The Summer Diet, Part 2 - Best Foods, Beverages and Cooking Styles
Adopting The Summer Diet, Part 2
In The Summer Diet, Part 1, I continued my series on Chinese Food Therapy and Taoist 5-Elements Theory, specifically focusing on how to eat in harmony with the Five Elements. Part 1 explores The the Fire Element associated with the Summer season, the Heart and Small Intestine paired organ system ~ along with two other channels not associated with specific organs ~ the Bitter flavor, and why it's important to eat in harmony with the seasons to maintain a healthy immunity year round.
For a few SASSY (Super Affordable, Simple, Satisfying & Yummy) summer sides, check out this post with recipes for Refreshing Pressed Cabbage Salad, Gazpacho, Juicy Fruit Salads and more.
In The Summer Diet, Part 2, I share which whole grains, special beverages and other foods are especially suitable to incorporate into the Summer Diet, and why from a Chinese food therapy perspective. I give some simple meal suggestions, with links to recipes and more resources at the end.
Ready to enjoy the summer's bounty? I am! Let's get started with the best grains for the summer diet.
The Best Grains for The Summer Diet
Grain is the superfood. The überfood. The king. Grain rules. All you need to do to begin improving your life on all levels is to make whole grain a regular daily food. ~Jessica Porter,
Barley
In The Tao of Nutrition, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D (Dr. Mao) ~ a 38th-generation doctor of Oriental Medicine, and authority on Taoist anti-aging medicine ~ writes that the thermal nature of barley is cool, with a bland taste. (While bland may sound blah, it's not! In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) food therapy, bland foods refer to naturally sweet complex carbohydrates, like starchy vegetables and whole grains, which nourish the Spleen and Stomach, organs of digestion associated with the Earth element. Eat lots of 'bland' foods, and you'll soon discover, bland is beautiful!)
Barley promotes diuresis, strengthens our digestive functions, clears heat, benefits the gall bladder, and detoxifies. It's helpful for helping reduce swellings and edema or excess fluid accumulations, tumors, diarrhea, jaundice and indigestion.
Roasted barley can be simmered to make a refreshing, mildly nutty flavored tea that can be drunk hot or chilled to help you stay cool during the summer. It's smooth, roasty flavor balances our energy, making it a great alternative to iced coffee drinks which over stimulate our adrenals and kidneys. Roasted barley can be purchased in tea bags or in bulk at Asian markets, or on Amazon. I prefer the loose roasted barley for flavor, but both are great.
PRO TIP: Chewing foods well ~ especially whole grains ~ improves digestion and assimilation so you more readily absorb the essential nutrients and energy from your food! Want to really up your health 'A game'? Check out this book, Power Eating Program, You Are How You Eat, by Lino Stanchich.
FREEBIE ALERT: To learn more, grab a copy of my FREE Ebooks:
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| Oat & Barley Porridge topped w/ hemp seeds, roasted walnuts & strawberries |
Millet
Millet has a cool nature, and sweet taste. It can help clear heat, promote urination (good for excess fluid accumulation referred to as dampness or edema in TCM, and may be helpful consumed regularly with a little fresh ginger for women with morning sickness.)
A treatment Ni mentions for diabetes is to eat millet steamed with yams and jujube (Chinese) dates which are a tad sour, and less sweet than Medjools and other tropical dates.
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| Oat Millet Porridge topped with Lentil Sprouts, Slivered Almonds & Hemp Seeds |
Corn / Maize
Corn meal has a neutral temperature and sweet taste. It is a Qi tonic, strengthens the stomach and spleen (organs of digestion according to TCM, which also includes the pancreas), and benefits the heart ~ the primary organ along with the small intestines that are associated with the Fire element, and therefore the Summer Diet.
Corn is good for conditions of weak digestion, heart disease, high blood pressure, edema, and gallstones. Ni states that a soupy porridge made with corn meal is an easy to digest meal for recovery from a flu or cold.
Corn Silk Tea can be made by simmering the corn silk strands from the corn cobs for even stronger cooling and diuretic effects.
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| Polenta w/ Black beans, Steamed Broccoli w/ Tahini Dressing, Purple Potato Salad w/ Red Wine Dijon Vinaigrette |
Rice
Brown rice has a neutural temperature and sweet nature. According to Ni, brown rice: "strengthens the spleen, nourishes the stomach, quenches thirst, relieves irritability, astringes the intestines, stops diarrhea."
