It’s the season of rains, chilly winds, heavy downpours and excess humidity. While stepping out for work and other social commitments one is bound to get occasionally wet, or drenched, and may walk through flooded areas at times. Our immunity levels are low during this season making us prone to diseases. The humid environment also helps infectious diseases thrive and spread easily. Let’s make our food our first medicine and take preventative measures to avoid the common monsoon illnesses.
Here are some tips to make your diet a monsoon friendly one:
- Include garlic, pepper, ginger, asafoetida, jeera powder, turmeric and coriander in food as it help enhance digestion and improve immunity. Use it liberally in warm dals and piping hot soups. It gives your body the much needed warmth and helps fight infections.
- Avoid having vegetables in raw form. Instead of raw salads and sprouts steam them before consumption. Wash all vegetables thoroughly as they may contain worms.
- Choose curd over milk. Instead of milk, prefer to have curd or yogurt as it avoids any possibility of bad bacteria entering the body.
- Eat Seasonal Fruits like apples, jamuns, litchi, plums, cherries, peaches, papayas, pears and pomegranates. They are the best additions to your diet and help improve the immune system.
- Have a glass of turmeric milk daily. Turmeric is not only a great antibiotic but is also known to have anti-inflammatory and healing properties which can really help in reducing inflammation in the digestive system.
- Avoid all kinds of street foods completely. Most of these foods are prepared and sold in the open and come in direct contact with disease causing bacteria’s and thus increase your chances of falling sick.
- Have medium to low salt food and avoid heavy salty food as they may cause high blood pressure and promote bloating and water retention.
- Limit your meat intake. It is advisable to avoid as much as non-vegetarian food as possible due to the possible spread of bacteria. Instead of heavy curry dishes of meat prefer soups and stew.
- Maintain the highest levels of personal hygiene this season. Wash your hands frequently with soap as most of the bacteria enter your body through mouth and nose.
- Drink a good quantity of water. Do not cut down your water intake as summer is over. Lack of water makes you vulnerable to a number of infections and diseases. Water helps flush out toxins from your body. Have only boiled water during the monsoon and carry your own water when you step outdoors.
Follow the above mentioned healthy diet suggestions and enjoy the beautiful monsoon season. In case of any symptoms of high fever or rashes or joint pain which maybe malaria, dengue or chikungunya consult a doctor immediately.
