Nadhirrah’s Cool Cucumber Soup
Preparation time about 15 min.
Ingredients:
• 2 medium cucumbers
• ½ small onion
• 3 celery stocks, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 2 tsp. fresh mint
• 1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. Himalayan Crystal Salt or natural sea salt
• Water as needed
• Garnish: red bell pepper, tomatoes, mint
Directions:
In a blender combine cucumber, onion, celery, vinegar, and Himalayan Crystal Salt. Blend until smooth. Add only enough water to make it the texture as you desire.
Slice the bell peppers and cut the tomatoes if using large tomatoes, if using cherry tomatoes wash and prepare them. Garnish the soup with the bell peppers, tomatoes and a sprig of mint. It makes 2 to 4 servings.
Summer is a great time to get out and play. No matter how you play, it’s likely that you’ll find yourself extremely hot and dehydrated.
The human body is designed very well, and it can adapt to almost any climate. Nature has provided foods in certain seasons to help us adapt. Summer foods contain natural electrolytes which are suitable for the season.
There are a number of ways to use summer foods that help you keep cool and energized during the summer.
First off we need to know what electrolytes are. Medilexicon’s Medical Dictionary defines electrolyte as “any compound that, in solution or in molten form, conducts electricity and is decomposed (electrolyzed) by it.”
In simple terms, cells of the body carry electrical impulses to other cells using electrolytes. When people sweat they lose sodium and potassium that must be replaced to keep the body fluids consistent.
So how do you naturally replace those electrolytes?
Reaching for that sports or soft drink may not be the best option in the summer. There are a number of better natural sources of electrolytes.
I love to drink Coconut water and watermelon juice, which quickly replaces electrolytes and help me rehydrate.
Watermelon was originally grown in Africa’s hot climate. With thirst quenching properties, it is high in electrolytes, water content, and B vitamins that contribute to energy production.
Coconut water is the juice from a young coconut, and it has electrolytes and minerals to replenish and quickly rehydrate the body. Coconut milk is obtained from the coconut meat and is not the same thing as coconut water. Coconuts grow in tropical areas and are harvested for drinking purposes when they are 5 to 7 months of age.
As we sweat we lose nutrition, water and electrolytes. Have you ever heard the phrase cool as a cucumber?
Cucumbers literally have a cooling effect on the human body. Tradition has it that drinking cucumber juice or eating the whole cucumber (seeds and all) cools the body and can help with depression.
In the summer, blood should be thinner in order to more easily flow freely though the body. Foods that help with this include berries, cucumbers, watermelon and summer squash.
Foods that thicken the blood to keep people warmer are typically heavy, acidic and greasy foods. Examples include hamburgers, grains, winter vegetables and hot spices.
Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, explains that in order to avoid excess internal heat, we should be eating cooling summer spices. These spices include mint, oregano, cumin and ginger.
Fennel seeds not only cool internal body temperature, they also stimulate intestinal juices and promote proper digestion.
One of my favorite spices during the summer is turmeric. It is cooling, an anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system.
Not only is basil a cooling spice but it goes great with garden tomatoes. Basil and tomatoes go together like peanut butter and jelly. I like to just slice my tomatoes, put a little onion and minced basil on it and eat it raw.
Water is another important factor to remember during the summer. Eating foods that have high water content such as the cool cucumber, watermelon and tomatoes will help replenish water content to the body but it’s also important to remember to drink your water as well.
