How To Stay Healthy In Summer

Chinese Medicine Concepts of Food, Energy & Seasonal Living

Summer is a yang season, a time for expansion, with the energy moving up and out with a lively brightness. Warm weather and long days promote energy and activity.

The theme of summer is growing and ripening!

Summer is a season of abundance and the best time to get as much variety into the diet a possible. It’s a good time to eat pungent foods that promote energy and activity as well as use cooling foods to balance the summer heat.

Summer is the perfect time for spices, flowers and leaves that have a floating or outward energy!

Heat

A core metaphysical principle in Daoism and Chinese medicine is that we are not only a part of nature, we are considered a microcosm (humans) of the macrocosm (nature). For this reason, the labels we use to describe imbalances in the natural environment (macrocosm) can be used to describe imbalances in human beings (microcosm).

Chinese medicine reminds us of our intimate relationship with nature!

The seasons are linked to the environmental elements:

• Spring – Wind
• Summer – Heat
• Late Summer – Damp
• Autumn – Dryness
• Winter – Cold

Now, all imbalances are possible in any season, however, the strongest external influence comes from the season or environment we are living in, right now. Think of it as a seasonal bias!

Heat Dominates in Summer

What does heat do inside our bodies?

Much like in the environment, heat rises and dries moisture, and causes us to seek out source of cold. Think of a desert (hot, dry) or a tropical jungle (hot, humid)… how do you feel in these environments?

What are some of the signs of excessive heat in our body?

A red face, red eyes or a bright red tongue with no coating or a yellow coating. Health issues associated with heat include, heat exhaustion, fever, irritability, restlessness, insomnia, high blood pressure, acne, skin eruption, nose bleed, constipation, thick or yellow phlegm, headache, excessive eating, shortness of breath, or wheezing.

What can we do about heat in our bodies?

We can use knowledge of dietary therapy to tilt our diet slightly in the other direction. The more extreme our imbalance the more strong the corrective tilt can be. But remember, dietary remedies need to be gentle!

For example, if the tip of your tongue is red, we say in TCM there is too much Heart-fire. To clear the heart fire, we could cook mung-bean (lu dou) soup or mung-bean desert with rock sugar. Mung beans have very strong cold energy, so it I important not to eat them too regularly. Check your tongue and if the tip isn’t red any more, you’ve had enough mung beans and you will be able to sleep more easily.

Which foods should we avoid in summer if we have heat?

Some foods increase heat in the body and other reduce heat. Red meat and chicken increase heat in our bodies and foods that reduce heat include zucchini, celery, citrus, soy product and kelp. If you suffer from rashes avoid food that have a strong outward action, including chicken, prawns, lobster, muscles, spicy or fried food, peanuts and alcohol.

Dampness in Late Summer

Dampness in the body is always associated with the Spleen and it may be influenced by the weather in summer, particularly when it is humid. The Spleen is pivotal in the proper function of the digestive system, and if food and drink are not digested properly then it will be left to stagnate and over time this mess forms damp and phlegm throughout the body.

What causes dampness in our bodies?

Dampness is common in the developed-world and comes from the failure to burn off and transform moisture in our bodies. Dampness is promoted by over-nutrition, overeating, over-thinking/processing, and under-exercising. The key to avoiding dampness does include avoiding dampening foods, but there is much more. We should also remember, even the right food can cause damp if you overeat. Adequate exercise is essential to avoid dampness as movement of the body greatly assists digestion and the burning off process. If there are signs of damp, we need to avoid eating too much raw, cold, sweet or rich food and the over consumption of fluids.

Some foods are particularly dampening: Dairy products, pork and rich meat, peanut, concentrated juice especially orange and tomato, wheat bread, yeast, beer, bananas, sugar and sweetener, saturated fats. 

What are the signs of dampness in our body?

