“Doctor, you are telling me to eat curd?”, asked a surprised and curious Sameer who was sitting in front of me. This is because people have a false belief that Ayurvedic doctors do not recommend Curd, which is their favorite food. Hence, he was surprised when the I told him to eat curd. Curd need not be completely stopped or avoided at all times. Especially during the Summer Rutucharyaa, curd is definitely considered acceptable.
Sour and fatty foods like Curd enhance our taste and appetite. It also decreases dryness. Therefore, Curd or Curd with sugar should be consumed. Like curd, Muramba can also be consumed. Kokum Saar and Tomato soup are very beneficial in this season. Tomato sauce can also be included in this period. Regular intake of sour and sweet tasting buttermilk is advised in this season.
During this season, nature also fulfils the need for sour fruits like Karavand(berry), raw Mango and Kokam. We can prepare savory dishes like raw Mango pickle or Kayras. Just consuming raw Mango with salt is beneficial. Kokum Sharbat is the most commonly consumed drink in this season. In this period, we get useful fruits like Lemon and Amla. We should consume Lemon pickle and Lemon juice. Amla, in the form of Moravala is very beneficial. As Amla is considered to be very cool, we should always keep Amla juice at home. In this season, consuming foods like raw Mango, Lemon or other such pickles provides lots of benefits to our body as they are sour and salty. We can consume mix-veg pickles made from vegetables like cauliflower and carrot.
During the summer, we should include leafy vegetables like Chakwat, Spinach, Chuka, Maath, Tandulja and Rajgira. We should also consume vegetables like Potato, Elephant foot yam(Suran), Beetroot, Sweet Potato and Carrots. Vegetables like Okra, Snakegourd(Padval), Ridge gourd(Dodka), Ghosali, Tondli, Cabbage and CaulIflower should also be included in our diet.
We must try to avoid foods made from Lentils(Dal).This is because all types of Lentils(Dal) increase dryness in the body. If you must, it is preferable to use Moong dal as it is relatively less dry. It also has a cool property which is beneficial in Summer.
In the summer months, we must use slightly more oil than usual as this reduces dryness in the body. As we have already seen, pure ghee is very useful for this purpose. During Grishma Rutu, our digestive power is reduced. Therefore, it is better to avoid non vegetarian food as it is heavy to digest. If you still want to eat non-vegetarian food, you can consume Fish, Chicken and Crab in less quantities. It is better to have Mutton or Chicken in soup form rather than meat.
During the Grishma Rutu, ‘Onion’ is a very useful food for maintaining good health. Since it has a cooling property, it should be included in our diet. It is beneficial to eat just Onion or in the roasted form. There is also no harm in cooking onions along with our daily food. We can include tasty Onion koshimbir(onion salad with curd) frequently in our diet. Like all these food items in our diet, another important aspect in summer is ‘liquid’! In our article ‘Summer beverages’, we have already discussed this and the foods that should be avoided during this season.
Dr Mayuresh Aagte