After celebrating the new year with great enthusiasm on Gudhipadwa, the month of Chaitra starts. The next two months are a very difficult period for the whole of India as we experience summer in this period. As India is a tropical country, the intensity of summer is more here. In addition to this, in the last few years, due to deforestation and pollution, the summer has become hotter than ever before. Therefore, in this approaching summer, we have to face the fire-burning, scorching heat of the sun. This season is called Grishma Rutu. Ideally, Grishma Rutu is expected to start in the month of Vaishakh. However, now a days this blazing summer starts earlier, from the month of Chaitra.
The intense heat of the sun in Grishma Rutu heats up the entire nature. It makes lakes, ponds, and streams shrink and rivers dry up. We experience an increase in dryness in nature. The same effect is felt in our bodies. Naturally, the water content in the body also decreases and the dryness starts to increase. As the heat in the environment increases, it also increases our body heat. This unbearable heat causes constant sweating. Due to this sweat, the water level in the body is further reduced.
In winter, we don’t experience sweating, and therefore, the heat in the body is trapped. This increases the digestive power in the body. In summer, it is the exact opposite. Constant sweating removes the heat from the body which has an adverse impact on the digestive power. Naturally, the digestive power is reduced in this season. The strength of the body also goes down due to the heat in the environment. Hence, we feel tired and weak even when we are not working hard. As the dryness in the body increases, the Vaat dosha starts accumulating. Therefore, our diet in this season needs to be determined, considering various factors such as increasing heat, reduced digestive power, reduced strength, and accumulation of Vaat dosha.
Considering all this, our diet should be easy to digest. We can include wheat roti, rice, Bhakari(Jowar roti) in our diet. There is no harm in using Red rice, Sathesali rice. We can use Jowar or Ragi(Nachani) for making Bhakari. Bajra is considered hot and dry and is therefore better avoided. We can use wheat for making chapati. Like chapati, we should consume Fulka made of wheat in this season.
In summer, spicy, bitter and Turat(Taste of Amla is turat) foods should be consumed in less quantity, as these foods increase dryness and accumulation of Vaat dosha in our body. Instead, we should consume more sweet, salty and sour foods. These foods reduce Vaat dosha accumulation. Loss of strength in our body due to the summer heat can be avoided by consuming sweet foods. They also help to reduce the heat in the body. Considering this, instead of regular roti we can eat sugar roti, Sheera roti(roti stuffed with Suji halwa). We can consume rice dishes like sugar-rice, Kashmiri pulao. In our diet, we can consume foods made of milk and dishes prepared using milk or khoya like Barfi, Shrikhand and Basundi. However, these should be consumed in less quantity as the digestive power is weak in this season. By doing so, we can reduce the additional load on the digestive system. It is beneficial to include Kheer or Sheerkurma made from Vermicelli(Semiya), wheat, Suji. We can consume milk with sugar or masala milk(milk with dry fruits). Like milk, pure ghee also helps to reduce the dryness in our body. Hence, we should use pure ghee or ghee with jaggery. Pure ghee increases the digestive power and gives strength to the entire body. It also helps to reduce the heat and Vaat dosha in our body. We can include two to four spoons of pure ghee, butter as well as cream with sugar in our meals.
Dr Mayuresh Aagte
Please Note: The recommended diet takes Ayurveda into consideration. Individuals with any form of illness should seek medical advice before adopting the diet.