Eat Cool to Be Cool This Summer

According to Chinese Medicine, summer is the time of Fire   or Yang energy, which is associated with heat and expansion. When it’s hot, most people crave fresh, light and cool foods, and this is natural. As the temperature rises, the foods that nature abundantly provides have a cooling effect on the body. The good news is: cooling foods also help you stay slim and trim. The first step in your summer plan is to drink plenty of water to dampen summer Fire, and sure enough, foods that have high-water content tend to be cooling. These include leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and chard. Naturally you will enjoy high water-content foods such as watermelon, cantaloupe, celery, cucumber, pear, grapes and tomato.

Foods which take the shortest time to grow and are light in nature tend to be most cooling. You’ll reap benefits from radishes, sprouts, summer squash, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, tofu and seaweed. Don’t forget these favorites: corn, potatoes, berries and snow peas. Also, steam or cook foods lightly to retain their cooling properties. Enjoy chilled soup by adding warming garlic and onions, and chill out with mint and/or chrysanthemum teas.

For other foods whose energetic property is cooling, read The Tao of Nutrition by Dr. Maoshing Ni and Cathy McNease, available at Tao of Wellness or taostar.com. Live healthy, stay trim and be cool this summer, naturally!