Monsoon is in full swing throughout the country. This season can be enjoyable provided we know what to eat and what to avoid. Apart from precautions we take about drinking water, a good diet is also essential to remain healthy through the monsoon season. This might mean you have to give up your palak curry, seafood, salads, and of course street food. But, worry not, for you have plenty of options to choose from among the typical monsoon foods that you won’t get in other seasons. A variety of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and many more foods that you can eat, and there are others that you should avoid.
What to Eat?
Eat only fresh cooked foods at home. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated as monsoons can be humid as well. Include spices like turmeric, black pepper, and cloves in your food as that can help with immunity to fight infections. Consume seasonal fruits, as they also provide protection, fruits can be cherries, jamun, pears, fresh dates, pomegranates, etc. Also, include natural probiotics products like curd, and buttermilk to aid digestion as digestive disorders are common during monsoon. Apart from this, eating colourful fruits and vegetables is good for health. Apart from these, there are some monsoon special foods such as a variety of mushrooms available in different parts of India. Singhara or water chestnuts are another special aquatic food available in North India during this time, which can be consumed. Please note that the monsoon mushrooms grow close to the ground and are a risk, but they are available during this season only. Hence, if you want to eat, please clean them thoroughly.
What to Avoid?
While having greens is a good way to maintain health in other seasons, it is better to give up for a month or two during monsoons. Most greens that grow close to the soil such as Palak, Methi, etc. are prone to attract more germs, bacteria, and fungi during this time due to humid, wet weather. Even, if we clean them thoroughly, these foods can prove to be risky, hence it is better to avoid them. If you want to eat greens, try Arbi leaves as they grow higher as shrubs, and are considered a special monsoon delicacy in a few parts of India. The same principle applies to cruciferous foods such as cauliflower, cabbage, etc. that grow close to the ground.
Also, avoid eating raw foods like salads during monsoon and stick to cooked foods only. Raw vegetables too may be carrying more germs and viruses in the monsoon. Hence, avoid eating them raw. Sea foods are best avoided during this time, as the water gets more contaminated and can affect fish. Eating contaminated fish can give you trouble. Additionally, this is also breeding season for many fishes and it causes changes in them that can cause harm.
Monsoons are best coveted for the various pakoras/bhajiyas, eaten hot with a steaming cup of tea. However, indulging once in a while is okay, as it’s best to avoid spicy and oily foods during monsoon. Avoid fizzy drinks as they tend to dehydrate us. Instead, stick to natural drinks made at home like nimbu paani or jal jeera, as they can help with Vitamin C to fight infections and also improve digestion.
Avoiding too much consumption of dairy products in monsoon is good as our digestive system becomes a bit sensitive during this time. So you might have to control your craving for paneer.
Overall, if we pay attention to what we eat, and take personal safety precautions monsoon can also be an enjoyable season. Please do not forget to get your daily dose of exercise, even if indoors.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
20th July 2023