Ayurveda Summer Beverages
It’s over 25C this week and our first impulse may be to grab an ice cold drink. This may cool you down temporarily, however, over time you may find your tolerance for hot weather may get less and the desire to stay inside an air conditioned house may result. According to Ayurveda, ice-cold foods and beverages disrupt the digestive power called agni. Agni, or digestive fire, can be compared to burning logs. If we dump cold water over burning logs, the fire goes out.
The same goes for our digestive process. If we ingest ice-cold foods and drinks, our digestive fires become weak resulting in the body working harder to digest and absorb nutrients. In addition the metabolism gets out of balance resulting in irritability, intolerance, loose bowels, aggressive behaviour or heartburn
Ice-cold drinks are merely a quick fix to cool off can be a habit to break. The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda provides simple solutions to maintain balance during the hot summer without causing side effects.
The most effective way to maintain your cool in the summer months is to make sure your body is properly hydrated with Pitta-pacifying beverages. Drink at least 7-8 glasses of room temperature water a day. Drinks from the refrigerator may be tempting however they are too cold for the digestion. Instead, pour out the desired amount into a glass and let it set for 10 or 15 minutes to take the chill out. When you start avoiding or cutting down on ice-cold drinks, you will notice that your stomach is less bloated and puffy and there is greater ease in handling hot weather.
Adequate hydration gives more energy to the body, clarity to the eyes and suppleness to the skin and it helps to eliminate toxins. Many people feel fatigue and would be surprised to find out that the cause may be as simple as dehydration. It is important to keep fluids flowing into the body during summer when we tend to perspire more and lose more water.
Rose Petal Lassi
Ingredients
• ½ cup fresh yogurt
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon Organic Rose Water
• Sugar to taste
• 1 pinch ground cardamom (optional)
Directions
1. Blend all ingredients until smooth
