By Elizabeth Herman | Posted: June 26, 2019
What do you change about your life to stay healthy over the summer? As the season heats up, the threats to our health shift. Instead of worrying about overexertion from shoveling snow, or car accidents from slick, icy roads, we have to watch out for dehydration and heat stroke, so we drink more plain water and eat cooling foods. We have less of an appetite, so we prepare more salads and lighter meals, and spend less time heating up the kitchen to cook hearty dishes.
But 80% of Americans feel that a lot of conflicting information about what foods to eat or avoid creates confusion for them, according to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2018 Food and Health Survey. To clear away the conflicting information, it may help to think of your diet as something that changes with the conditions in your environment.
Using a guide for seasonal diets
Ayurveda, an ancient science of life, prescribes seasonal changes in diet based on your unique bodily constitution and the fluctuations in weather that come with the shift to summer.
The three ayurvedic doshas (bio energies), specifically vata, pitta, and kapha, are made from natural elements, so they naturally shift just like everything else when summer comes. They become imbalanced because of an increase in pitta and vata and a reduction in kapha, as a reaction to the hotter temperatures. For the sake of a healthy balance over the summer, you might want to ask how to make appropriate seasonal changes in diet and other habits, to balance pitta and vata.
Some useful tips to balance your pitta and vata
1) Fluids for summer
Avoid
- Coffee
- Caffeinated tea
- Carbonated, sugary drinks
- All alcoholic beverages
Have
- Buttermilk
- Fruit juices without added sugar
- Coconut water
- Juices without added sugar from Indian gooseberry, kokum, and raw mangoes
- Mint tea
2) Foods for summer
Avoid
- Spicy and oily food
- Pickles
- Fermented, fried, artificially flavored or stale food
- Sour cream and cheese
- Vinegar
Have
- Raw food
- Mixed fruit including watermelon, peaches, plums, mangoes, grapes, pears, avocados, and berries
- Salads
- Cereal with milk
- Bittersweet veggies like asparagus, cucumber, cabbage, sweet potato, and celery
3) Herbs for summer
- Aloe Vera
- Gooseberries
- Brahmi
- Rose
- Sandalwood
- Yastimadhu (licorice)
4) Breathing exercises for summer
Slow, steady sun salutations, in the morning or any time of day, will help you improve your circulation and calm down any upsets in your digestive fire. Coordinating your breath with the movements will help you wake up, focus on the day ahead, and flow smoothly, mentally and physically, into summer activities.
Practice a few rounds of sheetali pranayama (Sanskrit for cooling breath) and sheetkari pranayama (a form of alternate nostril breathing), which will cool your body and reduce your thirst for fluids. But remember, neither of these techniques is a substitute for plenty of healthy fluids.
5) Moderate eating
Because the digestive fire is low, the body may signal less interest in food during summer. It’s very important to respect these changes and eat in moderation, to keep your digestive fire lit but not too much. If you stop eating altogether, the fire might overcompensate and rise, throwing off your balance overall. If you eat too much, you’ll have a hard time digesting comfortably.
6) Exercise less
Surprise! Your body wants to stay cool, to compensate for environmental heat, and therefore your life force (prana) stays low. So too much physical exertion shouldn’t be part of your to do list while your energy level can’t match the challenge. Instead, leisurely water sports like swimming, sailing, hiking in streams and around lakes, other types of boating, or water polo in moderation will provide some exercise and refresh you. Naturally enjoy the water during summertime.
7) Other tips to help you handle the pitta
- Do some gardening and connect with the earth.
- Walk in gardens and around water bodies.
- Walk in the moonlight.
- Listen to calming music.
8) Detoxification and rejuvenation therapies
Based on your individual constitution, there are various ayurvedic therapies that get rid of stressful toxins that have accumulated due to irregular lifestyle habits and dosha imbalances. A change of season is a great occasion for any of the following treatments:
- Shirodhara- a process where a steady stream of oil gently flows over the forehead.
- Nasya- to purify your nasal passages, which also helps improve conditions including headaches, hair loss, congestion, and allergies.
- Netra Tarpana- to soothe, lubricate, and relax overused eyes.
It might help to know that, situated in the lap of the gorgeous Blue Ridge mountains in Boone, North Carolina, the Art of Living Retreat Center’s Shankara Ayurveda Spa offers one of the best ayurvedic panchakarma programs. This week long retreat has received the #1 ayurveda treatment ranking in the US, by Organic Spa Magazine.
Once you familiarize yourself with ayurvedic principles for adapting to the changing seasons, you’ll be better able to control symptoms that come with summer. You’ll balance your pitta and vata readily, and be less likely to get tired, dehydrated, or develop skin ailments and upset stomachs. Drink the right fluids, eat the right foods, and take care of yourself! Happy Summer!
A previous version of this article was published on the Shankara Ayurveda blog.
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
By Elizabeth Herman - PhD in English, with concentrations in Rhetoric and Composition, and Literature, she offers writing support to clients, teaches locally, lives in Boone, NC, and volunteers for a better world.
