How are you feeling about the approaching sizzle of summer? You might want to think twice about guzzl-ing that slurpee from 7-11 or hiding out in malls and theatres all summer long.

The color red, the element Fire, the heart and small intestine organs are assoc-iated with summertime. Thus, I chose Ruby as the poster child for the May Journal. (Guess what she's eaten!)

Is it possible to "thrive" during the hottest days of summer? (in Austin, Houston or any other semi-tropical city with concrete and cars?) When we move from our ovens (aka cars) into air condi-tioned malls, movie theatres, grocery stores, and work places, this wreaks havoc on our bodies' internal thermostats. By August, many of us are wilting from the 90-105 degree days of summer and cursing ourselves and others for choosing to live here for these 4-5 months of the year. Many of us take extended vacations to beat the heat; nonetheless, most of us are here for a better part of the summer. In Austin, we're lucky to have great swimming holes like Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, and outlying lakes. In Houston, the Gulf winds send a nifty breeze through from time to time.

Try out several of these suggestions for keeping cool in a healthy way and let me know if it helps make your summer a bit more of a "breeze".

1) Eat mung beans and sprouts, cucumbers, watermelon, celery, cooked tofu, mushrooms, plums, and kelp in moderation.

2) Ask your employers, gym owners, and managers to turn the thermostats up so that you can work more efficiently, shop and work out longer.

3) Minimize animal products, sugar, alcohol, fried and spicy foods, raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, and saturated fats. (Yes, we're talking about barbeque, cold beer, margaritas, snow cones, ice cream, enchiladas, salsa and chips, etc.).

4) Exercise before 9 am; spend time outside every day but avoid the hotter times (11 am - 5 pm); sweating will cool your body down as well as release toxins.

5) Drink water and hot beverages throughout the day and avoid cold, iced drinks. Cold drinks create more thirst.

6) Wear loose fitting cotton clothing.

7) Take cool showers and a short swim at the end of your day.

8) Keep your thermostat(s) set at a higher temperature.

9) Park under trees or in garages. Walk, ride the bus or bike to work. Plant shade trees for future generations

With hotter and longer days ahead, you may want to refamiliarize yourself with these signs of heat related illnesses from mild to acute.

EARLY SIGNS of heat related illness include:
Dizziness, fatigue, irrit-ability, difficulty in con-centrating, arm, leg or stomach cramps, and prickly heat rashes.

If you have any of these symptoms, get inside, relax, and drink plenty of water. Water should be cool, not cold, and be drunk slowly, a cup or so every 15 minutes. Usually water is sufficient and the best, but if you have cramps, a sports drink will help.

ADVANCED SIGNS of heat related illness include the above plus:
Loss of coordination, collapse, heavy sweating, cool, moist, pale skin, dry mouth with thirst, fast pulse, and low temperature.

HEAT STROKE is life threatening, requires immediate medical attention and includes these symptoms: Dizziness, confusion, headaches, irrational behavior, coma, reduced or no sweating, fast pulse, rapid breathing, convulsions, nausea, or vomiting.

This nourishing and tasty soup is based on a soup my mom made for me as a child. Miso (me' so) is fer-mented soy bean paste and adds a salty flavor to other dishes. Miso soup is rich in minerals, alkalizing, detoxi-fying, and easy to prepare. You can use a lighter, yel- low miso in the warmer months and darker miso in cooler weather.

Most of the ingredients can be found in health food stores or Asian grocery stores. Use organic whenever possible.

Directions (Yields 4-6 servings; approx 20 min):

In a 3 quart saucepan, add ~ 2 quarts of filtered water.
Add wakame strips and bring to a low boil.
While water is heating up, add cubed tofu, turnips, squash, carrots or other root vegetables and cook until root veggies are slightly tender.
Add sliced onion, daikon, and shiitake mushrooms, cook on low simmer for a few minutes.
Add greens and miso for the last minute of cooking on low heat. Do not boil as it will greatly reduce the beneficial bacteria of miso.

Ingredients:

3 sm pieces wakame (dried seaweed) cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup tofu cut into 1" cubes
1 cup turnip, winter squash (eg. acorn, kabocha, butternut, etc.)
1/2 cup carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onion (thinly sliced)
1 tsp ginger root (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup daikon root (thinly sliced)
2-3 shiitake mushrooms (remove stem and slice, fresh preferable)
1 1/2 cup greens and/or snow peas (mustard, dandelion, beet, kale, turnip, cabbage, watercress, etc.)
4-6 TB miso paste (I prefer South River Miso)

Variations:
Add cooked brown rice or noodles
Top with 3-6 oz of broiled salmon, shrimp or other fish
Beat one egg ~30 seconds; drop thru a fork into soup before adding miso and greens
Add juice of one freshly squeezed lime

Qi Gong translates as "cultivation of vital energy acquired through skillful practice." Qi Gong is an ancient practice from Asia utilizing the breath and simple movements to enhance your energy, increase resistance to disease, and promote relaxation.

21 LOTUS BREATHING POSTURES

Learn a Qi Gong practice that originated in the monasteries of Indonesia. These graceful and powerful movements are easy to learn and specific health benefits are associated with each posture.

"After my first Qi Gong class with Paddy, I practiced every day for a week and my T cell count doubled! My oncologist and I were both pleasantly surprised."
MC (cancer survivor)

WEDNESDAYS
I. May 5 - June 8
II. June 15 - July 20
Time: 7:00 - 8:15 pm
Cost: $78 for 6 weeks or $15 individual class
First class is 1/2 off. Join us for one class or a series.
Location: 1310 South First St. Suite 200 (next to El Mercado Restaurant and Elizabeth St.)

This is an ongoing feature that spotlights an interesting and reputable person in our local business community. This month features Jonathan McCoy, co-owner of Greenling.com and AustinOrganicDelivery.com

Jonathan McCoy and two other partners recently started Greenling.com, a company focused on making organic products and services more accessible to consumers. He and his partners, Mason Arnold (who started Earth Action Lawn, an organic landscaping company) and Jonathan Duffy (the former director of development of the Austin Film Festival) share a common vision that organic practices and products are the healthiest and most sustainable available. They believe that the more people they can introduce to organic products, the better it will be for everyone. Check out their informational website (www.Greenling.com) and organic produce delivery service (www.AustinOrganicDelivery.com). Greenling organic produce delivery offers fresh organic fruits and vegetables from local farms and regional produce distributors. "It's like farmer's market direct to the doorstep."

Jonathan is a native Texan and has spent most of his life in Houston. He received his degree in Electrical Engineering from UT a few years ago and worked in the technology sector for awhile only to realize it wasn't his true passion. He and his wife, MeiLin, started a professional courier service, called Green Light Delivery (www.AustinCouriers.com) in 2002. Following the success of their courier service, Jonathan is continuing down his career path and is very excited about the opportunity found in the growing organic marketplace.