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It’s HOT!!!! Try these recipes to help you cool down the Pitta a bit today, and throughout the summer. We’re at the very beginning of summer, and as the heat of the season starts to accumulate in your body, it’s important to take steps to help your body detox excess heat so it doesn’t build up too much. For example, when you absorb heat through the skin sunbathing, your body has to do a lot to release the extra heat. 

It’s important to avoid the consequences of excess heat. 

Excess heat leads to:

  • Overactive hunger. You can become hungry even if you’ve eaten an hour ago
  • Fatigue 
  • Frequently feeling anger & frustration with your day-to-day life
  • Burning joint pain
  • Acne and hot skin rashes
  • Burning sensation in the skin
  • Sour burps
  • Reflux and ulceration in the digestive system
  • A feeling of constant thirst
  • Menstrual problems
  • Either dryness or dampness
  • Excess sweating
  • Excess urination
  • Loose stool or bowel movements that feel incomplete 
  • Multiple bowel movements a day
  • Severe cramps or irritability before the heat is released with menstruation
  • Heavy periods
  • Hot flashes
  • Tissue burnout, for example, adrenal insufficiency (hormones burned out), chronic fatigue (liver burned out) and anemia (blood burned out)

 

Discover more detox options

When your heat is balanced, you’ll get good nutrients from the food you eat because the digestive acids and enzymes will get secreted in perfect proportion. So you’ll digest well, and your tissues will get proper nourishment. This can reduce cravings for unhealthy food and allow you feel much more satisfied. At the same time, you’re bones and muscles are getting what they need to build your strength and energy.

Follow cooling recipes, especially on hot days, and if you already have Pitta aggravation or fast agni. If you need this evaluated, I invite you to schedule an appointment

Here’s another important thing to differentiate for yourself:

The Apple Beetroot Refresher is light breakfast for those who need a cooling & reducing effect. Foods and therapies that cause reducing are called langhana in Ayurveda. People who need a reducing effect usually have low power of digestive fire, so we should be very concerned with making foods easy to digest. Beetroot is cleansing and assists having a regular bowel movement. A little ginger is neutral to Pitta, and will help the body digest the food it is in.

The Caramel Date shake is cooling, but in contrast it is building, not reducing. Ayurveda calls foods and therapies that lend a building & restoring action to the body brimhana. It is useful if you’re feeling exhausted, overworked and overwhelmed. Dates, coconut milk, vanilla all have this nourishing effect.

Can you identify which of the other recipes are reducing, and which are building?

Here’s some recipe ideas of what to eat on hot days and detox.

Keep up your fluid intake with these refreshing drinks alongside lots of water. Limit your alcohol and caffeine intake (alcohol is hot and strongly aggravates inflammation and pitta, caffeine is stimulating.

 

Refreshing Drinks

Apple Beetroot Refresher
for those who need light & cooling
for those who need cooling nourishment

Salads & Dips

Rainbow Salad boats with Tahini & Avocado
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Something Sweet

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