Food Energetics: Staying Cool for Summer
On the New Jersey coast, summer season is in full bloom. Fireworks every weekend, beach waves crashing on the sand, and boardwalk rides are open and cotton candy is in abundance. Activity is at an upmost high in summer; it is the most Yang out of all the seasons. Summer is associated with fire, heat, high energy, laughter, outward emotions and late nights. As the temperatures rise, Traditional Chinese Medicine offers some tips on staying cool!
In Eastern nutrition we don’t count calories, but rather investigate their energies, temperatures and flavors and how these qualities interact with the body. Basic guidelines of Eastern Nutrition you may have heard before include eating warmed and cooked whole foods, chewing thoroughly, avoiding overly raw and dairy foods, having a positive attitude while enjoying your meal, sitting down as opposed to standing, and ultimately to aim for balance meals (i.e. not overly hot, not overly cold).
For Summer our energies are warmed not only by the heat of the hot and heavy climate, but also by the level of activity we find ourselves participating in daily. So what types of foods and food preparations help cool down our systems:
High Water Content: cucumbers, watermelon
Raw Foods: Cooling in nature. In TCM we advise against overly raw foods, but in height of summer, we accept a few salads here and there because we are surrounded by heat, there is more of a balance that does not tax our digestive system as much.
Steamed Foods: Cooling and Neutral
COOLING/COLD Food Groups
Grains: Barley, Buckwheat, Wild Rice to name a few
Veggies: Asaparagus, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Celery, Swiss Chard, Cucumber, Daikon, Dandelion leaf, Endive, Lettuce, Plaintain, Rdish, Summer squash, Tomato, Seaweed
Fruits: Apple, Banana, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Grapfruit, Orange, Pear, Strawberries, Rhubarb, watermelon, mango, lemon/lime, kiwi
Dairy: yogurt
Fish/Meat: Lamb and Liver, clams, crab, octopus,
Spices/Herbs: Mint, Tamarind, Marigold, aloe, Chamomile, Chrysanthemum, Eucalyptus, Honeysuckle, salt,
Teas/Beverages: Green Tea, Chrysanthemum tea, Chamomile, Danelion root, Peppermint tea
How interesting that the foods listed as cool and cold are often grown, harvested and in full blood in the height of summer! Do we not associate the fragrant scent of honeysuckles with the long days of summertime? Do not enjoy fresh tomatoes, lettuces, and fruits each season when the weather turns hot and we desire to eat outside? Yes, these are Chinese Medicine Food Energetics, but they are also intuitive to the seasonal balances that have always been present. Just as we crave cinnamon (warming spice) in the winter, we also cool down and refresh with lemonade (cooling citrus) in the warmer months. Just as we add yogurt (cold) to spicy curry (hot) or old bay (warming) seasoning to cooked crabs (cool) we aim to balance the energetics of foods and meals in order to harmonize nutrition and our digestion.
So, as we move through the rest of the hot season and set our hearts ablaze through the long sunshine days, we can incorporate these cooling foods to more mindfully temper our spirits and consider balancing our energetics to avoid burn out, heat exhaustion and cultivate longevity and health.
