Embracing Summer: Tips + My 12 Favorite Recipes

For many of us, summer is the easiest season to embrace. When the sun is out and the weather feels sparkly, everything just seems to take less effort. To feel more light-hearted and relaxed.

Make time for pleasure

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the dominant element of summer is fire. The heat of summer gives us the warmth and capacity to love and be loved, to mature and blossom. This is the time to really embrace life fully. Spend time with the people you love. Make it a priority to bring more playfulness and fun into your life. Reconnect with the carefree feeling you had as a child.

This may sound trivial but it is actually a vital part of health – so much so that it is now being referred to as ‘Vitamin P’ for ‘pleasure’. So many of us feel we have to ‘earn’ pleasure – to work hard first and then maybe if there’s some time left, allow ourselves a tiny bit of pleasure. How about starting with taking pleasure in eating? Studies have shown that actually taking pleasure in what we eat can help absorb nutrients and digest food more effectively. And yes, this applies to indulgences as well. When we allow ourselves to fully enjoy every lick of that ice-cream instead of buying into the feelings of guilt, we actually metabolize food better.

So why not try this instead of eating with guilt: Buy the best quality food you can find and afford and allow yourself to enjoy it fully, no matter how ‘healthy’ it is or not. When you allow yourself to be fully present with your food, chances are that you will actually need to eat less of it than you think. With eating as in all things in life, being fully present in the moment is the only way of feeling pleasure.

Reconnect with nature

Spend as much time outdoors as possible. Walk. Run. Jog. Bike. Rollerblade. Whatever you choose, notice the beauty all around you. Take in the energy of nature. Go into a forest or a place with trees and just be still and listen to all the sounds around you, particularly the birds tweeting (they are the original tweeters!).

Discover a new fruit, vegetable or herb

There are so many fruits and vegetables in season – now is the time to discover something new! The farmer’s markets are teaming with in-season fruits and vegetables. This is a good summary of what’s currently in season in Switzerland. In summer, many of us naturally crave raw foods to counter the summer heat. Raw foods have more active enzymes that make them more ‘alive’ so now is the perfect time to eat fruits, veggies and salads raw. It is feels natural to eat more fruits in summer than in winter, particularly cooling fruit like watermelon, melon or stone fruits like apricots or peaches.

Herbs are also in season right now. Why not try to plant a some herbs on your balcony or garden so that you always have them at hand? Otherwise, next time you go grocery shopping, buy fresh herbs and simply add them to anything – I add them to my smoothies, fresh vegetable juices, salads, as garnishing for dishes etc. Herbs not only add a more interesting flavor to dishes – they actually have great health benefits too. Did you know for example that basil boosts the brain’s production of dopamine and serotonin, helping to improve mood – and that coriander helps the body get rid of toxins like mercury? Or that parsley is an excellent source of vitamins C, K and A?

You could you also try growing your own sprouts, one of the most concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes – true superfoods whose power you can liberate very easily in your kitchen! Get my tutorial here.