Sweltering Heat

I will be the first one to tell you that I do not handle the heat well and I never have.  My hometown is situated in a river valley only fifteen minutes away from the Adirondack blue line, and in the hottest months benefited from a cool Canadian jet stream (though in the winters, we were quick to forget).  Summers were spent at the YMCA camp in the mountains, where temperatures regularly dipped into the 50s or even 40s at night.

Living in New York City, the summer heat and humidity has been a major challenge, but I'm getting better at dealing with it each year.  I try to stay green, using mostly fans to keep me cool, and setting the A/C  no lower than 75 only when it becomes absolutely necessary.

Along with keeping the air circulated, try these tips to keep that heat from getting to you:

Avoid fried foods, overly spicy foods, or fatty foods.  Instead, add protein (baked lemon-balsamic tofu, garbanzo beans, or poached chicken) to a salad filled with seasonal vegetables for a balanced entree.  If have a stomach that can handle it, try eating more raw foods in the summer.  Lightly steam or saute vegetables if raw foods are too difficult for you to digest.  My current favorite summer dish is chilled avocado-lime soup.

Iced mint tea or even red rooibos will cool you down, aid digestion, and provides antioxidants.  The rooibos from Miss Tea has been my favorite this year.

Lastly, try making a homemade cooling body spray with essential oils.  Purchase a 1 oz spray bottle from The Container Store or Ricky's and add 9 drops lemon, 7 drops peppermint, and 2 drops lavender.  Top off with filtered water.  I've used this so much this summer and its perfect before bed, as a midday refresher, or post-yoga.

Stay cool out there!