Salads, get ready for your moment....

If you have been in the clinic, you may have (at some point or another) had a conversation with me about how iced drinks and cold foods, like salads, are not great for your body. Chinese Medical Theory favors warm and nourishing foods to optimize digestion. Raw and cold foods have a tendency to create bloating, gas, fatigue and a general feeling of malaise following ingestion.Your body requires heat and energy to break down food and the less energy that requires, the more reserves it has. But, if you are a salad lover, your time is on the horizon.

When the weather gets hot, the body has a tendency to follow. That makes perfect sense, right? It's rare that a person can go outside in 90 degree heat and feel cold. So when the body is hot, adding cool to it helps. Cue salad season! You know I love eating for the season. This time of year brings with it lots of in-season, ripe and delicious greens, fruits and veggies. Now is the time to enjoy those salads! You may still experience some negative side effects from the cold foods so if you do, here are some tips I can offer:

1. Let salad come to room temp before eating

2. Add a few warm/cooked items on top- like chicken or steak

3. Follow your salad with a warm or room temperature beverage.

Salad season is short, try to enjoy it!