5 Asian Medicine Diet Tips to Beat Summer’s Heat
/According to Asian medical theory, each season is associated with an element and summer is the season of the Fire element. Fire is the element of play, adventure, thrill-seeking, social connection, passion, joy, love, and trust. Fire energy also houses the mind. Harmonious Fire energy manifests with clear thinking, healthy relationships, charisma, and compassion. Weak Fire energy manifests with a muddled mind. This can range from anxiety to depression, restlessness to schizophrenia, and beyond. Unique speech habits, such as stuttering, talking too quickly, or laughing nervously are also a reflection of Fire imbalance. We can think of all of these symptoms as indications of a heat imbalance. When the summer sun combines with the Fire element’s natural manifestations in each of us, there is a tendency toward overheating. This overheating can present in the body as palpitations, dizziness, poor memory, insomnia, agitation, and night sweats. Summer is the optimal time to stoke our natural Fire through play, social connection, and adventure, but we must also ensure to temper our Fire so as not to overheat. A great way to temper your inner Fire is through diet: read on for some Asian medicine tips on how to eat coolly during our hottest season.
Lean Into Lemons, and Skip the Ice
I know, I know. On a hot summer day, a tall glass of iced water sounds like just the trick to cool down. But ice can actually make you more lethargic under the summer sun. According to Asian medical theory, ice bogs down the digestive system. The digestive system both extracts nutrients to keep you fueled on your next adventure, and builds the Qi you need to stay strong in the heat. The more ice you have, the more you may notice yourself feeling heavy, or almost stuck in your seat. Instead of ice, try a squeeze of fresh lemon in your next glass of water. Lemon is cooling in nature, detoxes the liver, nourishes digestion, and can even help to slow down sweating, thus maximizing hydration.
Eat Your Fresh Greens
Summer is the season of raw veggies. “What? But, Laura, you said to limit my raw veggie intake!” It’s true, for most of the year I recommend cooking approximately 80% of your veggies to keep digestion smooth. That’s because raw veggies are cooling in nature. Think of your gut like a soup pot: you wouldn’t dump a bucket of ice into your slow cooking stew. But under the summer sun, many of us need an extra boost to help cool down. That’s where fresh greens come into play. When eaten raw, fresh leafy greens like lettuce, kale, chard, and spinach cool the body from within. They won’t shock your system like ice, but instead will nourish and cool simultaneously to keep you feeling your best for your next dose of summer fun. If it doesn’t upset your stomach, summer is the time to eat half of your veggies raw.
Cool Off with Watermelon Rind
Nothing says summer like fresh watermelon juice dripping down your chin. Watermelon isn’t only a delicious seasonal treat, it’s also part of the Chinese herbal pharmacopeia. Known as xī guā (西瓜), watermelon is particularly indicated to treat overheating during summertime (think heatstroke). Most of us tend to eat the tasty fruit flesh and toss out the rind and pith. But watermelon pith (the white part between the green rind and the pink flesh), is extremely effective at cooling down overheated bodies. I may say no to ice from your freezer, but I give a solid thumbs up to nature’s “ice:” watermelon pith! Next time you’re chomping into a slice of watermelon, try a few bites of the pith to help keep you extra-cool.
Get Bitter
According to Asian medical nutrition, each food has a different flavor which has a unique effect on the body. Sweet flavors nourish, spicy flavors move qi and blood, sour flavors astringe, salty flavors soften hard accumulations, bland flavors help to cleanse the body by promoting urination, and bitter flavors drain heat. As you may have guessed, bitter is the flavor associated with summer and with the Fire element. Adding bitter foods into your regular summer routine is a great way to harmonize your body with the season. Kale, collards, arugula, mustard greens, green onions, almonds, pistachios, quinoa, and red lentils are all examples of foods classified as bitter which help to reduce inflammation, cool the body, and clarify the mind during the heat of summer. For more information on what foods are considered bitter, check out Paul Pitchford’s book Healing with Whole Foods.
Share Your Meals
The Fire element isn’t just about the balance of heat within the body, it also underlies all social bonds and relationships. Most of us feel more social during the summer, with long days and warm weather keeping us out and about later than at other times of the year. The Fire element is nourished by healthy social connections, both with others and ourselves. Summer is the perfect time of year to share meals with those you love. This doesn’t mean you should push yourself beyond your limits. If you’re feeling introverted, share a meal with yourself: set the table, put on your favorite music, bring in some fresh flowers from the garden, and celebrate yourself over a tasty whole-food-based meal. Slowing down to enjoy mealtime, be it alone or with others, maximizes your digestive system’s ability to absorb nutrients effectively. Eat a bit slower, laugh a bit louder, and take the time this season to honor all of the relationships in your life, especially the most important one: your relationship with yourself.
Want more information on how to eat seasonally throughout the year? Read the book Real Food All Year, a user-friendly introduction to Asian medical nutrition — complete with recipes — written by Dr. Nishanga Bliss.