Summer Care

Summer Care - Beat the heat with Fruit Juices
Try out juices of grapes, watermelon, banana, jack fruit, lemon and pineapple during summer. Consumption of fruits and juices reduces body heat and benefits in controlling body temperature.
SUMMER is one of the six seasons of the year. Every two months will make a season or Ritu. Summer is in between the 16th May to 15th July. The strength of the body will be lost during this period. People feel tired and exhausted during the season due to extensive heat rays of the sun, the watery portion (or Kapha) of the body of people, animals, plants, foods and the entire environment will become dry and the vata will become more in the body and the atmosphere. The skin will become dry and may precipitate skin diseases as eczema..

What to Drink and Eat: One must drink the juices of grapes, watermelon, banana, jack fruit, lemon and pineapple. This is to say foods and juices of sweet and cold and easily digestible must be consumed. The preparations of sugar, barely/green gram, sharbats, buttermilk with sugar candy are to be used daily to cool the body. One must take the food of white rice with meat soup of meat of animals reared in cold areas.

The juices of dry grapes, cucumber, kharjura with Dalchini, Cardamom must be drunk along with pure cold water kept in a pot or a freezer or these must be kept at night in moon light and used along with buffalo's milk. Water with parijatha flowers and usheera can also be used for drinking.

- One must not take foods of pungent, sour, dry and salty foods. Foods of rice with milk, sugar candy, butter milk, lassie are good for good health. Ghee can be used.

- Coffee and tea are not all good as they stimulate the central nervous system. Taking them on empty stomach is harmful as they mix with acid and circulated all over the body producing several diseases.

- Alcohol is a hot drink and must not be used druing this season, either avoid it or drink it with plenty of water.

REGIMEN

One must spend time in a place surrounded by water and green trees, or mountains, with the family and children. Must sleep during day. Swimming is also advisable in a pond, lake or river. Stay exposed to moon's rays at night. Should wear light cotton clothes. Must have minimum coitus during this period.

Wear Pearls and flower garlands. Body must be anointed with sandal and usheera paste which cools the body. Cold-water bath is good for the body. Exercise must be limited. Avoid exposure to sun's rays especially during peak hot time.

Man is a microcosm of the universe that is macrocosm. Man is made up of Panchamahabutas in mini form and the universe is made up of Panchamahabutas in mega form.

Any changes in the environment of nature will have deleterious effects on the health of people. So one must adjust and adopt measures suitable for the particular season for maintaining good health.

In this season satvic type of foods is advocated to promote and to preserve good health.