As the temperatures are rising and we’re getting closer to the longest day, here are a few easy Ayurvedic food swaps for summer to stay balanced. Make these swaps if you’re Pitta dominant or have a Pitta imbalance (here is a blog post about the signs your Pitta is out of balance).
1. Swap lemon water for lime water.
Hydration is extra important when the temperatures are soaring. But instead of lemon water, drink lime water. Lemon is heating; lime is a cooling alternative for summer. Simply squeeze the juice of a lime into a jug of water. Keep the jug out of the sun, and out of the fridge (room temperature water is best).
2. Have fresh mint tea instead of ginger lemon tea.
On the same note, ginger + lemon are both heating, so avoid it in summer. Drink a fresh mint tea instead. Alternatively, you can drink CCF tea (cumin coriander fennel), but limit the amount of cumin which is heating.
3. Eat cooling melon instead of mangoes, oranges, papaya or litchis.
Ok, I know. This one is hard. Mangoes are one of the joys of summer season! But they are also heating, so eat them in moderation or skip them for as long as you have a Pitta imbalance. The same goes for oranges, papaya and litchis. Have some strawberries, banana or apricots instead!
4. Swap your tomato salad for a cucumber one.
Tomatoes are nightshades and they are heating. They can be very Pitta aggravating. Even though they are seasonal and abundant in summer, swap your tomato salad for a cucumber based one for extra cooling.
5. Have salads instead of heavy (oily) cooked foods.
Raw foods can be heavy on our digestion, but if there’s one season a salad is good for us, it’s summer! Enjoy your salad preferably at lunchtime, when your digestion is strongest. Even though having oily foods and fried foods now is not recommended, do add a teaspoon of oil to your salad for better bio-availability of oil-soluble vitamins. And remember to always vary the kind of oil you use.
6. Skip the kombucha (and coffee and tea) and have coconut water or aloe vera juice instead.
Black tea and coffee are not recommended for Pitta constitutions and imbalances. And kombucha is not only based on black tea; it’s also a fermented drink, which is even more Pitta aggravating. So give the kombucha a pass right now and choose coconut water and aloe vera instead.
I hope these Ayurvedic food swap tips for summer are helpful!
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