12 Ayurvedic Tips for Hot Summer Months

Here are 12 Ayurvedic tips to help you stay cool, refreshed and balanced during the hot summer months. These tips include what to eat for optimum digestion to tips for when dining out. 

This article is divided in two parts to help you beat the summer heat and stay healthy -

The first part is all about practicing some healthy habits in summer to stay cool and energized. 

The second part is all about tips when you go out enjoying and dining in summer with your loved ones because let's be honest - summer time means lots of outdoor activities, going out with loved ones and dining. 

Here are 7 summer tips that will help you stay cool, energized and balanced during the scorching heat plus some articles I highly recommend for you to read linked at the end of this article.

1. Drink some Indian salt (kala namak) - You bet I said this! Salt helps us stay hydrated, gets the nutrients and electrolytes into our cells and helps us avoid nausea, lethargy and fatigue in summer so your tip is to drink some water with Indian salt.

Kala namak (Indian black salt) is special - it is cooling in nature so it cools the body, boosts electrolytes, prevents aches and pains due to its high sulfur content. plumps up the skin and improves hair and keeps blood pressure balanced. Read more about it in the article below.

So, plz. drink some salt in water. This is not the place (and has never been and will never be) where salt is the big enemy - no, rather salt is worshipped here and regarded in high reverence for all it provides to the body.

To learn more about Kala Namak and the importance of salt, read the article below.

2. Enjoy Cooling Cucumber Salad Daily - In India, during summer season, cucumber salad is served every-single-day! Like, no skipping it! I grew up eating it everyday as my beloved grandma would serve it fresh with lunch daily. Cucumbers are rich in electrolytes, keep the body cool and hydrated since cucumbers are 90% water. Not only that, they contain minerals and several B-vitamins.

O-M-G! I grew up eating it everyday and it is sooooo tasty! Give it a try and you will know..:)

Recipe - This one..

3. Avoid Fermented Foods in Summer - The only fermented foods I advice for you to take in summers is organic apple cider vinegar (like a tablespoon before meals if needed for sugar balance) or coconut or any plant based yogurt or something made from sprouted lentils or beans or grains like sprouted batters but still keeping it all in moderation.

Why? Because in Ayurveda, fermented foods like cheese, kimchi, endless list of probiotics, kombucha, etc. are not advised in summer since when it is hot outside, the body is overheated and fermented foods sitting in the digestive tract can quickly become putrid so be aware of that.

4. Ground Yourself with Daily Practices & Enjoy Some Sunlight - Wake up early, go outside and enjoy some sun when you can especially during the early part of the day. Walking barefoot on the grass, hugging a tree, meditation, thanking Nature, trees and the animals for what all they do for us and grounding yourself in Earth's energy are great ways to calm and quiet your mind. Doing yoga or a few stretches can help you greatly stay calm, happy and balanced in summer months.

5. Massage with Coconut or Sesame Oil Daily - After taking bath or after showering, massage your entire body with coconut oil or sesame oil as they both are cooling in nature so massaging these oils all over your body will help with moisturizing the skin, preventing it from the hot, dry weather and the UV rays.

6. Enjoy Cooling Foods &  Avoid Warming Foods - Enjoy fruits that are sweet and not sour or acidic and avoid foods that are hot in nature or spicy which are perfect for winter but not summer. So enjoy some mangoes, watermelon, cucumbers, melon, etc.

Besides these, enjoy some foods that are cooling, light and bitter in nature like bitter melon, leafy greens, light salads, coconut, etc.

7. Enjoy Cooling Drinks (NOT Cold Drinks) - For drinks, enjoy some cooling hydration like coconut water, herbal teas like fennel or mint tea, coriander/cilantro juice or make a cooling electrolyte drink. Avoid sodas as they seriously dehydrate the body not to mention the toxic white sugar they contain and the high blood sugar spike.

Avoid store bought 'fruit juices' at all costs - they are sold in plastic bottles, have white sugar, preservatives and even artificial colors. So, these are not juices - these are colored chemicals full of toxicity in a plastic bottle!

So these are the 7 tips to help you stay cool, energized and balanced for summer. Hope these help you stay hydrated, feeling light and fresh while enjoying the hot summer weather.

Here are 5 Summer Tips When Going Out with Friends and Family -

Summer means travel time, parties, outdoors and long fun-filled weekends like we are about to have on July 4th in the U.S.

1. DON'T EVER drink COLD Water or any Cold Drink for that matter - I get it! It's tempting that when it's hot and when you are out dining with your loved ones, you want to order a drink and that drink often is cold and comes with ice.

Say big fat 'NO' to it. Order water at room temperature with NO ICE. Cold fluids seriously damage your digestion because they kill the digestive fire (called as agni in Ayurveda) so every time you sip something cold, remember you are literally killing your digestive fire.

If your digestion is not good, you are going to start having a LOT of diseases including aches and pains plus stiffness.

2. Avoid Dehydrating Drinks - Yes, we want to enjoy when we go out and drink some sodas but sodas seriously dehydrate your body...it is like when you are hungry and starving and then you say, 'I am going to starve myself more..'

Does that make sense at all?! Nope. Same with sodas - in summer, our body already loses a lot of water and electrolytes and it is already very easy to get dehydrated so then you order a soda.......to dehydrate it more?!

Makes NO sense to me.

If you must, then do this - this is the same tip I have been sharing since TGR launched. Order one can of sodas, get a few glasses and split it among 4-5 people so each one has enough for 2-3 sips...this is an excellent method to not feel deprived while enjoying your outing with others.

Plus, this is an excellent way to not only enjoy and share with others but another great benefit is your blood sugar won't spike high.

Best option is to order a much healthier drink or make one - water, squeeze some lemon juice and pinch of salt...enjoy!

3. NO Fluids During Meals or Before or After Meals - Now, that was for when you have to drink something but the best thing to do is to NOT have any drink at all...not even water with your meals. Yep. No fluids at all when eating food - zero fluids.

As I always teach, wait for an hour or 1.5 hrs. before and after meals before you take any water or any drink to avoid diluting your stomach acids.

4. Take Some Cooling Drinks from Home When Out in the Summer - As I shared above, to help keep your digestion healthy in summer, enjoy some mint or fennel tea during the day. You can also add a little bit of cardamom as well as some cumin powder and enjoy this warm once or even twice during the day.

5. Eat Like This When Dining Out - When going out with loved ones and as discussed above, focus on foods that have these qualities - they should be light, cooling and fresh and avoid spicy, inflammatory, fermented or hot in nature (meat, acidic foods, etc.).

So, enjoy a large plate of salad and include cucumbers, melons, grapes, cilantro, etc. and your main entrée should be very small and very light in nature. So, you could go for a small piece of bread with vegetable or tomato soup or Gazpacho, etc. and a small bowl of pesto veggie pasta.

If you eat like this, I can assure you that your blood sugar will be balanced and neither will you have an energy  crash!

So those are my 5 tips when eating out in summer! I hope this article has made it clear how important it is to maintain healthy habits in summer for good digestion, health and for staying cool in the summer. 

​-Somya.