Healthy Tips For Summer

Summer is the most energetic of all the seasons. Most of us tend to increase our activity levels by traveling more, being outdoors, and taking advantage of the longer light-filled days.

In Chinese medicine, summer is specifically associated with the fire element and the organs of the heart and small intestines. Yang energy represents action, light, and the masculine.

Yang energy is the most prevalent during the summer months, so it is a good idea to balance the natural energy of the season with its opposite element, which is known as Yin energy. Yin energy is more passive, dark, and represents the feminine. 

Through the diet, you can help to balance the summer Yang energy by eating Yin type foods. The following are Yin foods that are great to incorporate into the summer season:

• Cucumbers: They have been researched and found to have anti-inflammatory effects on the body, specifically reducing pro-inflammatory enzymes. They contain high levels of B vitamins and quercetin, which help with stress, histamine activity, heat, and inflammation in the body. Slice up some cucumber, put it in your water and drink it throughout the day.

• Watercress: This is a powerhouse superfood with one of the most nutrient-dense profiles of any food. It contains Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, and minerals like calcium, zinc, and iron. It is a bitter, cooling food and helps the body with managing excess heat.

• Sprouts: You can buy these, or sprout seeds or beans yourself using sprouting trays.  You simply place your beans or seeds on the sprouting tray, rinse them twice per day and cover them. It usually takes two or three days for the sprouts or shoots to form. Once they form, you can store them in the fridge.  The storage time can vary depending on the sprout. On average I would use them within 3 or 4 days. Sprouts are cooling foods and are packed with nutrition. Sprouted mung beans, adzuki beans, pea shoots, sunflower seeds, and lentils are just some of the great healthy sprouts.

• Citrus fruits: Lemon and lime are great additions to the diet during the summer. They are packed with bioflavonoids and anti-oxidants. Adding lemon or lime to water is a great way to incorporate these fruits into your diet. If you drink lemon water, always remember to rinse your mouth with regular water afterwards, as the acid from the lemon can degrade your teeth's enamel.

• Carrot juice: Carrot juice is great to have before you spend a day in the sun or at the beach.  It actually helps the skin not to burn as badly. So it is less of a cooling food and more beneficial for the skin and sun exposure.

• Cooling herbs and spices: There are some great cooling spices that should be added to the diet during the summer as well. Cilantro, mint, fennel, turmeric and dill are cooling and help the body with inflammation. Use organic only, as herbs and spices are sprayed heavily with pesticides if not organic.

• Herbal teas: Chrysanthemum and Chamomile both help to cool the liver. Spearmint and peppermint both help to cool the digestive processes. Lemongrass helps with excess heat. Hawthorne aids the heart and digestion. Hibiscus helps to cool the body. Drinking these teas at room temperature is actually more effective at cooling the body versus drinking them ice cold. Be mindful of using only organic teas, and it is better to use loose leaf teas if you have the option. Recent studies show the paper used by tea companies for tea bags have toxic chemicals that will seep into your water. Organic tea companies usually are conscious of the tea bags that they are using.

Please make sure that you are using sunscreens that do not have chemicals. A sunscreen with organic ingredients and zinc oxide as the sunscreen factor is probably one of the healthiest sunscreen options. Stay away from titanium dioxide in a sunscreen and stay away from anything that has ingredients that are hard to pronounce (avobenzone, oxybenzone, octenylsuccinate, etc.).

Make sure that you are getting a small amount of sun exposure without sunscreen. This is important so you can absorb vitamin D, which is a strong cancer fighter. Ideally, forty percent of your body should be exposed to the sun without sunscreen for about 15 to 20 minutes per day, as often as possible. There are certain nutritional supplements that actually help the skin not to be as reactive and prone to sunburns, but this depends on the individual and is not a one size fits all approach.

Drink more water. Half of your body weight in ounces of water plus another 8 ounces during the summer.

Avoid doing heavy exercise outside in the middle of the day. Stick with the morning or late afternoon.

Avoid using chemical bug sprays. Use bug sprays with essential oils like eucalyptus, geranium, peppermint, lemongrass, tea tree, citronella, clove, cedar, and lavender. You can easily make your own bug spray with distilled water, essential oils, and some witch hazel or alcohol as a preservative. Check for ticks after you have been hiking or in grassy areas. If you go hiking, it is best to wear long pants with your socks pulled over your pant cuffs and tuck your shirt into your pants. It makes it more challenging for a tic to latch on to you.

Get in as much swimming as you can. It is a fantastic whole body exercise!! If swimming in a chlorinated pool, make sure you take supplementation to help your body detox from the chlorine. Certain amino acids like taurine, Vitamin C, and sea weeds like kelp and alaria help your body to remove chlorine.

Dr. Louis Granirer is a leading Holistic Chiropractor in NY and Nutrition Response Testing Practitioner specializing in holistic remedies for good health maintenance and prevention of disease. Visit his website at HolisticChiropracticCenter.com to learn more.