White rice is slightly cool and sweet, and can moisten Yin, clear heat and reduce swelling.
The best choices of rice for the summer would be long-grain brown rice varieties which are less warming than short-grain, or white rice which also cooks faster.
Brown rice is harvested during the fall, and is especially beneficial for the metal element associated with the fall season, and the lungs and large intestine paired organ system according to Chinese 5-Elements Theory. That said, we still consume medium-grain brown rice, along with some long-grain brown basmati rice, and white rice as part of our summer diet.
Brown Rice Sushi w/ Blanched Veggies & Tofu
Whole Wheat
While I saved one of the best, easiest to obtain grains for last, whole wheat has become one of the most maligned of all the grains.
Personally, I love whole wheat. I love its mildly nutty sweet taste. Regular consumption of whole wheat noodles, sprouted or whole wheat bread or English muffins or tortillas, bulgur, and/or rolled wheat added to our morning oats curbs my cravings for other, potentially less healthful sweets.
Wheat (plus corn) happens to be among the best grains for the summer diet.
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| Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Summer Vegetables & Kale Cashew Pesto Sauce (Pesto from Trader Joe's) |
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| Tabouleh Salad is an ideal Summer Diet side dish, made with Bulgur (Cracked Wheat), Parsley, Tomato, Cucumber, Lemon &/or whatever Veggies & Herbs you like |
According to both Tao of Nutrion, and Chinese Dietary Therapy, wheat has a sweet flavor and a cool nature. It clears heat, quenches thirst, relieves restlessness (which can be heightened during the summer heat), promotes diuresis, calms the spirit and stops sweating.
Wheat is used therapeutically for conditions of dry mouth and throat, difficult urination, insomnia, irritability, restlessness, menopause, spontaneous sweating and night sweating (over 50 women, are you reading this???), diarrhea, and burns.
According to Ni, wheat absorbs 10 times more nitrates such as from chemical fertilizers than any other grain, which he believes could account for the high incidence of sensitivities or allergies to modern wheat. This is easily remedied by choosing organic wheat and wheat products.
I personally think the primary issue people have with wheat is what the fact that most wheat products are made from refined wheat flour with synthetic vitamins, sodium, and fat or refined sugars added. Refined wheat flour products ~ high in sugar, sodium and fat ~ consumed alongside animal-based diets is a recipe for diabetes, constipation, and other health problems.
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| Homemade Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread |
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| Whole Grain Pancakes w/ Blueberries |
The Summer Diet - Beyond the Grains
All the fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables mentioned in The Summer Diet, Part 1 are delectable additions to the summer diet.
Be sure to include some summer squashes (which nourish the yin) and mildly bitter leafy greens (bitter being the taste associated with the Fire element) into your summer diet as well. (You may like this Italian Zucchini & Tomato Summer Side dish, also great on pasta!)
Seaweeds are also cooling, and chock full of micronutrients that are often missing in our foods as a result of modern agricultural practices. Seaweed can be added to stir-fries, salads, soups, or used to wrap sushi. We always add kelp / kombu to beans when cooking for the added minerals and to tenderize the beans. Larch of Maine Seaweed provides top quality seaweed, and is highly recommended.
A Few Cooling Greens & Vegetables
Cucumber is a cooling vegetable, mentioned above that clears heat, quenches thirst, relieves irritability and promotes diuresis. Consuming too many cucumbers can cause dampness, and for many, the seeds are hard to digest. Simply peel cucumbers if desired, then cut in half lengthwise, scoop seeds out with a spoon, then chop and add to salads.
Cucumbers can also be thinly sliced on a mandolin. Toss with a little kimchi for a bit of heat. I like adding Wakame seaweed, and a mix of toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and a little reduced-sodium tamari. Red pepper flakes and/or a little brown rice syrup can be optionally added. Toss, and garnish with thinly sliced scallions, red onion, and/or chives, and toasted sesame seeds.
Cucumber Soup is also quite good! I'll have to make some again this year and put up a recipe! Grated cucumber packs can be placed on closed eyes for 20 minutes to reduce puffiness and hot, scratchy eyes which get irritated with summer heat and winds.
Dandelion Greens and Spinach are cooling greens. The bitter flavor benefits the heart. Dandelion greens promotes bile flow and are especially beneficial to the liver. Tea made from dandelion greens can be used as a remedy for conjunctivitis, and crushed leaves can be used as a poultice for toxic skin lesions. Mix dandelion greens with mint and licorice root to treat cold symptoms with mild sore throat or heat
signs.
