Banana & Apple Smoothie With Ginger

CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE INSIGHTS

Summer Circulation

Dramatic changes in circulation by late spring help your body adapt to the brutal summer sun. A red, flushed face on a hot mid-summer afternoon reveals how your body keeps cool - by circulating more blood close to your skin. More blood in your skin means you radiate more heat away and encourage evaporation of sweat.

Heat also increases your heart rate, bringing with it courage, boldness, and a sense of summer adventure. It also relaxes your muscles, which feel heavy during the dog days of summer. Dilation of blood vessels lowers blood pressure and causes swelling in the hands and feet on warm days.

Sweat: Water or Blood?

Although sweat cools the body, it depletes vital fluids, making dehydration a serious concern this time of year. But sweat is more than mere water. It also contains electrolytes and oils, and is more like blood plasma. That's why Ayurveda equates sweating to bleeding. While summer sweat is inevitable, it shouldn't be encouraged.

As it depletes electrolytes, the summer sun withers your strength. Electrolyte loss causes fatigue and eventually muscle spasms. Leg cramps, often called "charlie horses" is a common sign of low electrolyte/potassium levels. A pounding headache may accompany your fatigue and the feeling that you've been cooked beneath the summer sun.

You can prevent dehydration by paying attention to your tongue: a dry tongue or palate is one of the first signs of dehydration. When fluid loss is sufficient to dry up saliva, stomach glands are also too dry to produce the 2/3's of a liter of hydrochloric acid necessary for digestion.

Refresh, Replenish & Keep Cool

Apples, bananas and limes are juicy. They replenish electrolytes and restore energy after sweating or whenever muscles are tired in the afternoon. Bananas are especially high in potassium and also contain Tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known as the "happy and relaxed" hormone.

Apples, bananas, and limes are also refreshing. They cool the blood. The sourness of apples and limes gently releases bile from the liver. Since bile is a hot and oily substance, its release reduces general irritation and inflammation in the body. Apples are crunchy and leave a rough feeling on the roof of the mouth, both signs of astringency. Astringency tightens and tones tissues that are loose and lax from hot summer dayheat excess.

Light for Summer Digestion

When too much blood moves into the skin, there is less blood in the chest and abdominal organs. Reduced blood supply to digestive organs causes appetite to wane by summer. You might also have acid reflux, or other signs of indigestion. Lime and ginger coax blood back to GI tract, stimulating appetite and digestion. Whereas oatmeal may be too heavy for breakfast this time of year, an apple and banana smoothie in the morning provides fiber without heaviness. Leave a Comment / Question

WHAT IS BANANA & APPLE SMOOTHIE WITH GINGER?

On hot & lazy summer mornings, start your day with a refreshing, thirst quenching breakfast that replenishes your strength and vitality.

This delicious smoothie is loved by kids and adults alike, and it's easy enough to blend up when friends and neighbors drop by. It's ideal for breakfast or to replenish electrolytes during an afternoon lull. Best of all, it's dairy and ice-free.

Constitutional nutrition is tailored to the individual. In the kitchen, especially during your family’s formative years, you shape your family's lifelong health.

Understanding your child's constitution is key to raising resilience, instead of wiring in disease. Study constitutional medicine to discover the keys to personalized nourishment.

Rooted in the insights curated from Ayurveda and Greek medicine, constitutional medicine teaches you which foods match your body, so you and your family have true vitality, strength, and balance. See How it Works.