The heat of summer is exhausting, which irritate the body. The concept of Ayurveda is to understand the food which affects the body ion different seasons. Seasons are mostly recommended under Vata, pitta, and Kapha doshas. Pitta doshas are correlated with summers as it is hot, bright, and sharp. So a person with pitta prakruti should take extra precautions in the summer season. The body should remain cool and not allow it to aggravate. Proper food should be taken that can help top promote sattva or Detox the body and rejuvenates it and helps to Boost up the Immunity of the body. Also, maintain the functioning of the digestive system and provide strength to it.
One should follow pitta pacifying diet like apples, watermelons, papaya, cucumber raita, broccoli, sprouts, moong dal khichdi, a good amount of vitamin C obtained from citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and pineapple. One should avoid sour, meat, and heavy meal.
Summer season is divided into two parts:
- Mild summer(till mid-April)
- Peak summer (till the end of June
There is more dryness in summers which interrupts the process of easy digestion. There are superfoods in the summer season that can reduce the heat of summer season which include sattu, watermelon, fenugreek, amla, roasted pulses, and buttermilk. One should remain hydrated is most important in the summer season. The food that does this is moong daal, channa, green veggies, natural electrolyte, papaya, pumpkin, coconut water, and banana stem. Ayurveda summer diet is the most pacifying pitta diet. Pitta is composed of fire and water. Pitta is sour, pungent, and salty by nature. Sweetened, astringent, and bitter food products can balance it.
Signs of excess Pitta:
- Irritability, heartburn, acidity, and impatience
- Stomach ulcers, sarcasm, skin rashes, boil, acne, low blood sugar, difficulty in falling asleep
- Lethargy, sensitivity to heat
As per Ayurveda food to be avoided:
- Salty like which contain excess salt
- Pungent food like garlic, ginger, challis, spicy and radish
- Hot like spicy food
- Sour like fermented and lemon, grapes, hard and sour cream
- Oily food and deep-fried food to be avoided
- Food to be taken as per Ayurveda:
- Sweet like vegetables, fruits, ghee, and grains
- Bitter such as dandelion, fenugreek, kale
- Astringent food like spinach, turmeric, apple, and coriander
- Cooling products like watermelon, cucumber, juices, fennel
- Light food should be taken
FRUITS VEGETABLES GRAINS LEGUMES OIL/SPICES
apples
potatoes barley Mung beans Coconut oilgrapes cucumbers wheat soybeans Olive oil
Coconut broccoli Basamati rice Black beans Sunflower oil
Cranberries Green beans Split beans Fennel
pomengrates kale Mint
melons lettuce Coriander
limes cabbage Basil
Lifestyle to be followed in summers:
- Rise early in the morning and go for a morning walk
- Before bath massage body with coconut or sunflower oil that soothes body
- Use jasmine and khus perfumes in summers
- Sprinkle rosewater on the face to look fresh, calm and cool.
- Wear light clothes like cotton and use light colors clothes of white, grey, blue, lemon, and green that help to counter the intensity and heat.
- Use sunglasses in the sun
- A short nap is very good in the summer season
- Before going to bed either bath or wash feet and do light massage with cooling oils to draw the heat of the whole day
- Exercise should be done in the morning and do not push your body hard. Do breathing exercises and yoga. Practice cobra, cat, boat side, side opener poses.
- Take Amalaki, neem, Shatavari, Guduchi, and kutki herbs in summers.
Some tips:
- Stay hydrated:
In summer moisture from the earth, plant and the human body are extracted by the scorching heat of the sun. So one can add a little extra pinch of salt to fulfill the demand of extra sweat in summer. It helps to prevent fatigue. One should consume 4-5lts of water in summers.
- Eat food that provides a cooling effect:
Food like coconut, cucumber, watermelon provides a cooling effect on the body. The best products to be used are curd, buttermilk, milk, and ghee. Eat a good amount of salad in diet and garnish with cilantro, parsley alfalfa. Avoid spicy, hot drinks, alcohol, and caffeine.
- Keep body moisturized
After bath applies oil of coconut oil mixed with castor oil which will make your body soft, supple, and cool.
- Aromatherapy
In this one can drop sandalwood oil on temples, eyebrow center, throat center, belly button, and wrist areas. Aura will be charged will a sweet fragrance.
- Adjust your sleeping pattern
You can go to bed at around 10-11 pm. one can open the left nostril (Ida Nadi) by sleeping right side. It helps to subtle the energy channels
- To avoid sunburn, one should use aloe gel on the skin. Drink 2-3 ounces of fresh cilantro. The pulp of it is soothing and calming.
- To avoid bug bites one should use tea tree oil mixed with neem oil
- Chant Gayatri mantra, do Surya namaskar and Surya trataka and does early morning walk.
Some summer foods:
1. Amla:
Amla is healthy and nutritious with numerous benefits. It has a sour-sweet taste and works best in the summer season. It has 20 times more vitamin C than any other juice. One can consume amla murabba or amla chatni in summers
2. Sattu:
It is made up of Bengal gram and provides immediate cooling effect top body. It has high insoluble fibrous content that makes it good for intestine and lows on the glycaemic index and is good in diabetes. It provides a cooling effect and energy to the body.
3. Ghee:
It is loaded with healthy fats and provides moisture to the body which becomes dry in the summer season. Consuming ghee daily provides internal miniaturization. It provides strength, aids digestion, and balances all three doshas.
4. Ginger:
It is anti-inflammatory and provides calmness in overheated and irritated skin. Consume ginger juice eases digestion, soothes stomach discomfort, and provides calmness to the body.
5. Coconut:
It is the best electrolyte and keeps the body hydrated in summers. It rejuvenates the body and prevents dehydration at extreme temperatures. Coconut consists of magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium. Consume coconut water daily in summers.
6. Water-rich fruits:
Fruits rich in water content like watermelon, berries, pineapples, mangoes should be taken. It prevents dehydration and makes you refresh.
Take herbs like ashwagandha, Brahmi, and tulsi:
These are cooling herbs which act as an anti-inflammatory in nature. It is used to treat asthma, arthritis. Brahmi provides strength to nerves and tulsi act as a cleansing agent.
