Don't eat chocolate whilst trying to hydrate - Yes... you heard it.. *I*, the Chocoholic said don't eat it!!!

Chocolate dries the mouth out, so drinking water and then following it up with chocolate defeats the object.

The best thing to drink when hot, thirsty, sweating or tired, is water. Put a cordial in it if you wish, or one of those electrolyte restoratives you get for diaorrhea patents, but avoid too much sugar and as Scoville says, caffeine and alcohol are just what you don't need. Eat lightly during the day, salads, fruit and vegetables. Eating meat and heavy carbohydrates will slow your system down as it concentrates on digesting, encouraging that post-prandial nap that may have you snoozing in the sun for hours, and baking like a tortilla on a griddle.

Gurney - we're in the middle of the most 'traditional' British summer we've had for some time, so I'm with you on the 'not much sympathy' front. Mind you, we've had worse... back in 1984... missed summer that year, I was in the bath.

LTS