Nutrition Notes: Fire

The Fire Element and Summer Season include the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium and Triple Burner. Eating seasonally is optimal for those who are generally healthy.

The Heart is known as the Emperor of the Being. It's role is to oversee the Kingdom of our body and assure all is in tip-top shape. It carries blood and oxygen throughout our body.

The Small Intestine is known as the Separator of Pure from Impure. It assimilates nutrients from food and makes them usable to our body.

The Pericardium is known as the Heart Protector, physically and emotionally, it takes blows to protect the Heart at all cost. The Triple Heater is the function which regulates the temperatures: respiration, digestion and elimination. Heat, Water & Harmony.

Here is my list of seasonal nutrition notes for the summer season and the fire element.

• A light and cool diet is necessary in the summer months.

• Consume foods directly from the orchards and gardens.

• Raw foods may be eaten during the summer months to cool the body. Multicolored salads are perfect for summer.  

• Meats, grains and dairy should be reduced in the summer.

• Late afternoon meals should be the largest consumed.

• Fruits are ideally consumed in the morning, at breakfast.

• Avoid heavy, greasy, fried foods, as they can weight the system down.

• Nuts and seeds should be limited in summer.

• Eat outside in nature.

• Gather 'round the fire.

• Cooked foods should be cooked on high temp for short periods of time, such as grilling or stir-frying.

• Summer veggies like peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini all have high water contents and thus nourish Yin.

• Berries help to tonify the blood.

• Eat lots of summer greens like: broccoli, swiss chard, kale, cabbage and spinach. Bitter foods clear and purge. They calm the spirit. They include: parsley, mustard greens, kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, burdock root.

• Eat as much variety as is available in your local area.