Stay fit this monsoon with simple changes in diet

Monsoon is undoubtedly the time to get drenched and devour on your favourite street food. But it is also the time to take care of our immune system which becomes weak thereby leading to severe illness. During the monsoon, our body gets prone to health issues like infections, allergies and digestion problem. This happens mainly due to the high humidity present in the atmosphere, which decreases the digestive ability of our body. Therefore, it becomes essential to maintain a healthy food habit and prevent the attack of any disease causing germs. This can be done by making the following changes in your diet:

• First and foremost it is important to eat only when you feel hungry in order to avoid indigestion and illness.
• Substitute green leafy vegetables like spinach, cabbage and cauliflower with bitter gourd, pumpkin, bottle gourd, neem, ridge gourd and other seasonal veggies as the former is likely to be infested with germs
• Replace rich, oily and spicy food (outside and at home) with steamed and grilled preparations to prevent any stomach upset. Include brown rice, oats and broken wheat in your diet for easy digestion in monsoon
• Avoid pre-cut fruits and juices and instead opt for wholesome seasonal fruits like pomegranate, guava, mango and apple. You may skip a meal but don’t skip on fruits as they help in restoring energy
• For Non-Vegetarians it is essential to avoid seafood, fish, mutton, raw eggs and opt for lightly cooked meat in the form of stew and soup.
• Restrain from food with high salt content as it might lead to increase in blood pressure and water retention. Go for steamed salads and hot homemade soups to prevent any bacterial infection
• It is also advisable to regulate the amount of natural sour veggies like tomato, lime and tamarind to prevent water retention
• Also, switch from water-based foods like watermelon and rice to dry foods like chickpea and corn
• Replace tea and coffee with herbal tea preferably ones with mint, pepper, ginger, honey or basil leaves as they not help in improving your immunity but will also keep your body hydrated
• Substitute milk with curd, yoghurt and almonds in your diet as they get infected with germs easily

Here are some quick health care tips to help you enjoy the rainy season

• Make sure to wash and boil all the vegetables before cooking
• Include spices like turmeric, coriander, asafoetida, jeera, and garlic in your cooking for easy digestion of the food
• Don’t leave cut fruits and vegetables at home for too long, try to consume them immediately
• Overcome your monsoon laziness and push yourself for exercise
• Make sure to take a warm water bath with anti-bacterial solutions once you are back from work
• Lastly, drink as much water as possible to stay hydrated, immune and active. You can boil if you want just make sure its clean.