Healthy Diet for Rainy Season

 

First showers of monsoon are overwhelming welcomed by everyone. Apart from giving relieve from the intense heat of the summer season, monsoon brings with itself some health risks as well.

Along with the monsoon showers comes the risk of various diseases like food poisoning, diarrhea, dysentery and cholera. As per the Ayurveda, monsoon is the time when the humidity levels are high in the atmosphere and the capability of our body’s digestive system is at its lowest. In rainy season digestion is generally weak. Therefore one should eat less. It is essential to fast once in a week or fortnight.
Unhealthy diet: Potatoes, cauliflower, cluster beans, ladies’ finger among vegetables, pigeon pea, kidney beans, urad and sprouted grains should not be consumed. One should not consume milk and green leafy vegetables in shravana, while avoiding buttermilk and white gourd in bhadrapada.
People eat some incorrect food during this time and fall sick. Monsoon also dampens once immunity and makes us susceptible to many diseases prevalent during this season. Rainy season marked by a rampant spread of diseases. The ailments that crop up during this period flare up in autumn.
Here are some food hygiene precautions and diet modifications for the monsoon season:
Avoid heavy salty food as it promotes water retention and bloating. It is better to have medium or low salt food.
Eat foods which are drying in nature, the most popular being makka (corn), chana (chickpea), besan (gram flour), jow (oats). Eating watery foods like rice, lassi, watermelon, muskmelon creates swelling in the body.
Maintain the general hygiene while eating out and definitely avoid roadside vendors as very few people have the high immunity to handle the bacterial overload at such places.
The milk is the better diet in this season. Drink butter milk as it improve digestion. Oily food should be taken in less quantity.
Eat light foods like vegetables, fruits, cereals etc and avoid too much of meat or fish. One can also enjoy grilled, tandoori foods which need minimum oil/butter.
Avoid foods which are very sour like tamarind (imli), chutneys and pickles as they promote water retention.
Consume a lot of bitter vegetables like karela (bitter gourd) and bitter herbs like neem (basil), methi (fenugreek) seeds, haldi (turmeric) as it prevents infection.
Fresh is ideal for monsoon, so go for freshly cooked food. Also, you can add ginger, garlic, asafoetida and turmeric in your food to improve your immune.