Can’t Stand the Heat?

Here is a guest post from my friend, Emily Segal, who is a certified holistic nutrition counselor and writes a blog on her website, Triumph Wellness. Be sure to sign up for one of her classes, such as Sugar Detox. You won’t be disappointed. I learned a lot and came home with recipes that helped relieve my sugar cravings.

There’s no need to stay out of the kitchen just because it’s hot!  Here in Israel we have a long, hot, dry summer season.  From our last rain in April to our first rain in November, we have about 6 months of tediously bright sunny skies and brain-shriveling high heat.  If you’re anything like me, summer makes you feel like a dried out raisin in serious need of re-hydration.

The long days and bright sunshine of summer generally lift our spirits and moods.  But we should also understand that the heat of the summer can be a negative source of stimulation as well.  Due to longer, lighter days we are generally more active and all this activity produces heat within our bodies.  What’s more, larger crowds of tourists, and the general race to get as much done before going away on holiday can easily result in hot tempers, impatience, anger, and road rage, all outward expressions of too much inner heat.

How can we combat the effects of our seemingly endless summer?  Well, Mother Nature outfits us with the perfect harvest for each season and summer is no exception. Here are some seasonal nutritional tips to keep both body and mind refreshed and alert this summer and help you cope with the summer heat.

1.  Water-filled fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers and watermelons are cooling and refreshing.  The sweet stone fruits, nectarines, plums, peaches and even mangoes, all provide the high-sugar content we are going to need to meet our high-energy demands.

2.  Cooling spices and plenty of fresh green herbs, for example, fennel and cilantro, mint, and basil.  Here in Israel it is popular to make amazingly refreshing herbal iced teas from garden fresh herbs such as mint, fennel (shumar), lemon verbena (Louisa) and lemon balm (Melissa).  No need to add sugar!

3.  Green or white fresh vegetables such as cabbage, artichoke, asparagus, lettuces, celery, purslane (regilat) and fennel, lightly steamed or served raw with a simple sprinkle of lemon and olive oil.

4.  Cooling cereals and grains like rice, barley or millet are preferred over potatoes and the other starchy root vegetables which should be harvested and eaten in colder seasons.

What about spicy food?  Have you ever heard that people who live in hot climates traditionally eat spicy food to cause sweating and cool themselves down?  While it is true that spicy food will cause sweating, and that the air moving across your sweaty brow will feel cooling, your body temperature actually rises when eating spicy foods and you are indeed hotter.  The probable reason for spicy food consumption in hot climates is that the hot spices worked as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agents and helped people survive eating food that had perhaps spoiled in the heat.  So save your hot peppers for winter unless you question the freshness of what you are eating!

Here is a favorite recipe of mine, one I teach in my Detox Workshops, which is perfect for staying cool and hydrated in the summer heat: