{"id":18885,"date":"2026-07-08T11:11:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18885"},"modified":"2026-07-08T11:11:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:11:52","slug":"beat-the-heat-with-what-you-eat","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/beat-the-heat-with-what-you-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"Beat the Heat with What You Eat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>July 8, 2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong>Kimi Stevens, kimi.stevens@vdh.virginia.gov<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Beat the Heat with What You Eat<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>Summer Nutrition Tips from the Chesapeake Health Department<\/em><\/p>\n<p>CHESAPEAKE, Va. \u2013 When summer heat increases, your appetite usually decreases. Digesting and storing food generate heat. While your body doesn\u2019t want more heat, it does need fuel to stay healthy and hydrated. Eating healthy foods will help protect you from heat-related illnesses. The Chesapeake Health Department shares ways to help you beat the heat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hydrate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t wait until you\u2019re thirsty to drink water. The Chesapeake Health Department recommends drinking a cup of water (8 ounces) every 15 to 20 minutes when working or playing outside in the heat. It\u2019s better to drink small amounts more frequently than to chug. Don\u2019t drink more than 48 ounces per hour.<\/p>\n<p>While drinking water is important, good hydration doesn\u2019t come only from a bottle or tap. These fruits and vegetables are mostly water.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Watermelon<\/li>\n<li>Strawberries<\/li>\n<li>Cantaloupe<\/li>\n<li>Peaches<\/li>\n<li>Oranges<\/li>\n<li>Grapefruit<\/li>\n<li>Cucumbers<\/li>\n<li>Lettuce<\/li>\n<li>Celery<\/li>\n<li>Zucchini &amp; Squash<\/li>\n<li>Tomatoes<\/li>\n<li>Bell Peppers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Restore electrolytes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When you sweat, your body loses essential minerals like sodium and potassium. This loss can cause muscle cramps and make you feel tired. Consuming bananas, leafy greens, and coconut water can help restore these lost minerals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Drinks to avoid\/limit<br \/>\n<\/strong>Avoid alcohol and energy drinks. These beverages are dehydrating and can put unnecessary stress on your heart. Drink coffee, tea, and other caffeinated beverages in moderation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eat smaller, more frequent meals<\/strong><br \/>\nHeavy, greasy, or fried foods slow down digestion. Light foods, such as salads, yogurt, and smoothies, are easier to digest and keep your body cool.<\/p>\n<p>Eating healthy foods can be more expensive. The Chesapeake Health Department has programs that can help those who qualify.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/fridayfarmersmarket\"><strong>Friday Farmers Market<\/strong><\/a> is a community wellness and nutrition market held every Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from April to November at 70 Knells Ridge Blvd. Select vendors accept <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dss.virginia.gov\/relief\/food-assistance\/snap\/farmers-market\/\"><strong>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program<\/strong><\/a> (SNAP\/EBT), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginiafreshmatch.org\/\"><strong>Virginia Fresh Match<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fna.usda.gov\/fmnp\/wic-farmers-market-nutrition-program\"><strong>WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fna.usda.gov\/sfmnp\/senior-farmers-market-nutrition-program\"><strong>Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program<\/strong><\/a> benefits.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/wic\/\"><strong>Women, Infants and Children<\/strong><\/a> (WIC) program supports pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women and children up to age five. It provides healthy foods, nutrition education and breastfeeding support.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/child-and-adult-care-food-program\/\"><strong>Child and Adult Care Food Program<\/strong><\/a> (CACFP) provides reimburses individuals for healthy meals and snacks for children in daycare, older adults, and chronically impaired individuals in care facilities.<\/p>\n<p>The Chesapeake Health Department also supports community programs including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fna.usda.gov\/sfsp\/sitefinder\">Summer Food Service Program<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dss.virginia.gov\/relief\/food-assistance\/snap\/\">Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program<\/a> (SNAP) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dss.virginia.gov\/relief\/food-assistance\/snap\/\">Federation of Virginia Food Bank<\/a>s.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on summer nutrition, contact the Chesapeake Health Department WIC office at 757-382-8608<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>July 8, 2026 Media Contact: Kimi Stevens, kimi.stevens@vdh.virginia.gov &nbsp; Beat the Heat with What You Eat Summer Nutrition Tips from the Chesapeake Health Department CHESAPEAKE, Va. \u2013 When summer heat increases, your appetite usually decreases. Digesting and storing food generate heat. While your body doesn\u2019t want more heat, it does need fuel to stay healthy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[767,73,932,1118,71,1784,1785,68],"class_list":["post-18885","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-chesapeake-health-department","tag-child-and-adult-care-food-program","tag-farmers-market","tag-heat","tag-nutrition","tag-snap","tag-virginia-fresh-match","tag-wic"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Beat the Heat with What You Eat - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/beat-the-heat-with-what-you-eat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beat the Heat with What You Eat - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"July 8, 2026 Media Contact: Kimi Stevens, kimi.stevens@vdh.virginia.gov &nbsp; Beat the Heat with What You Eat Summer Nutrition Tips from the Chesapeake Health Department CHESAPEAKE, Va. \u2013 When summer heat increases, your appetite usually decreases. 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