Overall I think we have had a pretty nice spring. I've had a few evening outings where I couldn't believe how nice it was outside. Summer is upon us though and while technically we have a couple of weeks to go the temperature is climbing and it's good to be prepared with cooling foods.

Overly cold foods do not help to cool us down, but can contribute to other health problems. It's best to consume foods cooked and warm or at least at room temperature. It takes a lot of energy for your body to warm up cold foods to digest them. Better to eat foods with naturally cooling properties to help adapt  to the changing seasons.

You can use food to help control your body's thermostat. Foods with cooling energy are as follows:

Apples, arugula, artichoke, asparagus, banana, barley, white beans, beer, endive hearts, green bell pepper, blackberry, blueberry, borage, broccoli, butter, buttermilk, caviar, celery root, celery, chard, chervil, cider, coconut, coconut oil, corn silk, cottage cheese, crab, cranberry, crayfish, cream cheese, cress, cucumber, red currant, dandelion, eggplant, elderberry, elderberry flowers, grapefruit, herring, kiwi, lavender, lemon , lemon zest, lettuce, lovage, mango, melon, cow's milk, mineral water, miso, mushrooms, olive oil, orange, pears, green peas, peppermint, pineapple, pork, quince, rabbit, radish, raspberry, raspberry leaf, rhubarb, saffron, salmon, salsify, salt, sauerkraut, seaweed, sesame seeds, sesame oil, shrimp, sorrel, sour cream, sprouts, green soy beans, yellow soy beans, spinach, star fruit, strawberry, tangerine, green tea, tomatoes, verbena, watermelon, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat germ oil, white wine, yogurt, and zucchini.

Many of these foods are in season and as always it's good to eat what you can find grown locally because it will help you to adapt best to the environment. Eating from the foods listed should help you adapt to the changing season and help you to balance the coming summer heat.