Summer Lifestyle & Diet
As you may have gathered if you’ve been reading the Fire element blog post series, living in harmony with the seasons is an important part of health according to Chinese medicine. Summer is a time of expansion, warmth, and lightness, and if we are attuned to this, our lifestyle will reflect it. There are some ways in which our modern culture still values the qualities of summer—we tend to travel more, take time off from work, socialize, and spend more time outdoors. While it is natural to wake earlier and settle in for the evening later with the longer days, a more relaxed energy suffuses the atmosphere in summer. Take advantage of this! Allow yourself to relax and have fun.
Below are some guidelines for eating in the summer, according to Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. These are for someone who is generally healthy—for more tailored guidance, seek a Chinese medicine practitioner. And as always, consider how your own body responds!
Meal Preparation
It’s best to eat a lighter diet in the summer and take advantage of the bounty of summer produce to make bright and diversely colored meals—this can help replace minerals & oils sweated out of the body.
Cook lightly—if sauteing, use high heat for a short time. If steaming or simmering, do so as quickly as possible.
Use less salt, more water.
Add spicy flavors in moderation—these bring body heat to the surface to be dispersed.
Eat outdoors when you can, and maybe add a floral arrangement to the table!
Beneficial Foods/Beverages
Salads
Sprouts—mung, soy, alfalfa
Fruits & vegetables—apples, watermelon, lemons, limes, cucumbers
Tofu, mung beans
Flower & leaf teas—green tea, peppermint, chrysanthemum, chamomile
A moderate amount of spicy foods—hot peppers, cayenne pepper, fresh ginger, horseradish, black pepper
Unbeneficial Foods/Beverages
Iced drinks, ice cream—summer heat combined with cold substances weakens digestion
Very salty foods
Too much spicy or pungent food
Lots of meat, eggs, nuts, seeds, and grains
Stay tuned for next week’s post on a meridian called the Ren mai (Conception vessel), and its acupressure points for the Fire element.
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