Eating with the Seasons: Summer
Hot air, sweaty skin, ice cream, beach holidays, and blue skies. Can you feel it? It screams Summer! This season is all about the outdoors, adventure, and playfulness. Related to the fire element in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Summer is a time to connect, feel joy and call on the summer energies for expansion.
Summer is related to organs of the heart, small intestine, pericardium and triple heater. If we think about these organs and their function, we can get an idea of this “fire” energy we must balance. Too much heat in the body from our environment, food and heated emotions can result in conditions such as high blood pressure, poor absorption and digestion, heartburn, dyspepsia and hot, irritated skin conditions. We must find ways to support this balance and focus on lighter, cooler foods to provide hydration and nourishment to the body.
For Summer, focus on:
Eat lighter: Small, balanced meals throughout the day is ideal. Stay clear of heavy and greasy foods that weigh the body down. Our food choices want to be light, hydrating and heat dispersing to balance the energies of the hot Summer months.
Eat more raw and fresh foods: Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant in summer. If you have a strong digestive fire (aka-you digest foods easily) then raw salads and fruits may be good for you. If you have sensitive digestion, focus on a balance of raw and cooked foods (follow the 80/20 rule- 80% cooked, 20% raw) to aid in the absorption of the food and nutrients.
Hydrate: The changes in temperature will cause dehydration. Keep up water intake, ideally at room temperature and add some sliced cucumber, fresh mint, lemon/lime or watermelon. Tip: add a small pinch of unrefined sea salt on those extra hot days for a dose of minerals and electrolytes, or if you can grab a fresh coconut- natures pure hydration formula!
Summer fruits and vegetables: Enjoy all the beautiful Summer fruits on offer, especially the berries-make smoothies or just enjoy fresh. Include lots of leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, rocket, bok choy, broccoli and cauliflower as well as some more grounding root vegetables such as carrots, beets and sweet potatoes; cook these vegetables lightly by steaming, stir fry or saute.
Reduce animal protein: Animal protein can be quite heavy and contain a lot of heat. Limit to light, easy to digest types such as eggs, fish and occasionally chicken. Aim to lightly steam or stir fry.
Include bitter foods: Bitter foods help to reduce and disperse the heat from the body and aid in cleansing the organs related to the fire element. Dandelion greens, green tea, raw cacao, bitter melon, radishes and cruciferous vegetables are all beneficial.
Limit or avoid alcohol, caffeine and refined/processed foods: Those heating foods we touched on…these are at the top of the list. Indulging in these types of foods more often or not create an increase in toxin build-up causing more stress on the body and impaired liver function. Keep it light and be mindful of your consumption.
Express emotion: Not food related but just as important. Anger, frustration, irritability can all pop up when the body is feeling a little too warm and heated. These are also very hot emotions. Aim to explore ways to express any built-up emotion that works for you.