3 Easy Tips to Stay HYDRATED this Summer!
3 Easy Tips to Stay HYDRATED this Summer! Written By Karleen Tsai Yip Summer officially begins on June 20th and is the height of the Yang, the energy of the fire element, which is the time for activity, growth, and expansion. The fire element includes the heart, small intestine, triple warmer and pericardium meridians. This is the season to use all that stored energy from winter and spend time doing the things we love and spending time with the people we care most about. But it’s also important not to overdo things and completely burn out. Be sure to take in a siesta if you’re waking up early and going to bed late. Balance the activity with adequate rest. And if you need help regulating your sleep schedule, acupuncture can help so be sure to book an appointment! I know we discussed hydration in the spring newsletter but this is paramount in the heat of summer. Most people suffer from chronic dehydration and aren’t even aware of it. Years of chronic dehydration leads to dirty blood and less than optimal health. As a result, our immune system suffers, our skins lack luster, and people can be quick to anger. With the long days and high temperatures, staying hydrated helps our cells stay healthy by moving toxins out and moving the good stuff in. It helps us stay calm so that we’re not as hot tempered. So without further ado; here are some summer wellness tips to help you enjoy this season of activity, all focused on hydration! Tip #1 – Enjoy All the Melons Melons in all forms are extremely hydrating and nourishing for your body. Luckily, they are at their prime in the summer season and there are so many varieties to choose from. They all have a winning combination of glucose, vitamins, and minerals to bring nutrients into your cell bodies. Glucose is the primary source of energy for every cell in the body. We shouldn’t shy away from glucose that comes from fruit. What we shouldn’t do is combine glucose rich foods together with fats, for example: ham wrapped melon. Our livers prioritize processing the fats and aren’t able to absorb the glucose, vitamins, and minerals it needs. So eat melons by themselves. Another thing you should know is that because melons are very easily digested, they shouldn’t be eaten after a heavy meal. This can lead to fermentation and stomach upset. Melons are best eaten first thing in the morning or on an empty stomach. When you see them on a buffet table, eat them first! See how many varieties you can eat this summer season. Your skin will glow and your body will thank you for it. Want more interesting info on melons, check here. Tip #2 – Cucumbers to the Rescue Is your patience running thinner with the summer heat? Looking for the fountain of youth? Then look to cucumbers. They will help you keep your cool, deliver trace minerals, and keep you looking young and hydrated. Eaten regularly, they can help reverse liver damage too. Have them spiraled in place of noodles, juiced, or in salads. Have a fever or suffering from hot flashes? Try to eat two a day. Need more convincing? For a healthy cucumber noodle recipe and to learn more about what cucumbers can do, check here. Tip #3 – Coconut Water Coconut water is another helpful tool to help keep you hydrated. It’s full of electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals, and is highly nutritious, helping to boost your immune system. It can help bring down high blood pressure and help resolve skin issues. But you want to make sure that it doesn’t come in a can, doesn’t include additives or preservatives, and hasn’t turned pink or purple. So what’s the perfect way to enjoy coconut water you ask? Directly from a fresh coconut! Here’s a video to show you how to safely open a young coconut. Bonus is that you can use the young coconut meat to make a delicious vegan ceviche and pair it with cucumber slices instead of chips for a win-win! Recipe here. If you want more info on the benefits of coconuts, see here. We at Tao to Wellness, hope you enjoy the long days and the beautiful produce that is in abundance during the summer months!
How to Attune to Summer through a Chinese medicine lens
Welcome Summer of 2021… finally! Needless to say, I think so many of us have been waiting for this moment, it looks like things are finally getting back to normal and hopefully they will stay that way, getting better and better with each passing day! So as we move into summer, how do we attune? Summer is a Yang season and is associated with the Heart, Pericardium, AKA “the Heart wrapper”, Small Intestine and the Triple Burner (a Chinese organ that closely resembles the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chakras). Summer is all about luxurious growth and variety. The outside heat and long hours boosts our body naturally and provide additional energy. Summer offers abundance in many forms, including the diet, so many choices with so many things in season! I’m currently munching on fresh strawberries from the farm down the street! Chinese medicine tips! Change up your diet or take a mineral supplement since minerals and oils are sweated out of the body during this season, their loss can cause weakness if they are not replaced by a varied diet. To be in harmony with the atmosphere of summer, awaken very early in the morning, preferably at sunrise. To be more comfortable, drink hot liquids and take warm showers to induce sudden sweating and to cool the body. (Quite opposite of what we normally think!) Don’t overdo raw, cold foods. Summer heat combined with too much cold food like salads and raw fruits can actually weaken the digestive organs, coldness causes contraction and interferes with digestion. Iced drinks and ice cream actually contract the stomach and stop digestion. So enjoy and practice moderation. Cooking tips! Use plenty of brightly colored summer fruits and vegetables. Cook lightly and regularly add a LITTLE spicy, pungent, or even fiery flavor, but not too much! When sautéing, use high heat for a very short time. Side note: olive oil is an unstable oil and under high heat can cause free radicals, try some new stable oils, like coconut (great for the thyroid and detoxifying the blood) or rice bran oil (GREAT oil that has become more popular lately, available at Trader Joe’s. Steam and simmer foods as quickly as possible. Use little salt and more water. Cooling fresh foods for summer are salads, sprouts (mung, soy and alfalfa), fruit, cucumber, tofu (not too much if you have estrogen dominance), flower and leaf teas (mint, chrysanthemum and chamomile), watermelon, lemons and limes. Last note: The hot flavored spices are also considered appropriate in the warmest weather, at first their effect is to bring warmth, but ultimately they bring body heat out to the surface to be dispersed. With heat on the surface, one’s body mirrors the summer climate and therefore will be less affected by it. Red and green hot peppers, cayenne red pepper, fresh ginger, horseradish, black pepper are all idea for this purpose, but if you are allergic to nightshades, do not use peppers, however black pepper is fine since it is not a nightshade. However, be mindful if too many dispersing foods are taken, then weakness and loss of yang will result, and the ability to stay warm and vital in the cooler seasons is lost. That’s all for now. Wishing you a wonderful, fun summer! In health, Christina
