The
Ayurvedic View on Eating for Health:
Summer
Beverages to Help You Keep Your Cool
It's
over 90 degrees and humid. Your first impulse is to grab a
soda pop over a glass of ice. This may cool you down temporarily.
However, over time you may find your tolerance for hot weather
getting less and a desire to stay inside an air conditioned
house for the rest of the summer may result.
According to
Ayurveda, ice-cold foods and beverages disrupt the digestive
power called Agni. Agni or digestive fire can be compared
to burning logs. If we dump cold water over burning logs the
fire goes out. The same goes for our digestive process. If
we ingest ice- cold foods and drinks then our digestive fires
become weak. The body begins to work harder to digest and
absorb nutrients and pitta or the metabolism gets out of balance.
Irritability, intolerance, loose bowel, aggressive behavior
or heart burn are all indications that pitta has become out
of balance. Ice-cold drinks are a quick fix to cool off and
a challenging habit to break. The ancient knowledge of Ayurveda
provides simple solutions to maintain balance during the hot
summer without causing side-effects.
The most effective
way to maintain your cool in the summer months is to make
sure your body is properly hydrated with pitta-pacifying beverages.
Drink at least 7-8 glasses of pure spring water a day. You
can add a sprig of pitta-pacifying fresh mint to the water
or a teaspoon of pure rose water. Water kept in the cellar
or a cool room is about the right temperature for digestion
on a hot day. Drinks right out of the refrigerator may be
tempting but they are too cold for the digestion. Instead,
pour out the desired amount into a glass and let it set for
10 or 15 minutes to take the chill out. When you start avoiding
or cutting down on ice-cold drinks you will notice that your
stomach is less bloated and puffy and there is greater ease
in handling hot weather.
Adequate hydration
gives more energy to the body, clarity to the eyes, suppleness
to the skin and helps to eliminate toxins. Many people feel
fatigue and would be surprised to find out that the cause
may be as simple as dehydration. It is especially important
to keep fluids flowing into the body during summer when we
tend to perspire more and lose more water.
Fresh, sweet
fruit and fruit juices are especially beneficial for balancing
pitta. They provide nutrition and keep the body cool and comfortable.
Watermelon juice, fresh cucumber juice, lettuce juice and
coconut milk are four of the most beneficial juices to pacify
pitta. By consuming at least one of these items several times
a day you will notice a tremendous difference in your reaction
to the high temperature. Fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro
and watercress can also be juiced or made into a chutney to
balance pitta. Or steep cooling herbs in boiling water each
morning, cool to room temperature and drink the water through
the day to get the benefit of the herbs and hydrate your physiology.
Favor cooling spices such as cardamom, coriander, and fennel
when cooking. Use rose water or rose petal conserve as a cooling
food supplement or add to summer drinks.
Certain fruits
and spices can tend to irritate pitta and should be avoided
during the summer months. Strawberries and peaches are known
in Ayurveda to especially increase pitta and may even cause
rashes or allergic reactions in some sensitive people. If
you love strawberries and peaches it is better to cook them
with sugar and cardamom and serve the puree with a tablespoon
of pitta-pacifying whipped cream or blend the puree with some
sweet grape juice to make a sweet, cool drink. Small amounts
of whipped cream with some cooked fruit is a lighter, more
satisfying summer dessert to try instead of frozen ice- cream.
Over time,
as you tailor your diet to the foods and tastes that are ayurvedically
balancing for your physiology and the season, your desire
for foods which can cause an imbalance will gradually fade
away. Initially, you might feel restricted, but make adjustments
in stages, letting your physiology get acclimated to the changes,
and eventually you will feel satisfaction and contentment.
And according to Ayurveda, a feeling of satisfaction or contentment
is an indication of balanced pitta.
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Summer
Mint Drink
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For
syrup: Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over 1/2 cup sugar
in a small bowl, stir till sugar dissolves. Stir in
1/4 cup of tightly compacted fresh mint leaves (without
the stems). Cover and chill for a minimum of four hours.
Strain mixture through a sieve. Discard leaves. Store
syrup for up to three days.
To
use the syrup for a water based drink: Place one tablespoon
of mint syrup with about one cup of room temperature
water and stir.
For
a milk-based drink: You can also add 1-2 tablespoons
of half-and-half cream to the water and syrup for
variation.
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Mango
Milk
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One fresh peeled and sliced ripe sweet mango
2 cups of milk
Sugar to taste
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Boil
milk and allow to cool to room temperature. Place
all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Makes 2 servings. Click
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