Better Nutrition August 2017

asktheNATUROPATH/ANSWERS TO YOUR HEALTH QUESTIONS
Cooling Foods for Summer
Beat the heat and squelch inflammtion within your body by eating
more of these anti-inflammatory foods /// BY EMILY A. KANE, ND, LAc
: Can food choices help
reduce inflammation?
—Ryan E., Plantation, Fla.
a:That’s an
important
question this time of year. Many
chronic (and acute) diseases manifest
with heat: fever, infection, swelling, and
inflammation are all signs of excess
heat in the body. Dark, concentrated
urine is also a sign of heat, and brings
me to the first consideration with any
“hot” problem. Drink more water.
Ideally water, along with herbal teas
and kombucha drinks, will be your
main beverages. I never recommend
alcohol or caffeinated beverages for
improving health.
Heat-producing foods, which should
always be restricted during hot weather
or times of “heat”-type illness, include
meats, fatty foods (especially food fried
in vegetable oil), alcohol, caffeine, and
warming spices such as cayenne, garlic,
ginger, and paprika.
Cooling foods, on the other hand, are
watery, juicy, not too spicy, and easier
to digest. To keep cool, include more of
these foods in your diet:
Fruits
Apple, pear, persimmon, cantaloupe, tomato,
watermelon, and all citrus fruits
Vegetables
Lettuce, radish, cucumber, celery, asparagus,
chard, eggplant, spinach, summer squash,
cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower,
and zucchini
Legumes and Grains
Organic soy milk, soy sprouts, tofu and
tempeh, mung beans and their sprouts,
alfalfa sprouts, millet, barley, and amaranth
DRINK YOUR SALAD
A simple gazpacho on a summer day is
a smart and tasty way to cool off. Just
put a variety of fresh veggies, including
vine-ripe tomatoes, in the blender
with ¼ lime (peel included),
mint—my favorite cooling
herb—or cilantro, lots
of water, and some
ice. Then pulverize and
enjoy!
Other
Cooling
Foods
Kelp and all
seaweeds,
spirulina, barley
grass, kudzu,
yogurt, crab,
clam, peppermint,
dandelion greens,
honeysuckle flowers,
nettles, red clover
blossoms, lemon balm,
white peppercorn,
cilantro, and marjoram
Spirulina is one of the
“coldest” foods, and should not be used
in cold climates, especially in the interior
of a landmass—for example, Fairbanks,
Alaska. But spirulina is
perfect as a superfood if you live in
Hawaii or Los Angeles.
In traditional Chinese medicine,
heat is considered a “yang” condition,
and can be countered with “yin”
remedies—including water.
Instinctively, we are drawn to salads
and raw foods in the summer. This is
Emily A. Kane, ND,
LAc, has a private
naturopathic practice
in Juneau, Alaska,
where she lives with
her husband and
daughter. She is the
author of two books
on natural health,
including Managing
Menopause Naturally.
Visit her online at
dremilykane.com.
because eating raw or minimally cooked
foods preserves their moisture. Simmer
or steam food rather than baking or
roasting in the hot months. And hydrate
throughout the day, with particular
emphasis on drinking water between
meals and during exercise. Eating less
will also help you stay cooler, since
digestion requires a great deal of energy
and produces lots of metabolic heat.
Do you have a question for Dr. Kane? Email it to
editorial@betternutrition.com with “Ask the ND”
in the subject line.
26 • AUGUST 2017