do doctors think about this?
Where do the doubts and false myths about Italy’s most popular beverage come from?
According to coffee studies conducted in the late 2000s, caffeine in high doses has a diuretic effect on the body. Therefore, drinking caffeinated beverages at a time of intense heat could cause dehydration.
Subsequent research has refuted these studies, stating that there is no link between coffee and dehydration.
In fact, taking caffeine in normal or moderate doses poses no risk.
These studies have also looked at the effects of caffeine on sportsmen and women, who are at greater risk of becoming dehydrated through intense sweating.
In fact, even in this case, no negative effects were found. Quite the contrary! It was found that discontinuing coffee in regular users negatively affected the athletes’ performance.
Cold coffee or hot coffee in summer
In order to get relief from the mugginess and not to worsen the hot feeling during the summer, many people decide to give up the pleasure of hot espresso coffee.
In summer, many people opt for alternative drinks, such as coffee creamers and iced coffee with ice.
If you prefer the intense aroma of espresso coffee, however, there is no need to give up the pleasure of drinking this beverage.
In fact, cold or iced drinks provide a momentary pleasure. Drinking a small amount of iced coffee has a cooling effect that fades after a few moments.
Did you know that hot drinks help the body to better manage its internal temperature by increasing sweating?
This means that, contrary to popular belief, it is hot coffee that has a cooling effect and provides relief in hot weather!
In addition to stimulating the body’s thermoregulatory effect, espresso coffee in summer has many other benefits:
- it helps to recover energy and overcome heat- and sweat-related fatigue;
- it replenishes mineral salts and antioxidants that are essential for the body;
- it is a good remedy against low blood pressure;
- it helps prevent dizziness and fainting due to the heat;
- it helps to replenish fluids lost through heavy sweating;
- it stimulates the body to avoid heat-related fatigue.
What is the recommended source of caffeine in summer: tea, coffee or sports drinks?
If you’re wondering which source of caffeine to consume during the summer, here are the words of a famous nutritionist, Dr Rupali Datta.
According to Dr Datta, consuming caffeine during the summer does not cause any harm. Just don’t overdo it and don’t exceed 250 milligrams (about two and a half cups a day).
The important thing is to choose the right drinks to drink.
According to Dr Datta, tea and coffee are fine, but sports drinks should be avoided. Sports drinks are considered more harmful than a cup of tea or coffee because they contain much more sugar.
Summary
So there is no need to give up espresso during the hot season. You can drink up to two and a half cups of caffeinated beverages a day without risk. According to doctors, these quantities can be consumed without fear of side effects.
In fact, coffee taken in moderation does not cause problems of dehydration. On the contrary, we have discovered that our favourite beverage has many advantages in the summer, because it helps the body to face the hot days with more vigour.
We have also dispelled the myth of cold coffee. It is precisely hot drinks that are healthiest in hot weather, as they stimulate the body’s thermoregulatory effect.
If you are a purist and can’t give up the pleasure of espresso coffee after a meal or in the morning, enjoy it in peace and quiet even in summer. Now we have also given you good reasons to drink your hot espresso without guilt.
If you want to enjoy a good espresso at home, discover our professional lever machines. You will be able to drink a coffee with a unique barista aroma at home.
