Monsoon, the most anticipated Indian season has finally arrived, bringing the muchneeded relief from the scorching summer heat. While, the children are busy playing in the puddles, and you are avouring the rain with chaipakoras, the importance of staying healthy by eating the right food during this recarious season is almost thrown out of the window.
Monsoon is also the season for the usual suspects, such as infections, indigestion, and allergies. With the immune system compromised, the high of level of humidity causes havoc to the digestive system. Thus, it’s not just important, but also a necessity to lead a healthy lifestyle while enjoying the rain.To begin with, try out these simple quick hacks in your diet during this rainy season.
- Skip eating outside: A cardinal rule that should never be broken– avoiding street food as well as food prepared in bulk. Such food could easily become stale and upset your stomach, or may lead to food poisoning.
- Taste the bitter: They were right when they said, ‘Everything that is healthy tastes bad.’ Give a miss to green leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and cauliflowers as they get infected with worms.Instead go for bitter or juicy vegetables such as bitter gourd (karela), bottle gourd (ghiya), ridged gourd (tori) and apple gourd (tinda).
- Bulk on antioxidants: With the immunity taking a beating during the rainy season, it is advisable to include as much antioxidants in your diet as you can. Include garlic, black pepper, turmeric, asafoetida, coriander, cumin seeds and bitter herbs like neem in liberal quality in your daily intake
- Stay hydrated: Along with drinking plenty of water, you should also be conscious about your food habits. While low salt food helps in water retention and regulating blood pressure, spicy food may result in increasing body temperature. Adding sour foods such as tamarind, tomatoes and lime to your diet also promote water retention. Try to replace normal salt with rock salt (sendha namak) or even lack salt. It is imperative to boil drinking water to kill the harmful microorganisms and other mpurities during this season.
- Find fried food substitutes: To satiate the craving for fried food, try delicious low calorie hunger fillers such as beans, oats, sprouts, corn chats, dhokla, murmura chat, etc. Avoid processed food and icecreams too.
- Curb hot beverages: Avoid drinking too much tea or coffee to stay hydrated. Instead drink herbal tea. Spike it up with ginger, black pepper, honey, mint and basil leaves. Drinking lime or coconut water should be preferred over fizzy drinks.
- Include more choice of fruits and salads: Instead of the season favourites litchis, watermelons, mangoes and muskmelons, eat apples, pears, bananas and pomegranates. Include at least 2-3 dates every day to increase your energy and immunity during monsoon. Carrot, radish and fenugreek are a must during this rainy season–make it a part of your diet.
- Avoid watery food and meats: Food like lassi or rice creates swelling, and should be avoided. Instead, opt for corns, chickpea, gram flour, brown rice oats and barley. Meat and heavy curries should be substituted with light meat like chicken stew and chicken soups. Also, a bowl of hot soup with a dash of minced garlic is good during monsoon, as it keeps cold and flu away. Avoid raw fishes, as it is their breeding season.
- Follow a 24-hour meal plan: Create a diet chart and follow it stringently during monsoon to avoid diseases. You may take a cue from the given chart.
Basic rainy day meal should include:
Breakfast: Whole-wheat bread or multi-grain bread toasted or with veggies/oats porridge/a small owl of sprouts/boiled egg whites.
Mid-morning: Masala chai with 2-3 dates.
Lunch: Barley/wheat roti or whole-wheat bread with stir green vegetables and dals/ grilled chicken.
Evening snacks: Fruits like bananas/pomegranate/almonds/ handful of roasted chana/jowar roasted namkeens.
Dinner: Vegetable or chicken stew/dal/grilled roasted veggies with soup.
Follow these fail-safe monsoon mantras to stay healthy. But, most mportantly, don’t forget to enjoy the beauty of the monsoon showers with a cuppa–of herbal tea–and a book!
About Author: Karishma Arora is a Dietician/ Nutritionist, and an expert in weight loss management and therapeutic diets. She provides customised diet plans to individuals, which she personally supervises. She also offers corporate program for choosing a healthy lifestyle. You can consult her through her website: www.ncrdietcenter.com or email her at: 81karishma@gmail.com.
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