Because the heart and the small intestine are partners in the human physiology (according to Traditional Chinese Medicine/TCM), heat will tend to eliminate itself from the body through increased urination. Here are six excellent foods to keep the heart in balance during the lazy hazy days of summer.

6 Cooling Foods for Summer Heat (No spicy-greasy here!)

1. Coconut milk; slightly sweet and a relatively neutral food. Buy the better brands in the health food stores. You can make your own in a high speed blender by blending some young Thai coconut meat with pure water. It is very nourishing to the spleen, stomach and kidneys, generating fluid and relieving thirst.
2. Mung beans; they’re great sprouted. Learn to sprout them. They only take a couple days or else find them in the produce aisle in the grocery store. Mung beans are sweet and cooling and they nourish both heart and stomach. They’re rich in protein, iron and fiber and they help lower blood fat and strengthen arteries. They help clear toxic heat and promote urination.
3. Cucumber, of course! This fruit is sweet and cold, and very nourishing to the stomach and small intestine. It helps relieve thirst, promote urination and clear toxins.
4. Eggplant; it grows in abundance in the summer–you just have to learn how to prepare it to make it taste great. Eggplant is relatively sweet and cooling, and renews the spleen, nourishes the liver and keeps the stomach regulated. It helps reduce swelling and promotes urination.
5. Watermelon, absolutely! Sweet and cold, watermelon is great for the heart, bladder and stomach. Believe it or not, it helps eliminate restlessness. It’s thirst relieving and promotes urination.
6. Bitters*;  so good for you, they’re actually important to eat every day. See list below for veg examples of bitters. And hey! have some Jägermeister, but not too much! It’s a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices at a strength of 35% alcohol by volume. Bitters such as Jägermeister are used as a medicinal substance to promote digestion.

*amaranth, arugula, beet greens, broccoli raab, chard, chicory, cress, collard greens, curly endive, dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, frisée, mizuna, mustard greens, nettles, puntarelle, radicchio, rapini, rocket, spinach, turnip, greens, watercress

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