July is when summer's hot, dry, light qualities are at their peak. The earth is producing juicy fruits filled with electrolytes, the body is sweating more, and the liver is working harder than it does the rest of the year. Ayurveda's July practices are about staying ahead of that depletion: use the refrigerants the earth gives us right now, hydrate with electrolytes the body can actually absorb, eat lighter to match July's low agni, and use the sun briefly for vitamin D before it dries you out.
Why July is the peak of summer in Ayurveda
In summer the hot, dry, light qualities increase, and you notice that the earth is producing a lot of juicy fruits filled with electrolytes. There is no better water than the water that has been purified by a plant. This is the most nourishing water on the planet. July is when you want to make sure you stay really hydrated, because the fruits are cooling, full of electrolytes, and easy to digest.
The food has to ripen on the vine. That is because the minerals are pulled up at the end. A fruit ripened in a warehouse does not carry the minerals a fruit ripened in the sun does. Eat a dose of the local harvest in July and that is your link to nature. Nature always knows best.
How to keep the heat from depleting you (electrolytes and Ayurvedic gatorade)
Minerals are the guidance system for water to take it inside your cells. Most people are over-hydrated extra-cellularly and dehydrated intra-cellularly. Electrolytes are how you fix that. Too much or too little is not good. The amount depends on the salinity in your blood. You need more in summer because you are sweating more.
The Ayurvedic gatorade is eight ounces of room-temperature water with a pinch of pink salt and a teaspoon of lemon or lime. Simple, cheap, and the body recognizes every ingredient.
Other electrolyte options Susan teaches:
- Fresh coconut water (especially straight from the coconut)
- Maple water
- Bone broth
- Potassium vegetable broth
Which fruits to eat in July (and how to eat watermelon properly)
The five foods Susan teaches for July:
Blueberries. Cooling, the blue color is nourishing, and they are fantastic lymph movers.
Tart cherries. Help get the liver moving. The liver is a hot, oily organ that suffers in the hot summer. Tart cherries take some of that heat off.
Fresh sweet peas. Filled with water, bring in a lot of freshness and coolness.
Watermelon. The most hydrating food around. Add a little mineral salt so your body can hold on to the water. Minerals are the guidance system that takes the water inside of your cells.
Raspberries. Anything red cleanses the lymph and the blood.
Avocado is the bonus on the list. It has healthy fat and fiber, and the lightness of summer causes people to have blood sugar imbalance, so avocado provides balance and substance.
The melon rules matter. You never eat melons with anything else, not even with other melons. Watermelon should only be eaten when it is hot and sunny, and it has to be either thirty minutes before a meal or at least two hours after. It is really nice to have as an afternoon snack when you are hot and depleted, in between meals. Eat with fresh ground coriander and a sprinkle of pink salt.
The red color of watermelon tells us it is for purifying the lymph and the blood. We prefer watermelons in their natural form, which means with seeds. Tap on the watermelon; if you hear an echoey sound, it is most likely ripe.
What the Ayurvedic refrigerants are (and how to use them)
The refrigerants are cucumber, cilantro, coconut, lime, hibiscus, pomegranate, jicama, aloe vera. These are the cooling foods the body uses to release accumulated heat.
A few ways Susan puts them together:
Hibiscus cooler. Hibiscus, coconut water, fresh lime, aloe vera juice or gel (organic), and fresh mint. Hibiscus is the headline refrigerant.
Jicama treat. Grate jicama and mix it with grated apple. Squeeze of lime, a little fresh ground coriander, a little pink salt. Removes excess heat in a way that does not require cooking.
Cucumber. The seeds and the skin can make people gassy. The white meat of the cucumber is the real treat for the body in summer. Cool as a cucumber, very cooling, and hydrating.
How to use the sun for vitamin D (the belly practice)
July is the time of year when you can stock up on vitamin D if you put the belly in the sun between 10 AM and 2 PM, for up to twenty minutes, and then do not shower for up to twenty-four hours.
Susan's exact instructions: get up in the morning, take a shower, and then before it is too hot at 10 AM, put the belly (the omentum, the apron of fat below the belly button) in the sun. That is what the sun needs to react with to create vitamin D. Then do not shower for twenty-four hours. You only need up to twenty minutes on the belly. If it gets too hot, get out of the sun. It is not good to get overheated.
Let your body convert that for twenty-four hours into vitamin D, and you can stockpile it.
Lighter grains and lighter meals for July's low agni
Agni (the digestive fire) is low in summer. The body is busy cooling itself; it does not have a lot of capacity left over for heavy digestion. So Susan favors the lighter grains in July: basmati white rice and quinoa.
Lighter meals are best in summer because of that low agni. Astringent foods like pomegranate, yellow mung dal, and snap peas reduce swelling and water retention.
Summer squash cooks fast and pairs with the digestive spices: cumin, caraway, and coriander.
Okra is lovely because it has a lot of mucilage and helps you hold on to water. Sauté it with zucchini and yellow squash; both will be in season. Slice them up and lightly cook them.
Why ice water hurts you (and what to do instead)
If you are hot and you want a cold drink, let the ice melt first, and then drink the colder drink with the ice melted. You are not drinking something that is freezing.
Cold-from-the-tap water shocks the digestive system and makes agni even lower than it already is in summer. The body recovers, but you spend energy on the recovery you could have spent on cooling.
The other July classic is sorbet made with fresh watermelon. Cold-but-not-frozen, hydrating, and easy on the system.
What amalaki is, and why July is a good time for it
Amalaki is an ideal Pitta-balancing herb whose cooling nature soothes inflammation. More vitamin C than any other fruit in the world, pound for pound. One of its magic qualities is that it removes excess heat.
Take amalaki in July if you are feeling the heat building up: skin breakouts, irritability, acid reflux, the kind of inflammation that summer brings. Consult your Ayurvedic professional on dose.
Frequently asked questions
What foods cool the body in Ayurveda?
Susan's refrigerants list is cucumber, cilantro, coconut, lime, hibiscus, pomegranate, jicama, and aloe vera. These are the cooling foods the body uses to release accumulated heat. In July, watermelon, blueberries, tart cherries, raspberries, and fresh sweet peas join the list.
How do you make Ayurvedic electrolytes?
Susan's Ayurvedic gatorade is eight ounces of room-temperature water with a pinch of pink salt and a teaspoon of lemon or lime. Other options: fresh coconut water, maple water, bone broth, potassium vegetable broth.
When should you eat watermelon?
Watermelon is eaten alone, never with other foods, and only when it is hot and sunny. Time it either thirty minutes before a meal or at least two hours after. Add a sprinkle of pink salt and fresh ground coriander.
Can you get vitamin D from the sun safely in summer?
Yes. Susan teaches a belly-sun practice: put the belly (the omentum, below the belly button) in the sun between 10 AM and 2 PM for up to twenty minutes, then do not shower for twenty-four hours. The skin needs that window to convert the sun into vitamin D. If it gets too hot, get out of the sun.
What is amalaki and when do you take it?
Amalaki is a Pitta-balancing Ayurvedic herb with more vitamin C than any other fruit. It cools inflammation and removes excess heat. July is a good time for it if you are feeling the heat building up: skin breakouts, irritability, acid reflux. Consult your Ayurvedic professional on dose.