FOOD & HEALTH

Photo Credits- Robin Stickel

SOME FOODS TO AVOID DURING MONSOONS

B y S u n i l M a l h o t r a S t o c k I m a g e s

The strong craving for some hot and delicious food takes on another meaning during the monsoons. But there are some foods you need to avoid having in this season as they may be detrimental to your well-being. Monsoon does bring about great relief from the scorching heat of summer but is also a ground for numerous health problems. These hurdles can be easily overcome if you stay a little cautious and conscious of certain things like maintaining cleanliness at home and try and disinfect anything brought into the house to make sure that you eat right. Foods susceptible to bacteria, deep fried foods and most of the street foods should be avoided. Some of the foods you should definitely try and avoid as much as possible include:

Seafood Seafoods like fish and prawns should be avoided during monsoons. Reason?? Well there are basically two very important reasons. Firstly the presence of pathogens and bacteria in the water during rains are prone to infect the fish thereby the one who is consuming it. Secondly several harmful changes occur during this breeding season.

Leafy Vegetables The humidity and the temperature of the monsoon season are helpful in fugal and bacterial growth, more so on green leafy vegetables. This again leads to many stomach infections, so you should consciously avoid having them. You should go more for the pungent vegetables like bitter gourd, toree, tinda etc; during this risky period. Spicy and Fried Foods It is quite normal to want to have certain fried foods like samosas, pakodas etc; during the ongoing rainy season but you must have it once in a while and that too should be in small quantities as an excess consumption may lead to several problems with your stomach like diarrhoea ,indigestion etc;.So it is advisable to restrict yourself from overheating to avoid these problems.

Raw Foods Eating of raw foods is like an entry without visa to all the pathogens present to take a heavy toll on your health with viral and bacterial infection. Cooking your meals properly kill all the harmful bacteria, so make sure you cut down on eating raw foods during monsoons.

Curd: Consuming curd during monsoo due to the curd’ s cool nature could prove to be harmful to your body. People suffering from sinus should religiously stay away from this dairy product.

Fizzy Drinks Due to the humidity and sweating during this season you often feel dehydrated and to hydrate yourself you should always prefer having plenty of water. Avoid having Fizzy drinks as they reduce the minerals in your body and weaken your digestive system.

Keep in mind that street foods sold in the open with no precautionary measures in place and even things growing in damp environments like the mushroom must be avoided to the betterment of your health.

Photo by Julia Volk

IMMUNITY BOOSTERS FOR MONSOON SEASON

B y S u n i l M a l h o t r a S t o c k I m a g e s

The biggest concern for everyone today is boosting immunity. There are innumerable ways to boost your immunity ,right from immunity boosting drinks to regular exercise to raise your levels of immunity although having selected healthy foods is the way to go. We all anxiously wait for the monsoon season providing us with relief from the heat but unfortunately at the same time the monsoons bring with it a number of pathogens that take a toll on our immunity thereby leading us more prone to cold, infections and flu. It therefore becomes all the more important to take precautions to prevent these disease carrying pathogens to hit us. We here within suggest some of the immunity boosting foods that you can incorporate in your diet:

Low-fat Yogurt Yogurt n general is full of vitamins and minerals which are beneficial to help improve your overall health. Yogurt can be instrumental in boosting your immunity because of the good bacteria and Probiotics present.

Broccoli It is considered to be a power food that has a solid nutritional value. Packed with potassium, magnesium, selenium and iron, this wonderful vegetable contains protein, vitamins A,C,E,K and is known to be rich in fibre. It is also full of a range of B vitamins including frolic acid.

It is strongly advised that avoid fried, spicy, outside foods during the monsoon season and take precautions at all times to maintain your good health. Pomegranates The traditional old saying of ‘Ek Anar Sau Bimaar ’ works the other way round in this case, ‘Sau Bimaar Ek Anar ’ yes, Pomegrenate (Anar) which is rich in vitamin C and fibre helps in restoring energy and boosting your immunity. Pomegranate is full of vitamin C and antioxidants and has immense health benefits.it is a great immunity booster, fights type 2 diabetes, keeps blood pressure in control and smoothens digestion.

Watermelon It is a delicious, refreshing fruit that is healthy for you. Although it is 92% water, it has antioxidants that go a long way to protect your cells. Watermelon is rich in vitamins A,B,C and lycopene which help shield you from UV rays. All these nutrients combined reduce the risk of infection during this season.

Spinach Although it is a general conception that one should avoid green leafy vegetables during monsoon because of the harmful germs they may carry but spinach, well washed, is one of the most beneficial of green vegetables for your good health. Make doubly sure that it is properly washed and cleansed. It is full of beta carotene and antioxidants both of which help increase the infection-fighting capabilities of our immune system.

It is strongly advised that avoid fried, spicy, outside foods during the monsoon season and take precautions at all times to maintain your good health. Beet root Indigestion is a very common occurrence with most people during monsoons. The consumption of beetroot essentially helps in the process of digestion, weight loss and helps build your immunity at the same time. People with hair and skin problems also benefit a great deal as beetroot improves haemoglobin levels.