As the farmer’s market begins to flourish with the fruits and vegetables of late spring and early summer, it becomes easier, and more convenient to eat a balanced and colorful diet, locally. During this seasonal shift into summer it is a nice idea to practice mindful eating to prepare our bodies for the steamy summer months ahead and to train our digestion for the dietary changes that come with this seasonal shift.
Mindful eating requires us to pay attention to, and notice what our body is asking for. This is not necessarily a craving, but rather, the food that the body requires for internal balance.
The summer months are a perfect time to cleanse with a more cooling diet. This may include adding more raw food and lighter cooking techniques to your summer menus. The idea is to get accustomed to what your particular body needs. Listen to it. If you tend to overheat, choose cooling foods like celery, cucumbers, watermelon, berries, and almost any raw vegetable. If you tend to feel heavy and lethargic, you may have a weaker digestion that gets overloaded with too much raw food, so use cooling herbs like mint and cilantro to toss into some lightly sautéed vegetables. Mindful eating is one of the best ways to tap into your body’s nutritional needs, by allowing you to uncover some long-term digestive imbalances, which will ultimately benefit your overall complexion.
You can use these basic guidelines to tap into your own digestive energy needs.
1. Pay attention to your digestion twenty minutes after you eat. If your body tends to feel heavy after a meal, or full and bloated, then you probably need to lightly cook your vegetables, eat smaller amounts, and add herbs that will aid your digestion (mint, ginger, cilantro) so that your stomach doesn’t have to overwork.
2. Eat slowly and chew your food. When we eat slower, we tend to enjoy the flavors, digest better, and get more nourishment from our food. This will also improve your digestion tremendously.
3. Eat until you are 2/3’s full. We have grown up in “fast food” culture, which has created a tremendous amount of digestive problems. When you eat to satisfy, rather then to fill up, you learn how to nourish your body in a balanced way. Stop eating before you feel fullness and you will digest better, about 20 minutes later, you will feel satisfied, not full.
4. Prepare your own food. Food is medicine, but cooking is where the healing begins.
Kale with Cilantro/Mint Pesto
1 cup fresh cilantro
½ cup fresh mint
2 handfuls of raw cashews
Limejuice from 1 Lime (about 1.5 tablespoons)
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch of kale, stems removed, rinsed and chopped
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 spring onion, chopped
Sea salt to taste
Orzo pasta (Optional)
In a food processor, pulse together cilantro, mint, cashews, limejuice, garlic and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. You should be able to get the consistency of a nice rich paste. Set aside. (If you don’t have a food processor, use a blender or chop everything as fine as you can).
In a medium pot, cook 3/4 cup of dry orzo until al dente, about 7 minutes, set aside.
In a large pot, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 chopped spring onion, and sauté for 1 minute on medium high heat. Add in the kale and a pinch of sea salt and stir vigorously for 30 seconds. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water and cover, turn to simmer for 3-5 minutes or until greens are bright green and tender. Add 2 tablespoons of cilantro/mint pesto, orzo, and toss. Freeze the remaining paste for future use. Enjoy!
Laura Kauffmann and Beth Hooper are licensed acupuncurists and Chinese medicine specialists practicing in New York City.