Can you feel it? That humid weather? Ugh. Gross. You have showered and you already feel beads of sweat pooling on your skin. Oh, and it’s HOT. Hot and Humid. If you are anything like my mom, you love this weather. You can’t get enough of it. I think you are crazy. Hahaha! However, if you are more like me, you just feel like you’re going to melt; that nothing you do will cool you off. Everything about your body moves slow and sluggish. You crave Ice Cream thinking that it will cool you down, then your body screams at you later. You are probably more thirsty than usual. You reach for the Ice Water or cold beverage. Yet, your thirst isn’t quite quenched. When I get like this, I don’t even want to eat, so how exactly do I grocery shop in this weather? Well, Very Carefully and with foods that you might not think of.
Lets start with Fluids. You may have noticed that we never have ice in our water at the clinic. You also may have noticed that none of us ever order beverages with ice in them. Why is that? Ice actually has a shocking effect on your body. Think about how you feel when you are super hot and you first jump into a pool. It feels freezing. That’s how ice and really cold beverages feel to your internal organs. Your best bet is room temperature, or at least no ice. This allows your body to adjust better and allow the fluids that you are consuming to replenish your body more efficiently. If it’s a really hot day, try adding fresh, sliced up peaches, cucumber or watermelon to your water. These foods help to cool your body naturally. With that being said, Cucumber and Watermelon are considered some of the “Coldest” foods in Chinese medicine and should be consumed sparingly.
You want to take it easy with foods.
Typically, foods that have a sour or salty flavor tend to be good if you are experiencing irritability or insomnia. But if you are just the usual hot and gross, then bland foods are actually your best bet to combat the humid weather.
Mung Beans: These beans are different than most other beans. They are actually really easy to digest. They are especially good at clearing heat away from the body. If you are feeling hotter than usual, this is a good choice for supper. You can find these at Whole Foods grocery for sure. Some other grocery stores are beginning to carry them.
Tomatoes: Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Who Cares! They pop up in the summer. Why? Well mother nature knows best! These amazing eats are for cooling the body down. Amazing!
Lotus Seeds: They are an off white color and look similar to Chickpeas. When cooked, they have a slightly nutty flavor. These tend to be helpful for digestion and insomnia. Where do you get these? Well, at our Clinic!
Here is a simple, traditional Congee dish that Helps to beat the Summer heat and help with the sluggishness of this Hot, Humid Summer Heat.
Mung Bean and Lotus Congee
- ¼ Cup Mung Beans
- ¼ Cup Short Grain Rice
- Hand full of lotus seeds
- Pinch of Salt (Optional)
- 5 Cups cold water
- Combine the mung beans, rice, lotus seeds and salt in a large pot
- Add the water and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered with the lid slightly ajar, for about 1 hour. Add a little extra water if you see the congee is drying out or becoming to think for your taste. The end result should look similar to a porridge dish.
The end result should look similar to a porridge dish.
If you are feeling like more of a savory dish, toss some diced up tomatoes on top and serve.
Wanna try a cool Dip that would go great with Cucumber and Tomatoes?
Mung Bean Hummus
1½ cups cooked mung beans
1 tsp tahini
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (or Lime, depending on how sour you want it)
salt & pepper to taste (I am partial to Garlic Salt)
Blend until smooth in a food processor, Blender or, if you are fortunate to have a VitaMix, then Yipee!
Remember to stay Hydrated. Wear Sunscreen. And eat healthy
Mandy Kiley, LMT at Stream Point Wellness
