Summer is probably the hardest season for which to find a good meal. It’s hot, appetites tend to go down, and, uh…it’s hot. No worries, though. There are plenty of great summer foods in Asian cuisine that will have you cooking them over and over again.
When things start to heat up during the summer, it’s best to switch to a diet that contains cooling properties. Many vegetables have cooling properties, such as celery, lettuce, cucumber, asparagus, zucchini, pumpkin, okra, and winter melon. These vegetables also contain lots of water, which is especially important to consume during the summer. The water they contain has been naturally filtered by the plants themselves, and in terms of cleanliness is superior to the most advanced man-made filtration techniques on earth.
Dehydration and heat stroke are very common and dangerous occurrences during the summer. Drinking enough fluids is essential at this time of year. Watermelon is known as the “king of fruits” and is well-known for being able to prevent heat stroke. Mung bean soup, if you can make it, is the miracle cure for heat stroke and has been known to save the lives of heat stroke sufferers on the brink of death.
When the temperature is high, you may find your appetite decreasing. Many people tend to lose weight naturally during the summer, but this means some muscle mass is lost as well. This means you will still need to eat some sort of protein to compensate for the loss. The best meat to eat during the summer is lean duck meat. It has yin properties to counter the excess yang properties that high temperature days bring. Avoid beef and lamb, which have heating properties (remember, you need to eat foods with cooling properties during the summer). Seafood tends to spoil very easily during the summer, and should be avoided.
Foods to eat: Watermelon, celery, lettuce, cucumber, asparagus, winter melon, zucchini, okra, cucumber, pumpkin, ginger, mung bean soup, duck
Foods to avoid: beef, lamb, fish, seafood
For some great summer food recipes, download my ebook, How to Lose Weight with the Asian Diet.
