Chinese Medicine Summer Guide To Healthy Eating

Did you know there is a right and wrong way to eat during the hot summer months? Chinese Medicine has refined the perfect anti-aging diet for the summer to help you achieve optimal health. In this blog, I will share with you a Chinese Medicine summer guide to healthy eating.

To stay healthy it is important that we modify our lifestyle and diet according to the seasons. Summer is an exciting time for so many reasons! The weather is amazing and we have so much more day light. And let's not forget all the amazing fresh foods that are growing abundantly in the gardens.

Healthy Tips For The Summer

Don't you feel more energized in the summer? Summer is the most abundant Yang season meaning the sun is providing us more light, heat, and energy. We can utilize this powerful Yang energy to improve our health and lives.

Due to the hotter weather, it is important to modify our diet.

Think about how we ate during the winter months with heavy stews and soups so we could stay warm and conserve our energy. Now we want to do the opposite since we are in the opposite season. We want to feel lighter like the energy of summer, so it is best to eat in moderation and smaller portions. You may even notice that your appetite has changed and you get satiated easily.

Chinese Medicine Foods For Summer

This Yang force of summer-heat tends to drying and can easily consume the cooling and nourishing aspect of Yin in the body. So it is important to balance the Yang heat with Yin foods. Yin foods will be cooling in nature and dispersing the heat. Yin foods also have a nourishing quality to replenish any lost fluids from sweating.

Foods To Eat In The Summer

healthy eating for summer with Chinese Medicine

Listed below are Yin Type Foods To Incorporate:

Lemon

Melons

Apples

Oranges

Pineapples

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Yogurt

Salad

Green and Mint Tea

Foods To Avoid In The Summer

Certain types of foods should be avoided this season, because it can stagnate your Stomach Qi and weaken your digestion.

Avoid or limit ice cold and frozen foods/drinks
Avoid heavy-greasy foods

I know people love their frozen smoothies, but try to think of it this way...Your stomach is the cauldron with a low burning fire that increases when it's time to digest and break down food. If you smother the fire with frozen food and ice then it will make it harden to break down the food. I recommend to try to limit the amount of ice and frozen foods in it. You can also add some warming herbs to your smoothies like ginger or cinnamon to aid in digestion.

A Special Tip For Those Really Hot Days

On those extremely hot days, add hot spices to your meals. It may sound counterintuitive, but will help prevent you from over heating. The hot natured spices will bring the heat to the surface of your body and help you release it by sweating it out. Hot spices include ginger, black/red pepper, cinnamon, gloves.

Be sure to stay well hydrated especially on those hot days.

Wishing you a Vibrant Life!

Stacy

PS-If you have any digestion issues, please shoot me an email for my Food Journal. It is a great way to assess if any foods you are eating are the culprit.

More Resources For You:

Chinese Nutrition Therapy

Healing With Whole Foods

Chinese Herbal Medicine

Did you learn some fun tips? If yes, please feel to comment below or share on Facebook.