After four months of blistering summer heat, the monsoon season is a pleasant relief however, the rainy season also brings with it a slew of health issues.
In addition to seasonal colds, flu and typhoid, mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and stomach infections are common during the monsoon season.
As a result, throughout the season, one should consider the quick transmission of viruses and illnesses while planning their diet. at Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Kolkata, advised everyone to frame their monsoon-special diet wisely and incorporate the following tips in diet plan to build immunity and stay healthy and happy:
•Leafy vegetables along with broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower should be avoided during monsoon unless thoroughly cleaned and cooked. The humidity in the weather and the natural dampness in the leafy veg make it the perfect breeding ground for germs.
Instead, add vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, okra, and radish along with gourds like bottle gourd, bitter gourd, ash gourd, ridge gourd, and snake gourd, to your diet during monsoon. Adding these veggies liberally to your regular diet plan aids to foster good gut health and immune activity.
Avoid buying chopped fruits from roadside stalls in the monsoon. Seasonal fruits like jamun, pears, plum, cherries, peaches, papaya, apples, sweet lemon or musambi, and pomegranates should be bought whole and properly washed before consumption.
These fruits are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre and provide health-boosting antioxidants that reduce a person’s risk of heart disease, cancer and inflammation and help to fight infection and maintains a healthy immune system
Drink plenty of water, warm soups, broths, and herbal teas during the monsoon season since the humidity frequently leads to dehydration. Avoid drinking tap water from unidentified sources and instead purchase sealed packaged water. Consuming water from roadside stalls can lead to diarrhoea and stomach infections.
When eating fried foods, it is advisable to prepare them at home rather than purchase them from roadside stalls as they are high in trans fats
Aim to always eat freshly prepared food and avoid raw salad.
Whole spices, such as cloves, garlic, ginger, pepper, and cinnamon, are known to have antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties, so including them in one’s diet has many advantages.
The risk of water contamination is high during this season, which makes fish and seafood vulnerable carriers of infections. Hence, it is best to refrain from eating seafood during the monsoon.