Do these things to avoid falling ill during the monsoons.
By Dt. Lavanya Bachwal
The advent of the cool showers of the monsoon becomes a welcome change after a bout of the blistering heat of the summers. But the change in the weather also comes along with a host of health issues such as typhoid, dengue, conjunctivitis etc.
Thus most monsoon-related health issues can be avoided by making healthy food choices and making a deliberate effort to not eat from outside. It is extremely important to maintain hygienic habits in order to prevent the unlikely event of falling ill during the monsoons.
So, be it from drinking water to avoiding eating raw veggies for a few days, these corrective measures can ensure that you remain healthy.
Vitamin “W” –Drink Boiled Water
Though drinking boiled water might seem extremely difficult for many people it is one of the steps towards ensuring your system is clean and free from any kind of water born bacteria. Boiling kills any waterborne bacteria and keeps your system clean in turn helping oneself from succumbing to any waterborne diseases.
Drink Soups and Herbal Teas:
The human mind automatically associates monsoon with getting to eat something piping hot. The sight of watching the rains while sitting by the window side and sipping a hot cup of Ginger tea or a hot cuppa of soup has been everyone’s dream. Soups are a quick and healthy meal snack choice for monsoons. They are highly nutritious, easy to digest, and good to derive strength.
If you are consuming milk based soups it not only increases the protein content of the soup, resulting in providing one with ample satiety, but also aids in losing weight. Adding ginger, garlic, and black pepper to your soup can be an excellent idea as these spices improve the taste of the soup and are excellent immune boosters for the system.
On the other hand, drinking herbal teas boosts your immune system, helps in reducing pain and soreness, improves your digestive system, helps in preventing chronic diseases and stimulates brain function.
And the best part of it is that it is calorie free thus one can easily consume up to 5-6 cups of herbal tea per day without worrying about the calorie intake. Some examples of herbal tea are Chamomile tea, Peppermint tea, Ginger tea, Green tea, Hibiscus tea, Echinacea tea, Sage tea, etc.
Consume seasonal fruits and vegetables as they are rich in Antioxidants
Eating seasonal fruits and veggies like pomegranates, plums, pears, carrots, radish etc is highly recommended as they extremely rich in antioxidants. It’s important for the body to eat seasonal fruits and veggies to get accustomed to the climate change and accordingly build up defense mechanisms to prevent one-self from falling sick. Moreover, your body is more likely to get essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from having seasonal foods.
Wash vegetables and fruits well before consumption
Fruits and vegetables are extremely susceptible to develop harmful bacteria during the monsoon season hence it becomes of utmost importance that they are washed thoroughly and then consumed. Stay away from consuming anything raw such as salads or even sprouts, eat something properly cooked instead. Steamed salads can be a preferred option if one is on weight loss regimes.
Avoid Street Food
The site of hot street food like onion pakodas, samosas, aloo bhajjis or for that matter bhelpuri and pani puri is extremely luring for one during monsoon but they can be breeding sites for harmful bacteria which may lead you to fall sick. Thus, keeping yourself away from street food is extremely important from the viewpoint of prevention of falling sick.
Though this advice might be difficult to follow, one can try compensating for it by making the same foods at home under hygienic conditions to prevent any kind of diseases yet enjoying the foods at the same time.
Happy Monsoon!!!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dt. Lavanya Bachwal is a Consultant Clinical Nutritionist and Diabetes Educator @ World Of Women Clinic. She also runs Your Diet Counsel, an initiative dedicated to educate people about the importance of nutrition. Dt. Lavanya can be consulted on yourdietcounsel@gmail.com.
ABOUT US: 3SqrMeals is a healthy food delivery service in Mumbai. Our mission is to break the myth that healthy food cannot be delicious. We encourage wholesome eating that includes a mix of Carbohydrate, Protein & Fat. But, also offer specific options in Keto Meals, Low Carb High Protein Meals, Zero Carb High Protein Meals, Balanced Meals etc. to suit varied dietary requirements.
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