Think of how you feel in a tropical jungle or hot and humid weather, we would feel heavy, tired, sluggish and muzzy headed. It’s often described as a feeling like you have a wet-sack on your head. Dampness can manifest as fluid retention/imbalances, excessive weight, plaque, cysts, or anything with mucus or puss.

People trying to remove damp can go for kiwifruit, lettuce, celery, asparagus, adzuki beans, rye, alfalfa, oregano, corn and strawberries. Rice is your choice of grain as it has a natural diuretic effect and help remove dampness. If there are signs of heat as well, try peppermint, chamomile or radish.

Depression can occur when damp turns into phlegm. Phlegm causes everything it surrounds to slow down and become clouded. The effect can include dizziness, poor memory and concentration, feeling numb or being unable to express emotion. In the Heart, dampness and mucus can stifle circulation giving rise to drooling, sudden movement and talking to yourself.

Some of the best foods for late-summer include: cherries, corn, chickpeas, soybeans, string beans, tofu, strawberries, apricots, peaches and cantaloupes. And some of the best meals are simple with little seasoning and small number of ingredients. 

The Organs of Summer

The organs that correspond with summer are the Heart, and in late summer towards the transition to autumn when the weather is hot and humid, the Spleen. The Kidney is also at it’s lowest energy in the cycle and can do with some support.

In Chinese medicine the Heart’s physical function is to control blood circulation and the blood vessels, however, the Heart is also believed to control consciousness, sleep and memory and provide a haven for the spirit, or the shen.

The Heart in the hierarchy of the organs is considered the Emperor!

People with healthy Hearts are very aware of the world around them without being overwhelmed by it and they are able to come up with solutions to problems. If the Heart yin (Heart-Kidney relationship) is not strong, shen escapes from it’s stable base in the Heart and flies to the head, where thoughts rush around uncontrolled. Over time, this causes worry, insomnia, irregular heartbeat or wild dreams.

How can we take care of our Heart in summer?

The best way to treat and support the Heart with diet is often indirectly, through either calming or supporting other organs that may be out of balance. This is one more reason to eat widely in summer.

How do we know when the Heart may be out of balance?

The health of the Heart shows up in our facial complexions. The emotions directly related to the Heart are joy and happiness. Check the general condition of the tongue because the Heart opens to the tongue, especially the tip of the tongue. Imbalances of the Heart can lead to a scattered confused mind, either too much or no laughter, a very red or very pale face, speech problems such as a stutter or verbal diarrhoea, depression, mental illness, loss of memory, poor circulation, a weak spirit, or an aversion to heat.

You mentioned the Spleen- Stomach related to late summer, how does that affect what we should eat?

It is important to look after the Spleen-Stomach in every season, and particularly between seasons when we are vulnerable. This is even more important at the end of summer when it is particularly hot and humid. The external Damp environment places extra stress on the Spleen-Stomach, and it is wise to avoid the wrong foods and eating too much food.

This is why Chinese medicine advocates three cooked meals a day based on cooked grains, cooked vegetables and small amounts of meat and spices for enjoyment for most people. Many civilized cultures of the world came to the same conclusion!

Problems that are most common with excessive damp in the body include being overweight, general heaviness, oily skin or phlegm. Anxiety, worry and obsession are all linked to the spleen and can harm the digestive process. This can manifest in the body as poor digestion, flabbiness, chronic tiredness, nausea, insensitive taste buds, loose stool or undigested food in the stool, abdominal digestion, poor appetite and blood sugar imbalances.

There is also a tendency to have a sloppy appearance and accumulate things. A healthy Spleen and digestive system encourage people to be practical, caring, self reliant and creative!

Check for clues about the function of your spleen in the quality of your flesh, the lips, circulation to hands/feet and if you bruise easily.

What about the Kidney?

The Kidneys are pivotal in summer because they support the digestion process and the Heart. The Spleen-Stomach are known as the middle burner. The middle burner draws much of its strength from the Kidneys, so strengthening and toning the Kidneys supports digestion. The Kidney yin supplies water for the Heart, which in the heat of summer is even more sensitive than usual. Summer foods to nurture the Kidney yin include green beans, berries and watermelon.

