These 3 Cooling Ayurvedic Drinks Also Support Healthy Digestion

July 04, 2020 at 12:15PM

Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest systems of holistic health and healing. It treats health as a balance between the body, mind, soul, and senses, made possible when we harmonize with the cycles and rhythms of nature throughout the year.

The system’s food and lifestyle recommendations vary from season to season, based on the movement of the earth around the sun and the fluctuations in the five ayurvedic elements in the atmosphere. In the summer season, vata dosha, which corresponds to movement, is naturally high. Pitta dosha, which corresponds to fire and water elements and governs metabolism, is also increasing and peaks in the fall. Therefore, it’s important to consume foods and drinks that are balancing to both vata and pitta doshas in the summertime.

The taste profiles that are most balancing to both of these doshas are sweet foods like fruits and nuts, moist foods, and liquids. Here are some of my personal favorite ayurvedic cooling drinks that follow seasonal guidelines and can help to keep you calm, happy, and healthy this summer.

Fig & Date Milkshake

In ayurveda, figs are considered incredibly nourishing and energizing, as well as mood-stabilizing. They belong to the category of foods that promote mental health, known as sattvic foods. A National Institutes of Health study also reveals how figs can be beneficial for weight management, cholesterol, constipation, hypertension, and more.

Dates, according to ayurveda, promote healthy hair and benefit the lungs. Green cardamom powder is also considered beneficial for the skin and can aid in healthy digestion. All of these ingredients combined in one drink makes for an excellent morning smoothie option!

Ingredients:

Serves 2

2 cups almond milk
2 fresh figs, chopped slightly (dried are fine; fresh are better if possible)
2 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
Organic coconut sugar to taste (optional)
Pinch of green cardamom powder

Method:

In a small saucepan, combine milk, cardamom, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, let the milk cool down for a few minutes.
Transfer to a blender, add figs and dates, and blend until smooth.
Drink milkshake warm or when it cools to room temperature.

Refreshing Rose Sherbat Drink

This is a great drink for replenishing your body on a hot day. Roses are considered hrdaya in ayurveda, which means they are calming for your physical and emotional heart. The flower can also be helpful for your complexion and can soothe skin redness associated with allergies, blemishes, dryness, and inflammation.

Ingredients:

Serves 1

1 cup fresh organic rose petals
1 cup organic coconut sugar
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

Method:

Rinse rose petals with water lightly before using. Loosely pack them into a measuring cup. Then, gently crush them between your fingers.
Boil 1 cup water in a pot, turn off flame, add rose petals and cardamom powder and cover the lid. Let the mixture steep overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
To make sugar syrup, dissolve the sugar in a ½ cup of water over medium flame.
When the petals have cooled down, squeeze to extract juice, and strain the rose water.
Mix the sugar syrup with rose water, add water to taste, and enjoy.

Mouthwatering Mango Lassi

In ayurveda, mangoes are a very highly regarded fruit, full of medicinal properties: They enhance complexion, give you physical strength, serve as an aphrodisiac, and benefit your heart.