ACUPUNCTURE & CHINESE HERBAL THERAPY

Ellen Teeter, AP, DOM

IT'S SUMMER in Florida and we are hot, hot, hot!  Oriental Medicine has lots of methods for cooling off; one of the easiest is to watch what you eat. Hope this brief article helps keep you cooler and happier during these hot summer days.

Foods and Drinks for Cooling Down

What you eat can make a difference. We have known for centuries that foods can have energetic properties. There's the phrase "cool as a cucumber" or "peppery hot". The Chinese have taken this concept and developed a system of Food Therapy. You can heat up or cool down depending on what you eat and how it is prepared.

1. Eat more raw foods during the summer months. Generally raw foods are cooler than cooked and if you think about the foods that are most popular in the summer you will find they are often energetically cooling.  

2. Eat more blue, green or purple foods, they are "cooler" than red, orange and yellow. One of the most energetically warm fruits is pineapple. One of the hottest foods is red hot chili peppers. Warmer fruits & vegetables are cabbage, kale, mustard greens, onions, garlic, winter squash, parsnip, leek, chive, scallion, cherries, pineapples and dates.

3. Choose cooler natured beans and grains. Amaranth, barley, millet, and wheat are more cooling than rice and oats. Great northern, navy, kidney, lima, and mung beans are good bean choices. (Remember to soak legumes for at least 12 hours prior to cooking, discard the soak water and replace with fresh prior to cooking. Add kombu seaweed to the cook pot to help cut down on the gas production! ) In addition seaweeds are cooling foods.

4. Steaming and quick frying are the best summer cooking methods. They retain a lot of the foods moisture content and put a lot less heat in the food than baking, deep frying and stewing.

5. Choose less starchy vegetables including lettuce, celery, radish, cucumber, summer squash, broccoli, tomatoes, and most leafy vegetables. Most fruits are cooling as well.