Mushrooms are cool natured, and help clear summer heat. To treat summer heat, eat raw. To treat high blood pressure or hypertension, a soup or tea can be made with mushrooms and corn silk, and drunk daily. According to The Tao of Nutrition, by Maoshing Ni, Ph. D., C.A., mushroom soup can be drunk daily to reduce tumors as well.
Carrots are also a good choice for clearing heat, detoxification, benefiting the eyes, lubricating the intestines, and promoting digestion. Read more: Health Benefits of Carrots or enjoy any of my Refreshing Carrot Salads as part of your summer diet!
Potatoes are one of America's favorite vegetables. Potato Salad is practically synonymous with the Summer Diet!
Two Noteworthy Beans for the Summer Diet
Soy Beans
Decades back, soy was the golden child as the many benefits of soy isoflavones were being brought to the Westerner's attention. In China, Japan and other parts of Asian, soybeans, tofu and tempeh have long been revered as both a health promoting food and as medicine.
I will write a separate article for my Health Benefits of... series on my website. To highlight, here's a quote from Chinese Foods for Longevity, The Art of Long Life, by Henry C. Lu:
"As we have seen, the Chinese not only regard soybeans as food but also as an herb capable of healing many disease. In addition to curing edema, they found soybeans to e helpful in treating the common cold, skin diseases, beriberi, diarrhea, toxemia of pregnancy...habitual constipation, iron-deficiency anemia, and leg ulcers. Small wonder that there is such a wide range of soybean products––from bean curd (or tofu) and soybean sprouts to flour, dried bean curd, and bean drink––all of which are considered very beneficial to health."
According to Ni, Soybeans have a cool (neutral in some books) nature, a sweet flavor, and its actions are to clear heat, detoxify, ease urination, lubricate the lungs and intestines (paired organs associated with the Metal element, and fall season), and provides an excellent protein food. Soy beans can treat lung and stomach heat, dry skin, stomach or mouth ulcers, swollen gums, constipations, and general heat problems.
Soy foods have anti-tumor effects, and have been studied and found to be protective against breast and prostate cancers.
Women Experiencing Menopause Symptoms, Take Note: To counteract conditions of excess heat, including night sweats and hot flashes common symptoms among Western women going through menopause (not so among Asian women still consuming their traditional diet), swap out chicken for soy! Chicken has a very warm to hot nature! Regular consumption can lead to excess internal heat. Instead, drink soy milk and eat tofu. It certainly worked for me during our previous stint as vegans. It was also one of the primary foods I consumed which helped me totally reverse a potentially pre-cancerous, excruciatingly tender, fatty, fibrocystic breast condition.
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| Tofu Scramble in Whole Wheat Pita w/ Salad, Carrot Beet Salad, Cucumbers & Kale w/ Roasted Sunflower Seeds. |
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| Hato Mugi, Chinese Barley is excellent for clearing dampness and fluid retention, ideal for the Summer Diet! Paired w/ Tofu, Veggies Lotus Root & Hijiki Seaweed ~ a great Summer Diet meal! |
Mung Beans
Similar to soy beans, mung beans, which are a small green colored bean with a little white stripe on them, are also cool natured, with a sweet flavor and can help detoxify, and cool down the body. The affinity of mung beans is more specifically to the heart and stomach. They can help counteract alcoholism and heat in the body.
Mung beans are great cooked with brown rice or other grains, and are a common staple bean in Indian cooking. We generally use about 2 -3 parts rice, 1 part bean, with twice the amount of water, but this can be adjusted as desired. For example, we use 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of mung beans, with 5&1/2 - 6 cups of water.
Check out either of my FREE Ebooks (linked above and below), or grab a copy of The Macrobiotic Action Plan, Your MAP to Greater Health & Happiness for recipes, and look for my Basic Macrobiotics Menus & Recipes book to be republished soon as well!
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| Brown rice cooked w/ mung beans |
Stay Cool with These Refreshing & Healing Summer Diet Beverages
Roasted Barley Tea is cooling and refreshing. You can purchase roasted barley tea bags, or in bulk. I simmer about 1/4 cup in 3-4 cups of water for 5-10 minutes. Save extra in a jar in the refrigerator. Very smooth and refreshing whether drunk hot, chilled and/or lightly sweetened.
