7 Tips to keep you keep you cool this Summer!!
1. Favour foods that cool you down -Sweet,
bitter, astringent foods are the ones to go for. Sweet, ripe fruits
like avocados, cherries, plums, grapes, pineapples, peaches and mangoes
are perfect. Cilantro and mint are excellent and a little cinnamon is
fine. Asparagus, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green leafy
vegetables, zucchini and green beans are all good.
2. Avoid foods that heat you up - Go
easy on the curries, chillis, hot peppers and salsas. Also limit
excessively salty foods – they will leave you dehydrated and aggravate
your skin. Stay away from tomatoes, garlic, onion, beets and spinach
when you can. Alcohol has a heating effect on the body as well.
3. Avoid ice cold drinks- “What
– no ice in my drink?? Isn’t that the ultimate balancer for all the
heat?” Actually, no. While we need to keep cool, it is even more
important to keep your digestion strong. Your digestive system is like a
fire that is responsible for converting food into energy. When the
flames of your digestive fire are burning in a balanced way, you are
able to assimilate all the good bits you need from your food whilst
eliminating the not-so-good bits. However when you drink that iced-water
with lunch, you are effectively putting out the flames of your
digestive fire. So lay off the ice and go for room temperature. It will
be assimilated into your body much faster and you will feel rehydrated
more quickly.
4. Eat at the right time - An
important part of balancing Pitta and keeping cool is to eat your main
meal in the middle of the day when your digestive fire is strongest.
Skipping meals is also a sure way to upset Pitta – notice how cranky you
feel when you miss lunch.
5. Exercise with a splash- If
you are working out, do it at the time of the day when nature is most
cool. Early morning is best. Second best is early evening. Going for a
run in the middle of the day when the sun is at its strongest is going
to aggravate Pitta. Light exercise is recommended such as yoga, walking
and best of all, swimming.
6. Make time to play- Balance
the intensity of the heat with less intensity in your work. Build in
time for play. When Pitta is out of balance we tend to be driven,
demanding, impatient and we overdo it. That in turn creates more
imbalance. So ease back and make some time for fun.
7. Turn down the temperature of the mind - As
is the mind, so is the body. The most powerful way to settle down the
mind is to build in some regular time for meditation each day. However
there are many other ways to turn down the dial on that busy, frazzled
mind. Listen to some beautiful music, take a walk in nature or practice
some conscious breathing to soothe your soul.
