TOP 5 COOLING FOODS FOR YOUR ANIMAL DURING A HEATWAVE:

TOP 5 COOLING FOODS FOR YOUR ANIMAL DURING A HEATWAVE:

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, food has energy. Not only does food have energy, but it also has three different types of energetic classification. Different types of foods have warming, cooling or neutralizing effects on the body. Especially if your animal is sensitive to the extreme temperatures of summer, you may want to consider adding one or two of the following foods to his/her diet during a heat wave:

5) Millet- millet is a grain. Though there is much hype about living a grain-free life, a small amount of THOROUGHLY COOKED millet in your cat or dog’s diet can do a lot to cool down his system! Make sure the millet is boiled to almost a paste before feeding. This will ensure proper digestion. Please be aware that in some animals, excessive millet causes constipation. Use a very small amount, increasing as necessary.

4) Broccoli- Any green, leafy food, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, is a “cooling food”. You always want to be sure to thoroughly steam the veggies before feeding. Cats and dogs have very sensitive digestive systems. If not cooked, the veggies can cause uncomfortable gas and bloating, and often the raw veggies will pass through the GI tract without being digested.

3) Kidney Beans- By feeding your animal fully cooked kidney beans, you are not only accelerating his digestion but you are also providing his GI system with a food that will help keep his core temperature down during the heat of summer. DO NOT feed your dog or cat canned beans. ALWAYS opt for bulk (organic if possible) raw beans and then boil them yourself. It may also be helpful to mash up the cooked beans before feeding as this will assist in your animal friend’s digestion.

2) Celery- Celery is nice and cooling. Some animals will not eat celery as is. If you are feeding one of these sensitive animals, be sure to steam the celery, grind or chop very finely and then add to your animal’s wet food so as to disguise it.

1) Honey- According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, honey causes a moistening effect in the lower intestine when ingested. As a result of this moistening effect, the GI system becomes cooler and more comfortable for your animal friend. Other benefits of honey include: mood regulation, acceleration of wound healing, anti-inflammatory properties, tissue growth stimulation (aids with cell damage/repair).

Please note: When introducing any new foods to your animal’s diet, always do so slowly and methodically. Start with a very small amount and add more as needed. All of these food supplements should be added once per day to wet food, using about 1/8 tsp to start.

If your animal’s tummy is far too sensitive to eat these foods as whole foods, you may find it to be beneficial to add bits of the foods to water or bone broth and freeze it. By making food ice cubes, your dog and cat will love to cool down from both the frozen cube and the yummy treats inside!