Food Precautions during Monsoon Season

Food Precautions during Monsoon Season:

The rainy months bring a host of health problems like indigestion, food poisoning and other infections.

 The immune and digestive system is highly affected by the dampness and humidity of the weather.

Health problems related to food and water are always at a rise during this season. The body can be kept healthy by eating the right kind of food during monsoons.

Water borne and air borne diseases takes its extreme turn during this season.  Thus, it becomes really important for all of you to be really cautious about your diet. It is always better to have foods that are ideally prepared at home. Monsoon is the season when you would like to consume something tasty and spicy. Normally people have such food stuffs from the streets. But, this is the most wrong decision they take during this season.

This is the season where the body and especially the digestive system are most prone to infections. Important to follow a healthy diet during this season.

Here are some Dos and Don’ts for a safe monsoon season:

Don’ts:

1)      Skip eating outside

Avoid eating Street foods like Pani Puri, bhel puri, sandwiches and pakoras may seem very tempting during this season but they contain bacteria that may cause indigestion and stomach infections.

2)      Avoid Raw foods:

Ø  Avoid eating any kind of raw foods or cut fruits during the rains, as they might have accumulation of germs on them, which can also lead to food poisoning.

Ø  Do not buy cut fruits and vegetables from the market or even eat salads in places where large scale cooking is done like in parties and restaurants.

Ø  Meats and other raw material must be washed carefully in water before cooking.

3)      No water from outside:

Ø  Don’t drink water from outside. Most of the water-borne diseases like dysentery, cholera, are caused due to impure water. Street golas, juices and kulfi should be avoided during the monsoons.

Ø  If filtered water is not possible take coconut water or mineral water.

4)      Restrict Fish products:

Avoid fish, unless it’s fresh

Be careful about the fish and prawns you consume during the monsoons, since it is their breeding season. You may end up with a stomach infection. Avoid raw fish this season.

Do’s:

1)       Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables:

            Consume Green leafy vegetables & coloured veggies: Include lots of green and coloured vegetables in your diet. They have a good amount of nutrients that will keep you fit during this season.

2)         Washing fruits and Vegetable:

Ø  Make sure that you wash all your vegetables with warm water or with salt to get rid of the accumulated dirt. You can blanch the vegetables to disinfect them from germs and bacteria.

Ø  Cooked food must be refrigerated as doom as possible after cooking. Leftover food should be kept covered and must be consumed soon.

Ø  Wash your hands while you handle the food items.

3)       Stay hydrated:

Ø  Boil your drinking water and put chloride in it (for one litre of water put 3-4 drops of chloride) to kill the harmful micro-organisms and other impurities, which might cause diseases

Ø  Consume tea and coffee with herbal drinks like jasmine tea, chamomile tea or green tea. It keeps you healthy and builds up your resistance to fight against infections.

4)      Seasonal fruits & bitter veggies are good:

Ø  A variety of seasonal fruits like pomegranates, plums, litchis, pears and vegetables like carrots, radish and fenugreek etc. can be part of your diet

Ø  Avoid watermelon or mangoes during this season.

Ø  Bitter vegetables like bitter gourd and herbs like neem and haldi (turmeric) contain antioxidants and medicinal properties that prevent you from infections.

Ø  Lentils, chickpeas, oats and corn are the safest option during rains.

5)      Home cooked meals Preferred:

Ø  Light home cooked foods prevent the body from several water and food borne diseases and boost the energy level in the body.

Ø  Large quantity of fruits and vegetables should not be stored in the fridge and they tend to rot in a day or two.

Ø  Moderately hot food consumed instead of cool and too hot food .One can have  hot foods like soup and cooked meals instead of cold and raw foods.

6)      Take care in storage of food:

Ø  Lentils and other food grains must be stored in dry places as there can be growth of fungus when stored in damp places.

Ø  Cover all seeds and grains with anti-bacterial and antifungal properties during the monsoon.

Ø  Foods should not be without the lid as it attracts bugs.

7)       Homemaderemedies for cold and coughs:

           For you are having cold and cough, boil water with dry ginger for immediate relief.