Who doesn’t like the summer? Kids do, parents do, people chasing vacation vibes on the beaches or hiking in the mountain. Whoever we are we live and abide common principals. Thanks to them we could chose the right nutrition for the summer to avoid the overheating and unease. Here are 6 tips for a healthier and better summer.
Go Raw.
Adding more fresh produce to the meals helps our digestion better deal with the heat. On the other hand cooked meals slow down the metabolism and gives off excess of endogenic energy we recognize as heat. For this Ayurveda recommends food of airy type, which refers to the plants growing above the ground.
Go Vegan.
The meat and the animal source products as a general have longer transit time (from eating to defecating) than vegan food. In addition they are a greater source of toxins and give off more energy as a result of which the body temperature rises.
Go temperate.
The thought of ice-cold beer in the summer heat feels very appealing for some. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) calls cold food contractive and they are not considered a good idea in such circumstances. To put it simple, while we eat cold food, the body produces internal heat to facilitate a digestive minimum temperature. This is not a good idea while on the outside we already have an excess of heat. The solution is to consume food and drinks at room temperature and take it easy on the spices, especially the hot ones.
Go FADS free.
Fats/oils, Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking are known to increase the body endogenic energy. This is a type of heat the Orthodox Christianity and the Islam have recognized as "bad" for the summer. This is why, those (along with the animal products) are banned for consumption at certain summer periods of fasting.
Hydrate.
The process of sweating is a wonderful way of thermoregulation our body has evolved to have. In order to sweat we need water and watery food (cucumbers, water melons, etc.) and every attempt to suppress if results in overheating and may even end up with a heat stroke. So, to avoid this, drink as much water as possible at room temperature, not to overload the body cooling system. On the same page, coffee and tea dehydrate the body through the urinary system and, thus, inhibiting the body access to precious coolant — the water.
A pinch of salt.
Keeping in mind the moderation, small amount of salt has a significant effect to the electrolyte balance of the body. As we’re sweating and/or peeing excessively in the summer we loose our precious salt with that and we need to make it up for those loses. So, next time, you taste the salt of your own sweat under the sun, it’s time for your gazpacho or ayran drink.