Health & Wellness in Summer

That summer buzz effortlessly conjures a playful spirit among us all in the garden: plants, people, and insects. The flowers are taking their turns in bloom. The bees are busy making their rounds. The pests love to show up for their fair share of our garden’s greens. The blueberries are ripe and sweet, peppers of all sizes are dropping, and visions of abundant basil harvests overtake life.

With longer days and an intense midday sun, we shift our routine and diet to flow with the seasons. This is to remain in harmony with the world. As we move through summer, our bodies must stay balanced with the fiery force of heat through diet and lifestyle.

> Tip: Consider consistent light snacks over large, heavy meals, and avoid fasting to keep your energy stable and pitta pacified.

Lifestyle Choices & Summer

Summer is considered pitta season in Ayurvedic terms, which is categorized by its hot, sharp, and intense qualities. To balance out these pitta qualities, we require daily practices & activities that have calming, soothing, and cooling qualities.

The heat and humidity can trigger skin and digestive issues. It’s essential to be mindful of nutrition in the summer when our bodies are under the pressure of high temperatures. In addition to the increased risk of dehydration and heat stroke, some people may experience indigestion or a loss of appetite, as their bodies seek to regulate their temperature by slowing digestion.

While you might have more energy to burn, be mindful of when in the day you exercise: even gardening or light outdoor activity can quickly stress the body if it’s done during the heat of the day. Try to get your movement in during the morning, or wait until evening starts to cool things back off. An after-dinner stroll in the lingering summer light can promote good digestion and support stable circadian rhythms.

The warm sun has its way of awakening our productivity, but also introducing an element of play and flexibility to our lives. Break out the board games with your family, take the kids swimming on a hot afternoon, or indulge in an impromptu round of putt putt. By honoring playful flexibility, we can connect with others in a way that feeds our souls.

Mental Health & Summer Heat

It’s been proven that heat can make humans more aggressive and even violent. You may have observed that physical heat can make you feel more irritated & aggravated, or noticed this pattern in your clients. Knowing this tendency can help keep you cool and cultivate calmer communication with others during this season.

For example, you might schedule staff meetings first thing in the morning, instead of after lunch. Or maybe you shift your client load to see the more intense patients in the morning and evening, saving calmer patients for midday sessions. Perhaps you make family dinner last longer, allowing everyone to slow down and chill out after a long summer day.

If you are overheating mentally, accessible daily practices such as breathing exercises or meditation can help. You might even consider a cooling mental health break in the afternoon: ten minutes of meditation or alternate nostril breathing can make all the difference in keeping your energy levels stable. Add an eye pillow or a wet washcloth on your forehead for extra soothing pitta.

Nutrition & Summer

As we move deeper into the dog days of summer, you can harness this fiery time of productivity while maintaining a calm baseline with a diet that balances the pitta energy within you. Pacify pitta with sweet, bitter, and astringent foods that are either raw or lightly cooked. You’ll want to minimize spicy, salty, fermented, dense, and fried foods and incorporate juicy, sweet fruits, fresh leafy greens, water-dense veggies, and cooling grains such as barley, wheat, and quinoa.

To promote healthy digestion, look to herbs such as fennel, coriander, rosemary, basil, parsley, and cilantro – and try not to aggravate your pitta with oily foods. Keep it light and straightforward with raw veggies, fruits, hummus, and pasta salads – all of which are great cool-down snacks you can munch on throughout the day.

Here’s a list of some pitta-pacifying foods to incorporate into your diet this summer:

• Grains: rice, barley, oats
• Beans & lentils 
• Fruits: grapefruit, avocado, apples, bananas, pomegranate, melons, cherries, figs, oranges, pears, plums, berries
• Vegetables: sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, fennel, asparagus, green beans, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, celery
• Leafy greens
• Healthy oils such as avocado, coconut, ghee, sunflower oil, or olive oil

> Tip: Some of my favorite go-tos in the summer are toast topped with whipped ricotta, cucumber, olive oil, and herbs, or a simple pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, basil, olives, and balsamic vinaigrette. The goal here is to eat light & cool foods that help you regulate your internal temperature.

Cool & Calming Beverages

Don’t forget to keep your whistle wet! If you don’t always drink enough water, try infusing it with herbs or citrus to keep yourself hydrated and your palate satiated.

Take Away

You already know that the mind/body connection is compelling, and that keeping ourselves physically balanced promotes the best possible mental health. By consciously working to balance the intensity of summer through daily habits, you can promote a calmer nervous system for yourself & your clients… and this fosters better mental health for all.

Sources

Chopra: Cool Summer Foods for Balancing Pitta
Living Ayurveda by Claire Ragozzzino
Psychology Today: Hot & Bothered