For summer wellness, don’t just rely on mung bean soup! According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, follow these 6 tips to dispel dampness and feel energized.

Summer is hot and humid. The body’s metabolism is vigorous, and excessive sweating can deplete qi and body fluids, making one vulnerable to invasion by summer-dampness evils. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the core principles of summer wellness are: nourish the heart, protect yang qi, remove dampness, and prevent heatstroke. We need to clear heat and relieve summer heat without excessively seeking cold and damaging yang qi. Below is a practical guide to help everyone get through summer with energy and vitality.

1. Daily Routine: Sleep late, rise early, and don’t skip naps
Summer days are long, and yang qi floats externally. Adjust your schedule to “sleep late and rise early” – but “sleeping late” does not mean staying up all night. It is recommended to fall asleep before 11 PM, get 7–8 hours of sleep, and wake up around 6 AM to align with the rising of yang qi. From 11 AM to 1 PM, the Heart meridian is active. A 20–30 minute nap can nourish the heart, calm the spirit, replenish energy, and relieve afternoon drowsiness. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and take sun protection measures when outdoors to prevent heatstroke. Set the air conditioner to 25–27°C (77–81°F). Do not let it blow directly on your head, neck, shoulders, back, waist, or abdomen. Turn off the AC or switch to sleep mode before bed to avoid nighttime cold invasion.

2. Diet: Light, dampness-removing, and avoid cold
In summer, the spleen and stomach are at their weakest. Greasy, sweet, and raw-cold foods add to their burden. Recommended foods:

• Staples: Mung bean and millet porridge; coix seed (yi yi ren), lotus seed, and lily bulb porridge; lotus leaf – these hydrate and remove dampness.
• Vegetables: Winter melon, luffa, bitter melon, cucumber, tomato – clear summer heat without harming the stomach; fresh ginger and perilla leaves – warm the middle and dispel cold.
• Protein: Duck meat, crucian carp, tofu – cooling but not dry.
• Drinks: Sour plum soup (suanmeitang), winter melon and kelp soup, three-bean drink (mung bean + adzuki bean + black bean) – promote fluid production, quench thirst, clear heat, and remove dampness.

Eat less mutton, chili peppers, fried and grilled foods (which are warming and cause heat). Drink fewer cold beverages and beer. Do not eat overnight raw or cold foods.
Iced drinks, ice cream, and iced watermelon – damage spleen yang, easily causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, and dampness accumulation.

3. Exercise: Gentle, not intense
Summer exercise should aim for “light sweating.” Heavy sweating depletes qi and body fluids. Exercise in the cool early morning or evening. Focus on gentle activities: walking, jogging, tai chi, baduanjin, yoga, swimming. Avoid intense exercise at noon when temperatures are high.
Special reminder: Replenish with warm water after exercise. Do not immediately take a cold shower or stand in AC. Wait until sweat dries and your body calms down. If you sweat excessively, drink light salted water or electrolyte water to maintain internal balance.

4. Calm and nourish the heart
TCM believes that “summer qi connects to the heart.” Summer is a critical time to nourish the heart. Maintain a cheerful, peaceful mood and avoid extreme joy or anger.
As the saying goes, “A calm heart naturally feels cool.” Try listening to soothing music or practicing calligraphy to calm the mind. Eat some red foods (red dates, red beans, tomatoes) and bitter foods (bitter melon, lotus plumule), which help clear heart fire and nourish heart blood.

5. Strengthen the spleen and remove dampness
Summer heat and frequent rainy weather create heavy dampness, which can trap the spleen and stomach, leading to “bitter summer” symptoms: poor appetite, bloating, fatigue, sticky stools.
Therefore, daily meals should be light and refreshing, with appropriate dampness removal. Winter melon, tomatoes, lily bulb, lotus root, and white radish are all good choices.
Wellness requires persistence. May everyone integrate these practices into meals and daily routines – unhurried, at ease, and healthy.

6. Replenish fluids and body fluids
Sweating heavily in summer leads to rapid loss of body fluids (water and electrolytes), which can cause low urine output, dark urine, fatigue, and even heatstroke. Drink actively. The best choices are warm water and light teas – green tea, chrysanthemum tea, honeysuckle tea. Eat more soups, stews, and high-water-content fruits and vegetables.