Flavor of summer

The flavor we should focus on in summer is pungent. Now, the season and what flavor we should preference is one of the confusing topics in the complex world of Chinese medicine (even for practitioners).

Complexity is good! 

Let me try to explain this concept. Summer is related to the Heart, and the Heart is related most closely to the bitter flavor. This is true, that the Heart is most closely associated with the bitter flavor. However, in summer it is said that the Heart (Fire) harasses the Lung (Metal) in the controlling cycle and we need to support the Lung in this season. The Lung’s flavor is pungent and we should increase pungent foods in summer and decrease bitter foods. In fact, bitter foods are a better choice in winter.

Now, I don’t expect everyone to understand this concept and it really is beyond the scope of this article, so lets turn to examples. In the hotter places in the world, have you noticed they eat a lot of spicy food? That was particularly reinforced to me when we traveled in Si Chuan in the middle of summer, the heat and humidity were borderline unbearable. What do they eat for breakfast? A steaming hot, spicy noodle soup! We were a little reluctant but we always try to eat locally and seasonally and that hot, spicy noodle soup made us feel good in the day!

The pungent flavor affects the Lungs and the Qi in general. Pungent foods such as onions, fennel, chives, chili pepper, cloves and coriander promote energy circulation, lead the Qi up and outwards and tend to be drying. Be careful not to overdo it as too much can weaken the body’s Qi.

Can you can see how the pungent flavor can be good for the sluggishness from the heat and humidity? Try it for yourself!

For a summary of how I remember the flavors of other seasons, think:

• Pickling, fermentation and vinegars as the sour flavors of fall.
• Then, our ancestors in Europe that developed the bitters to drink in winter.
• In spring we eat the sweet tender new shoots.
• In summer, I think spicy Si Chuan, and you can think late-summer sweaty and you need more salty foods. 

I prefer you don’t over-think it and follow the wisdom of Chinese medicine and your ancestors and simply feel the affects, and focus on the results. 

Pungent foods which are good for summer: Bay leaves, capers, caraway seeds, cardamon, chives, cinnamon, cloves, cumquats, daikon, dill, fennel, leek, oregano, nutmeg, rosemary, safflower, taro, thyme, turmeric, watercress, wheatgerm, cabbage, turnip, ginger, horse-radish, pepper, onions, garlic and chilies.

So what to eat in summer?

Foods that strengthen and support the Heart, cool the symptoms of summer heat, nourish the Kidney, boost the spleen and dry damp are the best choices for summer. The heat of summer makes hard work for the digestive system, so there should be a predominance of light and easy to digest foods. Heat producing foods should be eaten only in small amounts.

Remember to think about the ingredients in a meal, the season and your on personal needs.

For example, if you have a naturally strong build, physically active, already have a meat-dominated diet, and are showing signs of heat and excess, it may be best to cut down on red meat in summer. An increase in the amount of fruit, cooked vegetable and grain eaten in summer will help deal with heat and benefit the Heart and Spleen. Other ways to balance a meat meal are to add cardamom to the cooking process, avoid burning (bbq, grilling) the meat and include cooling foods as part of the meal.

Alternatively, someone who is thin, weaker build, sensitive to cold can use summer to put more energy and activity in the body. Eat more warming foods, such as small amounts of beef to give a boost to the system. Minimize cold or raw foods as you need to put more yang energy in the body.

What are some foods that specifically clear heat in summer?

Avocado, asparagus, aubergine, bamboo shoot, banana, egg white, grapefruit, lemon, kiwifruit, mulberry, peach, pineapple, strawberry, watermelon, alfalfa, asparagus, barley, celery, crabmeat, cucumber, lettuce, millet, mung-bean, peppermint, potato, radish, salt, tofu, tomato, watercress and wheat.

