14 aspiring health nuts met up in the El Cataño Community Garden for the second installment of the Healthy Eating and Wellness Series. This workshop’s focus was on summer--a season full of high energy and plenty of outdoor activities. While it is a time of fun and family, it is very easy to feel bogged down and sluggish from the hu...midity and heat.
Educator Noah Goldstein focused his discussion on cooling tips and foods to eat that help eliminate heat from the body. Most of us are familiar with the summer foods which have high water content - watermelon, cucumber, celery- all act as diuretics to help flush excess heat from the body while simultaneously cooling it from the inside. We also discussed some fun facts about the foods which are in season and can be purchased fresh from our grocery stores or farmers markets. Cilantro is an incredibly important addition to any city dweller’s diet- it helps rid the body of heavy metals! Dark leafy greens have a higher calcium content than any dairy product and also aid digestion. There are certain foods which should be avoided in excess in the summer if possible including dairy, meat, and simple carbohydrates- all trap mucus and heat and reduce energy.
After the discussion the participants broke into two groups to make two delicious and cooling summer dishes. The first: a watermelon, cucumber, tomato and mint salad with mint picked fresh from the herb containers in the garden! The second: a ginger sesame buckwheat noodle salad- both ginger and buckwheat aid digestion which helps increase energy. We washed down the salads with some home-brewed iced mint and lotus root tea. Everyone took home a coupon for one free organic valley product and a great reusable glass Tupperware container- perfect for taking home prepared summer foods out on the go.