There are also instant beverages that contain roasted barley that are another option, especially for those who want that coffee-like flavor, and the simplicity of just adding hot water or nondairy milk or cream. Dandy Blend, and Pero Instant Natural Beverage are my favorites.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and as such is very detoxifying. It is highly beneficial when we get enough, ideally through diet (from citrus fruits, bell peppers, pine needles, and other fruits, greens and vegetables), herbs, or good quality supplements that include bioflavonoids. Our #1 top choice is Nature's Sunshine Citrus Bioflavnoids. Or try making some Rose Hips, Hibiscus &/or Hawthorn Tea, recipe below.
According to Dr. Paavo Airola, author of Are You Confused? and many other books,
"You need only 100 or 200 mg of vitamin C for the normal, healthy functions of your body. But when you take huge doses of vitamin C, we'll say 300 milligrams a day, it will saturate the bloodstream and all the tissues of your body and perform such miraculous things as neutralizing various toxins and poisons, killing pathogenic bacteria, speeding the healing processes, helping in the oxygenation of tissues, etc."
Vitamin C is also an essential component in helping maintain skin elasticity as we age.
Heart Healthy Herbs - Great Summer Teas!
Hawthorn berry, hibiscus and rose hips teas are high in vitamin C, and excellent tonics for the heart. Hawthorne berry has been found to reduce high blood pressure, and can help with other heart issues. In TCM, Hawthorne fruit is also used to help with indigestion, and is especially effective for digesting fat. Hawthorn fruits help prevent fat from entering blood vessels by removing it through bowel movements. Read more about all three here, including My Special Healing Tea Blend Recipe.
Hibiscus flowers can be purchased dried, or as a tea. Traditional Medicinals is a good brand that is often available at most grocery and health food stores.
You can purchase hawthorn berry tea in bags, loose in bulk (Frontier bulk Hawthorn is good quality at a good price), as a liquid extract, or powdered, whichever you prefer. Loose herbs are generally a better value, and more potent flavor, however, tea bags are more convenient
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| Citrus peel in a variety of cuts, a great addition to home brewed tea blends, like My Healthy Tea Blend |
Rose Hips, Hibiscus &/or Hawthorn Berry Tea: Prepare similar to Barley Tea. Simmer about 1/4 cup of either rose hips, hibiscus, or a blend in about 3-4 cups of water for 5-10 minutes, strain, and sweeten as desired. Rose hips can also be steeped with fresh or dried mint leaves, or a cinnamon stick or licorice root for a little natural sweetness, along with fresh or dried mint and / or dandelion leaves. I also add a little citrus peel (Chen Pi in Chinese herbal medicine) which breaks up stagnation. (Here's several options for bulk herbs and tea bags on Amazon.)
As a word of caution, cinnamon is considered a more warming spice, which is especially great to drink with the first signs of a cold, when you feel chilled and sneeze a lot. That said, cinnamon has been shown helpful for improving blood sugar balance.
You may also like my Apple Raisin Goji Berry Sauce with Rose Hips for a vitamin C packed topping on your morning porridge, on its own, or as part of a dessert. The rose hips are edible! (I use Frontier brand bulk Rose Hips.)
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| Bob's Red Mill 10-Grain Cereal w/ Black Sesame Seeds & Peanuts and Apple, Raisin, Goji Berry & Rose Hips Sauce |
Mint tea is also refreshing this time of year. Peppermint is especially cooling, and benefits the liver, but there are many varieties of mint to choose from, especially if you decide to grow your own. They are easy to grow, and can spread fast, so just contain your mint if you don't want mint taking over your garden!!
My Mint Tea: I clip a good handful of mint leaves, place them in my teapot, and pour boiled water on top. I also add a pinch of licorice root, for just the right amount of sweetness, and a pinch of citrus peel, which breaks up stagnation.
NOTES: We have a variety of mints growing, including peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, lemon balm and orange mint. I use a blend of each in my Mint Tea.
PRO TIP: If you eat a lot of oranges or tangerines, keep the peel. Let it dry out, then store in a jar. Add a piece to your tea. Try to get mostly just the peel as opposed to the white pith.
Sparkling Virgin Mojito: For those who like something a bit bubbly, mash up some fresh lime juice, mint and a little organic cane sugar or other sweetener of choice into a sparkling water for a refreshing, non-alcoholic 'Mojito.'
Fresh Juices & Smoothies: Fresh juices and smoothies are another refreshing addition to the summer diet. Blend berries with fresh mint, a handful of greens, and whatever else you are including in your smoothie.
