Too cool!
Summer vegetable shopping tends to get us down: there's something so depressing about the seemingly limited range of veggies on the stands that we begin to feel we're being forced to go on a crash diet.
But the key word here is 'seemingly'. Take another look at what your veggie man has on offer, and check out the possibilities. You'll find there's more there than you thought.
According to Ayurved, summer is the pitta season: the time of year when the environmental temperature is so high that people with pittaj constitutions tend to feel unwell, get migraines and have stomach and digestive problems. Vataj people can handle summer fairly comfortably, and kaphaj people tend to feel sluggish primarily due to eating late at night.
But if the season makes for discomfort, nature steps in with its own checks and balances in the form of the foods it provides. Summer's vegetables can help reduce the awfulness of the environment, and if we eat these veggies and cook them right, we should feel much better.
As a general rule, all vegetables are mild enough to suit all constitutions, but some veggies are very beneficial to certain constitutions while others may be neutral.
BITTER GOURD / KARELA
Most people are aware that one teaspoonful of the raw juice of bitter gourd taken on an empty stomach effectively normalises blood sugar.
But diabetics aren't the only people to benefit from this vegetable; it's very good for pittaj and kaphaj constitutions. Karela contains copper, iron and potassium. Its effect on the body is alkaline and therefore good for detoxifying. The best way to eat karela is to steam it, stuff it, and then sauté it with onions.
OKRA / LADYFINGER / BHINDI
This vegetable is almost a universal favorite. Since it's alkaline in nature because of pectose, the gelatinous substance it contains, it's good for people with acidity and indigestion, and very cooling for the body. It's specially recommended for people with urinary problems. It is good for all constitutions. The best way to eat bhindi is to cook it with besan, or fry with a teaspoon of mustard oil, or as part of mixed vegetables.
MINT / PUDINA
Mint has cooling and cleansing properties that are most evident when we eat the leaves raw. That it's a useful vegetable is no secret: Not only Indians, but the Chinese and the ancient Romans have always been aware of the benefits of mint. Fresh mint is full of enzymes, which serve as an excellent digestive. It effectively balances the constitutions of women with irregular menstrual cycles, and is a good antidote for the loss of appetite that summer usually causes. Mint tea or mint extract is good for the liver, and serves as an excellent detoxifier. Menthol oil, which is an extract of mint, is an effective remedy for dental problems. Mint contains iron, phosphorus, sulfur and chlorine. It's best eaten as a chutney with coriander leaves, onion, black salt and pepper, or as a garnish sprinkled on salads. It's good for all constitutions. MUSHROOMS. We keep hearing about the beneficial properties of mushrooms, but the fact is that these qualities apply mainly to shiitake mushrooms also known as Chinese black mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms are famous in particular for their anti-tumour properties. This is not to say that the mushrooms usually available here are devoid of any usefulness: while the mushrooms we get here don't have any medicinal qualities, they are rich in minerals. Mushrooms are particularly recommended for people with lipids and cholesterol imbalances. They are fine for constitutions. EGG PLANT/AUBERGINE/BRINJAL: With potassium, sulfur, chlorine, some iron and vitamin C, brinjal is recommended for people who are prone to gaseous distention.
However, according to Ayurved, patients of arthritis should avoid this vegetable, as well as potato and tomato. Brinjal helps reduce cholesterol and is also used to treat heartburn. It's a very popular vegetable in Turkey, where it's used extensively in all kinds of dishes. It's especially good for pittaj people. PEAS: They contain sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and a fair amount of iron. Due to their soluble plant fibre, peas help regulate blood sugar, but they should be consumed with cereals and pulses for the best effect. Large quantities of peas as a standalone food item are not very good for digestion. Good for people with kaphaj and pittaj constitutions, peas are a good vegetable for lipid-lowering diet. PUMPKIN: Not too many people like pumpkin, but it is very rich in minerals. Raw pumpkin juice is prescribed for detoxification, to treat acidity and to help initiate a weight-loss programme. Pumpkin seeds are very good for prostrate disorders. They has iron, magnesium, selenium and phosphorus. They is very alkaline in their post digestive effects, which makes them good for people who suffer digestive problems in summer. Good for vattaj and pittaj people. POTATO: The humble potato is available all year round, but its consumption tends to go up in summer because we wrongly believe our store of summer veggies is limited.
Potatoes contain vitamins C and B6, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron copper and fibre. They are highly alkaline and therefore good for summer eating. Their skins are very rich in antioxidants, so do yourself a favour and don't peel them. They are best eaten steamed and sautéd because that method retains the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals. Raw potato juice is an excellent uric acid remedy. Cooked potato is suitable for people with vat-pitt constitutions.
LAUKI, TORI AND TINDA / PARWAL
These three vegetables are rich in minerals and very alkaline, which means they are great for cooling the body. But we tend to avoid these veggies because we consider them bland, even though they are good for all constitutions.
Try and include them in your diet by looking around for recipes with these vegetable as ingredients.
Lauki, for instance, can be sliced and cooked in curd to make a Kashmiri dish called Yakhni, and tinda can be stuffed with aromatic spices and cottage cheese, and then cooked.
GREEN BEANS/FRENCH BEANS/ FLAT BEANS
Good for kaphaj and pittaj constitutions, green beans are rich in copper, manganese, zinc, magnesium and sodium all the minerals that are very important in summer. Green beans are also a very rich source of plant fibre, and therefore useful for lowering cholesterol. Most green vegetables are rich in carotene, riboflavin and niacin. ONION: Don't dismiss the onion. It's an important vegetable and practically a staple across all classes and continents. It has good antibacterial properties and is a blood detoxifier, making it a good vegetable to bring down fevers, phlegm and cholesterol. Ancient Egyptians regularly dosed themselves with onion and garlic. It's a pungent vegetable because of its sulfur component, but raw onion helps build good cholesterol, and onion-ginger juice is good for asthmatics. Onions are also a natural blood thinner, and good for liver disorders. True, your breath does smell after you eat onions, but you can counter that by chewing mint leaves after your onion-heavy meal.
SALAD CUCUMBER
That cucumber makes for a great salad is no big news: we've been eating it that way for centuries. It is a rich source of minerals and is highly alkaline in nature, making it an ideal summer food. The potassium it contains helps lower blood pressure among hypertensives, and this vegetable is a natural diuretic and an effective remedy for those of us who suffer from ulcers. Cucumber is especially good for pittaj people. RADISH: Because of its contents of vitamin C, sodium and calcium, radish juice is traditionally prescribed for patients with weak livers or jaundice and today's naturopaths find it very useful. True, it's a pungent vegetable, but if you include radish leaves along with the vegetable in a salad, its sharpness is reduced. It is especially good for those with a kaphaj constitution. BELL PEPPERS: Green capsicum and red bell peppers are great sources of vitamin C and can be easily used in a salad form. They are good for all constitutions.
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