Tips for Keeping Cool
- Drink six to eight glasses of water every day. Drink one cup first thing in the morning after cleaning your teeth and one an hour before you sleep. Ice water kills your digestive fire. Choose cool water and swish it around your mouth before you swallow it.
- Enjoy sweet fruits like apples and berries rather than citrus. If you are in hot and humid climates, melons are your best choice and are really cooling and refreshing.
- Go for lighter grains such as basmati rice and quinoa. Fresh corn is delicious but too much of corn chips, corn tortillas or polenta will be too heating for comfort.
- Dairy products are cooling but are poorly tolerated by digestive systems of many people. If you handle dairy foods well then cool milk, milk puddings, unsalted butter; even the occasional ice cream is delightful in summer.
- If you eat meat and fish keep it to a minimum. Fish and white meats such as cod or chicken are lighter, easier to digest and less heating to the body than red meats such as shrimp and beef.
- Garnish your meals with cooling condiments such as chopped cilantro, toasted fennel seeds or unsweetened coconut flakes.
- If you enjoy an alcoholic drink once in a while, choose a light beer or lager or a sweet white wine.
- Herbal teas are cooling and refreshing such as fennel, mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena. Try them with a thin slice of lemon or lime and a touch of organic sugar.
- Eat lots of vegetables especially cucumbers, celery, zucchini, sprouts and salad greens. Go easy on tomatoes and peppers as they too heat the body.