Tips for staying cool in mind and body this summer

Irritable. Short tempered. Red, flushed, fiery. These are classic signs of overheating. You may remember them from the last time you stepped outside.

Staying balanced this time of a year — a state that lends itself to higher levels of thinking, creativity and intuition — means finding ways to stay cool.

From a big-picture perspective, chilling out partly entails breathing deeply, releasing tension in our bodies and landing in the moment. It’s also wise to eat in a way that supports the cause.

Following are recipes that are light, refreshing and generally easier to digest than the heavier counterparts we crave in the winter.

You may find that cooling foods help you feel balanced and less heated all around. Or perhaps cooling down mentally helps your body’s natural desire for lighter fare to become more pronounced. Either way, good stuff happens. So don’t overthink it. Just stay cool!

The following suggestions are based on a combination of eastern tradition as well as my own observations. Note that the state of the food is not what makes it cooling. Even cooked items can fit into this camp. Rather, it’s about the sensations that particular foods evoke — how they ultimately make us feel. This is a big theme in my book, “Nourishing Your Whole Self: A Cookbook With Feelings” (Pelican Publishing Co.).

Plants that take less time to grow (lettuce, summer squash, radish, cucumber) are a lot more cooling than their counterparts, which stay in the earth longer (carrots, cabbage, rutabaga, parsnip). This is a great time of year for your classic green salad.

Foods with blue, green or purple pigment are usually more cooling than similar foods in fiery shades — red, orange or yellow. A green apple is more cooling than a red one.

In the Taoist approach to nutrition, bitter flavors are recommended for summer months. For example: arugula, asparagus and grapefruit. I’m sort of obsessed with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (ideally cut with some Topo Chico).

Stay hydrated. Put fun stuff in your water to make it pretty and appealing.

Fresh foods with high water content are refreshing. Think celery and watermelon.

For protein, fish is less dense and more cooling than a lot of other options. White fishes, clams and crabs are good options.

When it comes to preparation, cooking for a short time at high heat is best for summer. Raw or lightly cooked natural foods are the most cooling, followed by simmering, pressure cooking, sautéing, baking and deep frying.