Summertime blues..? fatigue..? foggy head???

Of course everyone loves to eat all of the raw fruits and vegies available at this time of year..and if you are a hot person..eating a lot of raw cooling vegies in the summer is OK..But if you are cold..most of the year.. always putting sweaters on..hate air conditioning.. you may need to stay away from raw food which cools you down..Did you ever notice how most raw fruit and vegie diet focussed people live most comfortably in the tropics or warm warm climates? Humidity is also a factor when eating raw fruits and vegies..When it is hot, our bodies want to wick moisture..When it is humid outside..it is harder to wick the moisture from our bodies..The osmosis becomes harder. Because there is so much moisture outside it is hard to evaporate the moisture from the inside of your body..This is where eating cooked foods comes in...Light cooking food reduces some

of the moisture content, if you do it right.. Just cook food lightly for summer. You can eat them cool, just sweat them a little. The Chinese call this moisture in the body...dampness..It is the water weight, fat and watery tissue created from eating watery damp foods..Sometimes dampness creates brain fog and a feeling of heaviness in the body.. If you want to reduce dampness..reduce sugar, raw fruits and vegies, dairy and wet food. Dried fruits and vegies actually help draw moisture out of the body..as does barley, oats, apple sauce, dried shitake mushrooms, dried beans and green tea.. One of the old school macrobiotic remedies is to drink kukicha bancha twig tea with an umeboshi plum and or a little soy sauce..This drink will alkalize your system give you energy and eliminate the heavy acidic feeling of summer lethargy which is almost always from too much internal humidity, too much sugar and too many raw foods...Of course everything in moderation..so when it is high summer enjoy those raw tomatoes..But just remember raw sugary foods might make you a little lethargic..If you are not one of the 5% of people that are affected by sodium..sometimes a little more sea salt in the summer will replace electrolytes lost from sweating and act like a natural sports drink with out the colorings and additives.. I am having some tea with ume plum and shoyu after eating a lot of cantaloupe melon this weekend. I already feel clearer and more energized!