10 summer health tips from Ayurveda experts to avoid excess body heat and stay healthy
- Heat and humidity can trigger all kinds of stomach problems and skin woes, but there are plenty of foods and drinks that can help restore balance in the body
- Two Ayurvedic experts give their top advice on what you’ll want to stock up on, from fruit and vegetables to spices and grains
Summertime and the living is easy – but also hot and steamy. This time of year can trigger agitation, digestive problems and skin irritations, among many other woes.
Ayurveda, India’s 5,000-year-old system of natural medicine, classifies summer as the season of pitta dosha, or body heat, an energy primarily made up of the fire element but also water (think humidity).
We asked two well-known Ayurveda experts, Dimple Jangda and Poorvi Bhat Khandige, for their tips on thriving despite the summer heat.
Jangda, an Ayurvedic practitioner in Mumbai, India, has worked with celebrities from Hollywood and Bollywood, including actor Dev Patel. Like Khandige, she suggests keeping cool by having light, warm meals that help detox the body and ease digestion, and drinking plenty of room-temperature fluids. Here are her other top tips for surviving the summer:
1. Eat plenty of fresh fruits like mangoes, pears and grapes. These are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, phytochemicals – plant ingredients with health-promoting effects – and fibre, which aids digestion.
