What’s Hot vs. What’s Not: A Cool, Not Cruel, Summer
Sorry Paris Hilton, we do not want to be hot.
Summers are getting hotter. Unfortunately, we are not acclimating efficiently. From mental health issues to gastrointestinal disorders and skin inflammation, our adaptation to rising temperatures and drier air is evolving at a slower pace than climate change is taking effect.
Staying cool one heatwave after another goes beyond iced teas in rooms colder than the MoMA.
Ayurveda and TCM relates coolness to the homeostasis of digestive and metabolic activities. This ultimately will be felt in core body temperature and skin conditions: from sweating and glucose regulation, to acne and psoriasis.
A salmon poke bowl from Round Swamp Farm has a good amount of protein and antioxidants without heating up the system too much. Low alcohol beer and non-alcoholic wines are cooler options than hard alcohol spirits like gin martinis (as delicious as they are). Hard alcohols heat up the liver which is the seat of anger according to Ayurveda and TCM. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Like fashion, seasonal Ayurvedic living helps cope with extreme conditions. Summer is peak strawberry season, but it is also the season of getting too hot inside and triggering inflammatory reactions and pathways. Usually this occurs by indulging in “aggravating” foods and drinks- ones that exacerbate instead of harmonize. This disrupts the intestinal lining, dermal layers, liver processing and neuronal function.
Heat also translates to anger. It can be a healthy emotion in the sense of acting on something that is unjust. But, anger is overall not conducive to calmness or contentment. Research has found some correlation between angry feelings and type 2 diabetes. Keeping a clinically healthy BMI and psychologically healthy anger level can improve glucose metabolism and keep insulin resistance in check. That can be done through eating foods that lower Pitta heat.
so, what’s hot and what’s not for the SummeR?
The $cience
The foods we normally choose during summer are frozen treats like gelato and ice cream, iced drinks like iced teas, mojitos and beers. These drinks are “heating” to some degree because they signal the system to overstimulate. It may be that the hypothalamus, GI tract and liver dysfunction. Ayurvedic teacher Vasant Lad has noted ice is also too “shocking” for the system.
Here are snacks and libations for a Summer that is not so cruel despite rising temperatures outside. Kapha should go easy because too many cool foods for an already cool body and mind may be stunting.
What’s Hot vs What’s Not
EtOH on the Rocks
Hard alcohol will burn up the liver and digestive tract faster than a California wildfire. The best bet would be fresh fruit juices, but let’s be realistic. Try low sugar wines or beers made by local breweries or wineries and ones that do not have a lot of garbage in them. Montauk Brewing Co, Ommegang Brewery and Wolffer Estate make refreshing beers and wines. They also carry non-alcoholic options.
If you want an adult beverage during the summer, choose the cooler ones. Beer below 5% alcohol like Montauk Brewing Co's Watermelon Session Ale is less aggressive on the liver and, thus, less heating to the overall system. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Iced and Spiced
Ice cream and iced tea are categorized as cool, but signal our homeostatic operatives to raise our core temperature. A few strategies can be taken for unhindered digestion and minimized ama. Scoop up the most natural ice cream with spicy flavors like Mexican chocolate. Having a very high temperature before consuming iced provisions can also assist homeostasis as shown in athletes who consumed iced slurries in extreme heat. Drink the tea chilled without ice, and in gut-friendly herbal concoctions like mint, lavender and hibiscus.
Rosie's in Amagansett serves up Harney's Hibiscus iced tea. Usually, I remember to order it without ice. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Bitter End
Beer battered fried fish and chips overlooking the ocean perfects summer days. Fun Fact: We devour salty and fried foods disproportionately. Bring the heat and inflammatory oiliness! Great for cold nervous Vata, bad for hot fuming Pitta. It’s time to swallow a bitter pill. The cooling gourd bitter melon is so good, but also an acquired taste. It is also difficult to find unless you trek out to a Patel Brothers on a broiling subway or get the rare find at Union Square farmer’s. Delivering some relief, the extract has become available. Because it can help epithelia cells that line the GI tract, bitter melon extract may be linked to the popular weight loss method through GLP-1 functions. You can also add a side of kale coleslaw or radicchio salad to cool things off.
Like pastries, we love fried foods. It is not Summer without fish-n-chips. The frying process, oil used and salt in the fish can all heat the internal system in a way that translates to heat. This might be okay for Vata doshas, but the Pitta in all of us need foods that are a little cooler. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Round Swamp Farm's Crunch Kale Salad is ridiculously good and cools off the hottest Pitta. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Dessert is Swerved
Watermelon is the quintessential summer fruit that substitutes traditional desserts. Until it makes headaches and IBS worse. Ayurveda defines this Pitta-perfect phytochemical-rich fruit as too congesting for Kapha and drying for Vata. Despite heart-healthy anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation components like lycopene and carotenoids, the bioavailability and metabolic byproducts of watermelon determine its benefits and how a person reacts. Research has found that it may be linked to migraines and IBS through analgesic (NSAID) overuse and dopaminergic activity. The phytochemical luteolin and dopaminergic response are supposed to reduce migraines and inflammation. The relatively high fructose content combined with the inhibition of metabolic function and high diuretic activity may be why Ayurveda does not recommend watermelon in high amounts for Kapha and Vata conditions.
The alternative?
Berries are low in fructose and high in anti-inflammatory activity. The best is to have them on their own to get their full flavor and benefits. But, let us again be real. We all love digging into pastries. Re-purposed berries are lovely when Summer’s bounty is larger than our tummy’s capacity. Round Swamp Tri-Berry Pie leverages Summer’s abundance of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The latter are tridoshic while strawberries lessen Kapha qualities. Research has shown that the phytonutrients in raspberries my assist in glucose and lipid metabolism in cases of type 2 diabetes. This will help with that buttery, sugary pie crust. Kapha individuals should keep these slices thin and warm.
Round Swamp Farm's Blueberry Raspberry and Triple-Berry pies are a lovely use of fresh berries that cannot be consumed within their viable timeframe. Pitta and Vata can eat this up while Kapha should take thinner slices. (Image: AKJAM Publishing)
Bottom Line
If you have ever experienced the remnants of heat, like a sunburn, then you defiantly learn to avoid the cause. SPF and avoidance are easy to recognize in that case. Contrarily, muffled effects of heat are not as noticeable more their preventatives easily recognizable. It is the quiet eruption of tissues that lead to irritation of several organs. Ayurveda and TCM have developed a system that acts as a preventative through better food and drink choices. Often felt long after Summer heatwaves, the manifested conditions can hinder easing into Autumn bliss.