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Food and drink: stay cool, keep walkin’ and don’t drown

The heat is on and so are you – with the right stuff

The heat is on - almost 10º C above the normal maximum day temperature and the night minimum - and it will be for the next while at Whistler and throughout the Lower Mainland. With temps and the humidex creeping up to levels more like Bangkok than the Coast Mountains, it's definitely time to keep your cool.

Suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke is no joke. In fact heat stroke, which occurs when your body has lost large amounts of salts and fluids and has an abnormally elevated temperature along with other physical and neurological symptoms, can be a life-threatening condition.

Even dehydration, which happens when your poor ol' bod simply doesn't have enough fluids to function properly, can make for dizziness, headaches, impaired physical and mental functioning, and more.

When you sweat a lot you lose both salts, or electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium and chloride, that keep cells functioning normally, plus the water content in the fluid-filled spaces surrounding your cells. That includes your brain, ergo the headaches and tired feeling when you're dehydrated.

My dear mom ended up in emergency when my parents first moved to the Okanagan because she wasn't used to the southern interior's summer heat and dryness and ended up dehydrated after not drinking enough fluids.

Too much exertion under hot conditions at work or at play can bring on any of the above. And if you've travelled to the tropics and tried the local drinks with a pinch of salt, then you know that simply drinking any old liquid isn't enough to rehydrate.

I'm not talking about a tequila shooter or a salt-rimmed margarita here. Nor over-doing it in the liquid department since too much hydration can throw you out of whack, too. But if you get severely dehydrated, you'll need commercial powdered electrolytes or sports drinks to replace those salts along with the fluids.

God forbid, if you get heat exhaustion or heat stroke, you'll need medical attention - fast, in the case of the latter. And this isn't just in the case of the elderly, the frail or those with heart or lung conditions. The healthiest and the fittest can suffer equally from any of these heat-related conditions, including our four-legged friends.

A pleasant walk with our dog in a cool, shaded park last week turned into an upsetting experience when park attendants were called in to help one family's poor mutt who had collapsed due to heat exhaustion.

Of course, you know better than locking your dog - or any pet - in a car in the summer, even with the windows open, even for "a minute." The interior of a closed car can go from 25º C to 50º C in about 15 minutes.

If you think your pet is suffering severe effects from the heat, get to a vet immediately. Just as it does in we humans, severe dehydration or heat exhaustion may call for an IV drip or other interventions.

So as you head out into these dog days, chill out. You've got your water bottle to rehydrate with, so be a nice human and take along a litre or two for your fur-laden buddy. On a 45-minute walk on a hot afternoon, our cattle dog will go through a litre, nearly two if she chases the Frisbee or runs hard - and she was bred for the simmering heat of the Australian outback. When she wants a drink, she's learned to nose the bag we carry her bottle of water in, and the grateful look when she's done more than makes up for the bother.

To really beat the heat, stay indoors during the hottest part of the day, for as much to avoid the high temps as the very high UV levels that are supposed to plague us this week. The UV index usually passes the moderate mark after about 10:30 a.m. and peaks from Noon to about 2:30 p.m.

Otherwise, my idea of a good time would be to hang out in a shady place with one of the treats below and a good book, or a good friend or three. They're easy to make and have all been tried and tested by various members of the Bartosh clan, including the branch safely back at home after the term "a real scorcher" took on a whole new meaning last week with the West Kelowna wild fires.

Raspberry Watermelon Cooler

(from 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes )

3 c cubed, pitted watermelon

1 10-oz package frozen raspberries in light syrup

1 c club soda or sparkling mineral water

Sugar or honey to taste

Pinch of salt if you like

Blend 1.5 c of the watermelon until smooth. Chip the frozen raspberries into smaller blocks and add to the watermelon. Blend till smooth. Pour into a 1-qt pitcher (strain out the seeds if you're picky). Blend the rest of the watermelon and add it to the first batch. Chill. You can make this ahead then add the soda/sparkling mineral water just before serving. Variation: Blend 1 cup blueberries along with the second batch of watermelon. Makes 1 qt. Serves 4 - 6 hot people.

Frozen pops & watermelon granita

For a cooler variation on the above, freeze the mixture in ice cube trays, with short sticks for handles, or in freezer pop containers or re-used small pudding or yogurt containers. Or simply pool the mixture in a 9 x 9 pan, and shave it repeatedly with a fork, starting after about 2 hours in the freezer, then every 2-3 hours until you serve it. Voilà - watermelon granita. Looks super served in brandy snifters or champagne glasses with a sprig of fresh mint.

If you don't have frozen raspberries on hand, you can also make about 8 quick watermelon "pops" by blending 4 cups of watermelon chunks, with a pinch of salt and sugar to taste until it's all smooth. Freeze in "freezer pop" containers, ad libbed or otherwise.

Glenda Bartosh is an award-winning freelance writer who would gladly take watermelon as her only food to a desert - or is that dessert? - island.