Seasonal Eating – Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice – A Time to Eat Seasonally

Eating intuitively with the season allows you to live in harmony with yourself, your body, and the Earth.

Our ancestors ate seasonally because they had no choice. With the ability to have an abundance of offerings at every turn in the current culture of convenience, it remains wise to instinctively eat based on the time of year. In the heat of the summer, you reach for cooling foods such as fruit, raw vegetables, kombucha, and iced- smoothies or tea (herbal, mint, or hibiscus).

Your body craves foods that balance the elements of the season. Following a spring of detoxifying foods like leafy greens or citrus, summer is a time for lighter fare to assist the liI of the heart’s circulation and the intestinal cleansing between meals.

Begin to recognize how amazing the naturally in-season produce tastes (think asparagus in the spring, watermelon in the summer, an apple in the fall…). Honor the natural environment and allow your body to adapt to the seasonal changes by eating what comes from the ground, whether it is from your own Urban Farm or a local Farmer’s Market. Eating foods that are out of season make you more susceptible to seasonal colds, flu, and other illness due to the composition and how your body temperatures react in digestion.

Does your body crave salads and fresh, color-rich foods straight from the garden during the summer months? Cooling the body down from the inside out is what drives cravings during this hot season. Focus on raw foods, a simple high-temp flash sauté, or steamed veggies as needed. Challenge yourself to “eat the rainbow”!

Being mindful of typical lifestyle changes around this seasons also helps with dietary habits. An increased amount of outdoor activity, vacation time, pool/beach picnics, sun exposure, etc. have you reaching for water-packed, nutrient-dense options for cell hydration. By choosing foods and beverages high in H20, your cells can function properly (with less stress) given the excess energy expulsion or heat during this time of year. Your body is always trying to find homeostasis, which is to keep your core temperature regulated.

Foods high in electrolytes, such as bananas, kale, coconut water, and lime can be a great addition to your routine for replenishing. While in the sun, it is also key to consume UV protective foods like apricots, leafy greens, carrots, and antioxidant-rich berries.

Seasonal favorites include:

nectarines

pineapple

blueberries

raspberries

watermelon

cantaloupe

plums

coconut

–

cucumbers

eggplant

green beans

tomatoes

bell peppers

summer squash

zucchini

corn

Intuitive eating with the season is also linked to your natural circadian rhythm. Connecting your daily patterns and lifestyle with the longest day of year and the lightest season allows you to relish in the plen*ful, green and floral landscape, and radiant sunsets.

The Solstice occurs at the same time across the globe. In North America, we celebrate the longest, brightest day of the year as the hemisphere is tilted towards the light of the sun. Honor the light as guidance, good harvest, abundance, renewal, and birth.

As an illumination to blind spots, the solstice invites you to begin anew. Receiving the benefits of your efforts and asks you integrate healing so you may be the light that shines outward in service to others.