Sounds like the time to eat salads?

Salads are best eaten when the weather is hot or with very yang foods like BBQ meat, but they need to be well chewed. Since raw foods take more energy to be broken down, consider whether you have energy to spare. Exercise creates more heat in the body, so if you exercise a lot, your digestive system will have more heat. If you have a strong build and show other signs of internal heat, such as a loud voice and a red face, salads will help you during summer. However, if you are deficient, weak, flabby or very thin, with a pale tongue or a white tongue coating, it’s best not to eat salad with raw or cold vegetables too regularly because they can cause cold and damp within the body. A more suitable choice for you would be lightly stir -frying vegetables and adding a little water or stock. Or try creating salads with more cooked vegetables in them!

The only two things I ever see Chinese eat raw is cucumber and radish and they always eat them with a cooked meal. The cucumber comes with a bunch of garlic. The radish comes with a spicy sauce. The raw ingredients are very yin, so they add the garlic and spice to add yang and not be overly cooling on the digestion, that requires yang for proper transformation! 

More Chinese Medicine ideas for summer?

1. When cooking mung beans, you can counteract their very cold nature by adding black pepper, ginger or cumin, for the lat 30 min of cooking.
2. If you tend to be dry, moistening foods will help you deal with summer. Dampening foods such as bananas, mangoes, watermelon and dairy products. For a dry cough use mangoes or asparagus.
3. Comb your head daily 100-200 times during the summer months, taking care not to injure the scalp and selecting a place that is free of draft. This is a natural method to expel wind and brighten the eyes.
4. Get rid of summer phlegm with strawberries, string bean or radish.
5. Watermelon is known as a natural white tiger, because of it heat clearing properties. Melons are provided by nature in summer to help clear heat.
6. Even in summer, people with damp should mostly eat cooked meals, (avoid deep fried foods) and use fruit as snacks between meals.
7. Damp around the Kidneys can cause urinary tract infections. Add a handful of washed corn silk to a pint (600-700ml) of water and simmer for 10-minutes. Remove the corn silk and sip the water. Also, the bitter flavor of dandelion reduces heat and damp and can reduce bladder infections.
8. Some foods, including oats and celery, have a calming effect on hypertension and will be helpful in managing stress.
9. Relaxing will improve digestion, and improving digestion will help you to relax. It doesn’t matter which you start with, just start.
10. Fatty foods are usually too heavy for summer.
11. Most foods contain more than one flavour, but the refining process removes other flavours from refined sweets. Refined sweets are not balanced by other flavours so, if taken in excess, they go directly to the spleen and send it into overdrive. This creates more dampness and ultimately more fat.
12. The Spleen-Stomach work best with a diet of warm natured, freshly cooked, mainly seasonal vegetables and cooked grains… eaten warm. Cold and raw foods and drinks make the stomach work hard to warm it contents before digestion can start.
13. Minimize frozen foods and drinks!
14. Aim for warm feet and cool head.
15. If you have a problem with energy and motivation, your kidneys could probably use a boost. Rice with Kidney beans and vegetables should help.
16. Lighten meals in summer as when smaller amounts of food are eaten, less Qi is used in digestion and therefore you’ll have more energy.
17. Green tea in summer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Tan L.AC. is a licensed Acupuncturist.  After completing his degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Alex lived and practiced Chinese Medicine for 10-years in Beijing, China.  A native-born Australian, the son of his Australian mother and Chinese father, Alex’s bi-cultural heritage helps him skillfully bridge Eastern and Western health perspectives.  He believes the true power of Chinese medicine lies in a balanced approach towards prevention and treatment. Rooted in Chinese Medicine observation based theory & methodology over millenniums, Alex’s talent lies in delivering these Eastern healing modalities to his modern Western clients. For more about Alex click here

Alex runs a clinic in Flagstaff, Northern Arizona. Alex welcomes comments and questions to his articles. To schedule an appointment in person or telco-appointment click here