Monsoon Diet

The rains are a welcome relief from the scorching summer heat. And nothing better than hot pakodas and chatpata chaats to pep up the mood further. But, hold on…Monsoon is also the season for viral and bacterial infections. So, much tempting as it may be, it’s best to go easy on street food. Nutritionist Dr. Shikha sharma prescribes the perfect monsoon diet.

Diet-o-Meter
Rains increase the water levels in the atmosphere due to which the environment becomes ripe for all kinds of bacteria and viruses to multiply. To keep good hygiene in food, in the rains, is of utmost importance. Here are some dos and don’ts:

Avoid street vendors because what was safe in the hot summers becomes unsafe in the rains, especially the street chaats and bhelpuris. Reason: In the dry summer heat, bacteria and viruses become dead or dormant but once the rains come, the water and lower temperature become a breeding ground for them, to multiply and become infectious.

Be very careful about dairy products as they have maximum propensity to get infected with germs. Avoid lassis and paneer when eating out.

While using water at home, it’s best to use filtered and boiled water as during this time, many of th sewage drains overflow and leak into the drinking water supply, thus leading to greater incidence of water borne infections.

In this weather, there is also a higher chance of getting traveller’s diarrhea. Those who love salads should be careful of eating salads outside, as germs thrive on salads in the rains.

Foods, which are very watery, like watermelon, should not be eaten, again for the reason that infected fields (due to bad water supply) affect juicy fruits faster.


Bunk Junk!
In this season, people who are prone to acne should be careful as they are likely to get more pimples. Therefore, too many chocolates, cheese and fatty foods should be avoided. Another reason to avoid fatty food is the ayurvedic princviple, which says, that the monsoon is a time when the vata (air) dosha in the body gets aggravated along with the pitta (fire) dosha, as a result of which the person is likely to feel bloated and acidic. To avoid the effects of dosha, one should be careful not to eat certain foods, which aggravate the vatta and the pitta doshas. Foods that aggravate the vata dosha are gaseous foods like rajmah (kidney bean) white channa (gram) raw salads etc. Eating oily, fatty and fried food on an empty stomach is worse.

Rain Food…

The best foods to eat are the bitter and astringent vegetables and cooling foods like barley, brown rice and oats.

Using a little asafetida while cooking takes care of the gas in the stomach. Cardamom, cinnamon and saunf (fennel seeds) are also cooling agents.

Eat frequent and small meals. Eat well-cooked food and avoid all heavy meats and curries.

Avoid gaseous foods like cabbage, rajmah (kidney bean) white channa (gram). Fruits like apples, pomegranates, peaches, plums, litchis and pears are good for this season.

Consume lots of Vitamin C found in Amla and citrus fruits to take your immunity level up.


Fit Note…
Few important tips to remember in the rainy season: Get a body massage done regularly, especially if you have a tendency for vata aggravation which leads to aches and pains in the body. Bathe with water in which some neem leaves (which have antiseptic property) have been soaked overnight.

Source: magnamgs