Food Diary – June 26, 2011 – and… heat exhaustion

So, I have been ridiculous again. Against my better scientific judgement, I was lured outside by “it looks so nice out there”, to go for my run in the middle of the afternoon. Already halfway through I was feeling “THE BURN” (say that with imagined reverbaration) an awful lot more than usual, but absolutely wanted to push through. I returned back home with a pounding headache, mild dizziness, super-dry mouth and throat and being able to hear my heartbeat in my ears. And generally feeling very warm. The saving grace would probably be that I put suncream on before I ventured outside.

Heat exhaustion is when your core temperature rises to 37-40°C. Levels of water and salt in the body starts to drop, and you will feel faint, nauseous, and sweat a lot (I did not mention that above, but given that I had been running outside, you may have guessed). If you take a person with heat exhaustion to a cool place, and give them plenty of water to drink, they should start to feel better soon enough. Even if some symptoms may linger.

If left untreated, heat exhaustion can develop into heatstroke. Heatstroke is when the core temperature rises to above 40°C. Then, cells will begin to break down, you will feel confused, hyperventilate, and maybe even stop breathing. This is a medical emergency, and the sufferer will need to be taken to A&E. [Source]

So DO exercise, but DON’T go when it looks nice outside. In fact, if it is cold and wet, you will have to work harder to stay warm anyway. Win-win.

Buttered oven bottom muffin with ham; tea and honey-nut shredded wheat with semi-skimmed milk.

This has gradually become my “accepted” breakfast size. Thoughts? Too much? Too little? Just Right?

Spanish-style spiced potato wedges with ketchup. Last portion of raspberries, whipped cream and toasted chocolate dessert buns.

This is when I went for that run. Came back and necked an incredible amounts of water, and tried to find things in the larder that would help me feel better.

Olives and low fat orange chocolate yoghurt. Then a crispbread with brussels pate.

I did not feel that much better after the food, or even after a shower. So thought that maybe a proper supper would help.

Lots of sliced cucumber with the last of the pork and apple (and black eyed beans, yellow pepper, sundried tomato, onion, etc.) stew. Oat-bread toast with marmelade. Some squash.

Water count: ~2.25l. Look after yourselves out there in the heat! (However, being on British soil, the heat will probably depart soon enough, sadly.)

Food Diary – June 24, 2011 – and… Swedish Midsummer (apologies for deviation from science)

Midsummer is an actual holiday that is gleefully celebrated in Sweden, with lots of shellfish, herring and potatoes, berries and cream, and ‘snaps’. The key element however, is good company. Personally, I left my good company when I left work, but I did stop by the supermarket, tiredly, on my way home, to see what I could find…

Friday = feast day. No? Fine.

Fruit'n'fibre cereal with semi-skimmed milk.

Forgot to prepare lunch.

Provisions for morning-in-office: Milky Earl Grey and a banana.

No breakfast complete without extras.

Imitation Twix.

Tea just isn’t the same.

Coffeeh.

Shop bought sandwich. Not bad, actually.

Chicken salad sandwich on malted, grainy bread.

Nice and polished.

Apple.

Then, I went on a field trip, my first, from my desk to the office biscuit tin. Perhaps I will bake something for it someday.

Syrup biscuit.

Unfortunately, I got more biscuit cravings as a result.

Brownie biscuits.

Then, dinner!

Miscellaneous steamed shellfish. With, er, malt vinegar. And back olives, obviously.

I know the margarine looks rank, but those muffins are so good!

Severely buttered oven bottom muffin.

Then, improv-dessert. Amazing.

Dessert buns, diced and toasted, with whipped cream and raspberries.

Water count: ~1.75l. I did sneak some olives just before bedtime.

Food Diary – June 9, 2011

Does anybody consume protein powder? Is it “good” (however we can classify that)? Is it only for those who wish to build muscle or is it generally good to drink after exercise? Or am I okay with yoghurt and/or eggs? Thankful for answers.

Had to get up really early this day, and was hungrier than usual. Is this because I had to replenish the energy I did NOT get via sleep?

Coffee and two slices of seeded, margarine-d toast.

The following has become a regular mid-morning snack.

Liquorice and fruit gums.

This too, but not for much longer.

The last slice of white chocolate and raspberry cake!

Thrown-together lunch. I need to start planning my meals.

Couscous, peas, chilli beans, fish fingers and sweet chilli sauce.

Mid-afternoon coffee break.

Earl Grey.

Also known as “fika” in Swedish.

What it says on the 'tin'.

Thrown-together dinner. I really did not want to cook today.

Eggy wholewheat pasta with chilli beans, basil, and slightly too much paprika.

Water count ~1.5l. Back on track.

In other news. I have writer’s block on my other blog. Anybody have good advice about that? Thankful, as always, for answers. (That should be my lifetime signature.)

Food diary, November 30, 2010

Well my chums, it has arrived, the last day of the food diary. Did I celebrate with large meals? (Ed: As I am posting this the next day, I can reveal that I had three cookies for breakfast and a ham and pineapple pizza for lunch today.)

Breakfast.

Mug of coffee; two slices of 50/50 bread with margarine and morello cherry jam.

Mid-morning snack.

Spoonful of peanut butter; mug of tea.

Lunch.

Two slices of 50/50 bread with tomato puree and grilled cheddar; bowl of sweetcorn.

Mid-afternoon treat. (I walked for an hour in the snowstorm!)

Toffee apple muffin. It did not taste of apple.

Colourful dinner.

Pork, lentil, sweetcorn and spinach soup with carrot sticks and two slice of sesame crispbread.

Dessert.

Grapefruit segments, three ginger nuts, morello cherry jam.

Erm… digestif-replacement?

Three squares of dark chocolate.

The last one. What else?

Closing the circle, a mug of tea.

Food for thought: I shall do some totting up eventually – it is a busy time in my life at the moment – and perhaps provide some interesting statistics from this experiment. After today, I grant you that, perhaps, I have modified what I eat ever so slightly, due to posting it on the blog. Maybe then, I would eat healthier if I imagine that I always have an audience?

Food diary, November 29, 2010

Having decided that packing food and snacks (in a tub!) is a good thing, I shall now try to do it as much as possible from now on. Better to control spending and general consumption.

On another note, penultimate day of food diary!

Breakfast.

Lacked appetite this morning. Possibly the result of late night snacking on cookies and cakes. One cookie; one cake; one mug of coffee.

I kept forgetting to photograph daytime tea-drinking, so will supplement with an old picture (from day one! Positively retro) each time.

Milky tea.

Lunch.

Lettuce, margarine, cheese and ham sandwich (in foil), an apple, water (in the beaker), snack tub containing two Viscout biscuits, two ginger nuts, four squares of chocolate, a handful of sultanas and a mint humbug; an apple.

Snacks were consumed throughout the afternoon.

Then.

More tea-drinking. I seem to find teas far more comforting than the likes of hot cocoa.

This somehow kept me going until arriving home at 2030 hours, at which point I had been splashed by two cars and was in a rather miffed, cannot-be-bothered-to-cook mood.

Some of the aubergine bake from the other day, with added ham and melted cheese on top; bowl of fruit'n'fibre with semi-skimmed milk; two oat and sultana cookies and a mug of tea.

Food for thought: Really enjoying the snack tub. Keeping a food diary has been good fun, informative, and I think I may miss it.

What sort of statistics could I derive from this that would be interesting?