The Qi of summer has the vibrant and expanding nature of fire. Therefore this season is the phase of the Fire element. It is about heart felt connections, community, joy and laughter. When we are ill, we benefit greatly from integrative health care, sourcing the best from Modern and Traditional medicine. Heartfelt care and dedicated expertise guide us on our path to wellness. Support from family, friends, colleagues and neighbours help us to accept and grow with health challenges.
Eat light and well
Summer is the season when we digest more easily a variety of salads and raw foods. In contrast, imagine how you would feel after eating a huge piece of fatty turkey on a hot day! If you like traditional heavy winter delicacies on a hot Chrsitmas Day, a good option is to enjoy small portions of that combined with fresh and light salads.
Protect your stomach
Once we get the very hot days, you may feel a desire for ice cold foods and drinks. In Traditional Chinese Medicine we recommend to let the cool drink warm up in the mouth before swallowing to protect the Stomach Qi from the cold. This is particularly helpful if you suffer from digestive problems.
Cooling foods
Herbal medicine as well as food interacts with the body in relation to temperature. Ingredients are classified as: hot, warm, neutral, cool, or cold. This is not the temperature of what we place in our mouth but the effect on our body. Cooling foods are for example water melon and cucumber. It is also important to stay hydrated because dehydration depletes the Yin and that generates internal Heat.
You can create drinks that have room temperature, yet feel refreshing. I love to keep a jug of water that contains either some leaves of mint from my balcony or some slices of lime or lemon. I keep the jug on the kitchen bench for half a day and keep sipping, then I make it up again. Or would you even enjoy a splash of apple cider vinegar in water? Enjoy experimenting!