Stay Healthy & Cool during Summer with Ayurveda
Summers in our country can be harsh and extreme, sometimes even impacting health. It causes dehydration, sunburns, and various seasonal troubles, including digestive disorders. Ayurveda focuses on understanding how our lifestyle and diet impacts us during each season. In fact, Ayurveda teach to the theory that one’s diet should change based on the season. As such, one’s digestion is actually the lowest during summers. To prevent it from excessive heat, the body turns down its internal heat known as ‘agni”. There are various medicines available to treat the same. However, Ayurveda helps combat body and mind disorders by ascribing healthy practices. Ritu Charya (seasonal routines) is one of the fundamental principles of Ayurveda, where our dietary choices, habits and routines should ebb and flow with the seasons. A simple yet powerful form of medicine to maintain good health.
Understanding Pitta and Summer
Pitta is the energy of transformation, made of the elements Fire and Water. It is responsible for transforming our food, thoughts, and emotions into energy. It is our discrimination, judgements, organisation, analysing and sharp precision.
The striking qualities of summer, the dryness from the heat, the longer days of bright sun, the sharp intensity and its transformative nature of summer are the same qualities reflected in Pitta. Therefore, Summer is Pitta season, where Pitta and its qualities of hot, sharp, dry, and intense, increases in nature and within us.
Signs of Heat (Pitta) Aggravation
The primary focus for summer is to keep Pitta balanced by staying cool, mellowing the intensity with relaxation, and staying grounded. Recognizing early signs of Pitta aggravation is important so you can address them quickly by reviewing your dietary and lifestyle choices.
Some common early signs of Pitta imbalance over summer are:
Skin can be red, inflamed rash, acne, and cold sores.
Increased inflammation in body or joints.1
Digestive issues such as acid reflux, gastric or peptic ulcers, heartburn with nausea or discomfort if missing meals, loose stools, or frequent bowel movements.
An uncomfortable feeling of heat in the body, with high emotions such as increased frustration, anger, irritability, impatience, criticism, intolerance
Eyes can become red, inflamed, or light-sensitive especially those suffering from Hay Fever.
Summer Diet
Because the Agni (digestive fire), a potent source of internal heat, disperses in the summer to help keep us cool, our bodies seek light food and small meals that are easier to digest. Being present with your meals and savouring the flavour and texture of your food will help you avoid overeating.
A sweet lassi, refreshing herbal teas like peppermint, fennel, rose, are all excellent ways to beat the heat.
Iced drinks should be avoided since they cause toxins to build up in the body and disturb the digestive process.
All unprocessed sweeteners, except for honey and molasses, are cooling and can be consumed in moderation during the summer months. Raw vegetables (such as those found in salads) are better absorbed if consumed during lunch rather than dinner.
Avoid sour or unripe fruits, aged cheeses, hot vegetables and spices such as carrots, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, ginger, and mustard seeds. Excessively hot foods, such as chillies or cayenne pepper, should be avoided.
The optimum time to eat sweet, bitter, and astringent flavours, as well as cool, watery, and slightly oily foods, is during the summer. Summer is the best season to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Sweet dairy items such as milk, butter, ghee, cottage cheese, fresh homemade yoghurt, and, on rare occasions, ice cream are also delicious at this time.
During the summer, eat fruits including apples, berries, cherries, coconut, grapes, limes, mangoes, melons, pears, pineapples, plums, and pomegranates. Some vegetables that are helpful during the season are beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, okra, potatoes, and zucchini. Barley, rice, Basmati, and wheat are all favourable summer grains.
Summer Lifestyle Choices
To keep the body cool, use, use coconut oil or a Pitta pacifying cooling oil to the body, as part of your daily routine (Dina Charya) abhyanga before you shower.
Most people think that summer is not a good time to take Ayurveda therapies. But it always is a time for treating diseases that are common in the summer season due to changes or aggravation of doshas. During summer, Pitta is the dosha that increases in the body.
Wear cotton or silk which is cooling, light and allows the skin to breathe. Wear lighter colours and avoid darker colours which absorb and retain heat.
Ayurveda therapies like Takradhara ( Dhara with medicated buttermilk ), Ksheeradhara ( Dhara with milk ), Njavarakkizhi ( Decoction milk potali ), and Chandan oil abhyangam helps to keep the body cool and beat the summer heat.
Avoid strenuous exercise. If you are a runner or accustomed to high intensity exercise, then do this early in the morning or late evening which are the coolest part of the day. Avoid exercising between 10 am and 2 pm when the heat is most intense and during Pitta hours.
Mild and cooling form of exercising such as swimming, Yoga, meditation, and walking (especially evenings) are the best form of exercising.
Rub some Bhringraj oil (our Health Hair Oil) or coconut oil on your scalp and the soles of your feet for cooling before bedtime. Keep windows ajar or open to circulate and cool the air before sleeping. Add a few drops of Sandalwood oil on your pillow for inducing deep calm sleep.
Sandalwood, Jasmine and Lavender are cooling essential oils for fragrance or use a
Rosewater spritzer to keep cool during the day.
Your Herbal Allies this Summer.
Some of the common herbs for calming and cooling Pitta related issues are:
Blood Cleanse: For Pitta aggravated skin related issues the best herbs are Neem, Manjista and Sariva, which work on the Liver and cool the blood, found in our formula Blood Cleanse
Gotukola Plus Brahmi are ideal for cooling the Pitta mind and keep it calm and focused when there is irritability and frustration.
Avipattikara our digestive formula which is best for heat related digestive issues such as heart burn and indigestion, nausea, and discomfort after eating. Its aide’s digestion and helps remove excess heat from the body.
Guduchi is ideal for boosting immune system and pacifying hay fever symptoms such as red itchy eyes. It also aide’s digestion, supports inflammation in the joints and body and is a good tonic for both Vata and Pitta.
Medicines such as Saribadhyasavam, Chandanasavam, Triphaladi churna etc are very beneficial for protecting the body from summer (consume the medicines as directed by ayurvedic physicians only)
The key to balancing fiery Pitta is moderation, Keep Pitta in check with these simple dietary and lifestyle tips. Stay cool, stay calm and most of all enjoy the blue skies and summer sunshine!
Connect with Kottakkal Arya vaidya sala, madiwala doctors to take proper Ayurvedic way of Summer diet plans and medicines.
For more details : 6364667542