Carrot Beet & Apple Drink: We use our Vitamix blender to blend carrot with a little apple juice and a bit of ginger, which is also great with fresh beet added. By blending, it's thicker, but you retain all the fiber and nutrients. There are many other combinations you can blend or juice together. Blending with an orange and some water, or a little orange juice instead of the apple juice is also refreshing.
Smoothies are a popular choice for many who prefer not to make much for breakfast. Blend berries or fruit of choice with water, juice, or non-dairy milk, and any other additions you like, whether a couple dates for sweetness, hemp or chia seeds, tahini or nut butter, greens, or possibly some plant protein.
DON'T BE TOO COOL OR TOO HOT - WHAT TO MINIMIZE OR AVOID!!!
Be aware that you do NOT have to fill your diet with ONLY cooling foods and beverages. Balance is key. We do NOT recommend drinking iced beverages, or consuming many frozen foods, including cold smoothies and ice or nice cream. Too much cold, frozen foods and beverages will put out your digestive fires, and damage the Earth element. This is substantiated by both traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.
DO Minimize foods that are very warming this time of year, especially certain animal foods such as chicken, lamb, and fried, fatty foods. Too much ginger, especially dried ginger, can also generate too much internal heat if you tend to already have a yin deficient constitution, and easily over heat. Lentils are also considered a more warming legume.
Balance warming foods with cooling foods, and more summer diet friendly cooking methods.
Here are a few more additions you can make to your summer diet:
- Keep slices of cucumber in your water bottle.
- Blend peeled and deseeded cucumber, dill, and any other desired herbs or spices with nondairy yogurt to make a cooling condiment or dressing.
- Aspics, a popular Macrobiotic dessert made with juice and fruit, thickened into a natural jello-like consistency are refreshing during the summer. Couscous 'Cake' can be made by layering a peach or berry aspic on top of couscous cooked in apple juice. Simple, light, and refreshing. The aspic is made using agar agar, a seaweed that gels like gelatin.
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| Couscous 'Cake' with Peach Aspic Glaze |
- 'Nice cream' made by blending frozen bananas and / or berries with vanilla or other flavorings can hit the spot during those 'dog days of summer!' Add cocoa powder for Chocolate Nice Cream. Also good with peanut butter or powder!
- Gazpacho Soup or other chilled soups, including Cucumber Soup, Melon Soup and any other summery soups served warm or at room temp, or even slightly chilled.
- Fruit Salads, Carrot Salads or other salads using a blend of summers seasonal fruits, such as the super easy, juicy and delicious Peach Cucumber Salad.
- Since soy has a slightly cooling nature, it's an ideal addition to the summer diet. Enjoy edamame as a snack, add to grain salads, or make sandwiches, such as a mock chicken or egg salad made with tofu, as pictured above; falafel with sliced cucumbers and tomato in a whole wheat pita with Tahini Sauce, and/or Tsaziki Sauce; wraps made with marinated and air-fried tofu or beans along with arugula or other greens, or your favorite sandwiches. To make the Tofu Chicken Salad shown above, I marinated the tofu first in tamari and water with onion and garlic powder and nutritional yeast, then air-fried it before tossing with vegetables, vegan mayo, Dijon mustard, iced pickles and seasonings. I followed the recipe from Hip Chicks Guide to Macrobiotics, which is a reprint from Cooking the Whole Foods Way, by Christina Pirello, both books which I recommend.
- Tabouleh Salad which can be made with bulgur or quinoa, or other grain salads.
- Polenta is great for breakfast, or served with black beans, shown above.
- Tofu Scrambles are quick, easy, tasty and very satisfying
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| Tofu Scramble w/ Trader Joe's Whole Wheat English Muffin, Peanut Butter & Fruit Preserves |
Be sure to check out all the resources, references and recipes, linked below!
Grab a copy of my FREE Ebooks!
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| Information packed MAP to a healthy, great life with tips, recipes, food charts+++ Grab this deal while it lasts! |
A Few More Great Summer Diet Recipes
References for The Summer Diet, Parts 1 & 2
The Tao of Nutrition, Maoshing Ni, Ph.D., C.A.
with Cathy McNease, B.S., M.H.
Chinese Foods for Longevity, The Art of Long Life, Henry C. Lu
with Nature, Aveline Kushi and Wendy Esko
Hip Chicks Guide to Macrobiotics, Jessica Porter
Power Eating Program, You Are How You Eat, Lino Stanchich
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