Contributed by: Healthians Team
Introduction
Monsoon in India has finally arrived, providing the much-needed respite from the scorching heat and humidity of the summer.
However, monsoon rains are also the breeding season for viruses and bacteria to thrive.
The risk of allergies, digestive issues, and water-borne infections increases during this time.
Furthermore, food is easily contaminated by hazardous viruses and bacteria, which, once inside the human body, can cause a variety of diseases such as indigestion, cholera, diarrhoea, and jaundice.
Other common problems include gastrointestinal infections, gastroenteritis, viral fever, throat infection, cold, cough, flu, and vomiting.
The prevention
There are several food cravings during the monsoon season. Although people wish to enjoy the season with a cup of tea, pakoras, and samosas, the rainy season also regrettably brings with it a number of health issues.
Because the rainy season has an effect on our immune system, we must be particularly cautious about what we eat and drink at this time.
One of the primary reasons that several prevalent monsoon diseases enter our bodies is a weakened immune system. A nutritious diet is essential for optimum health:
- Avoid drinking contaminated water because it might cause digestive disorders such as diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, and others.
- Consumption of cut fruits should be avoided since the damp environment promotes numerous types of bacterial infections. It is recommended that you stick to high-quality fresh-cut fruits and juices made at home.
- Deep-fried foods like vada-pav and samosas should be avoided because they might cause stomach discomfort and other gastrointestinal disorders.
- Avoid drinking carbonated drinks because they damage the digestive tract and deplete nutrients.
- Limit sour foods like tamarind and pickles since they retain water, making the body bloated and increasing weight gain.
The treatment
Though the monsoon season poses numerous health hazards, there are some simple precautions you can take to ensure you enjoy the wet season to the utmost.
Including nutritional meals, avoiding junk food, and maintaining an active lifestyle can have a significant impact on your overall health.
Here are a few simple nutrition ideas to help you stay healthy throughout the rainy season:
Consume plenty of fluids
Fluid consumption naturally drops during the monsoon, but daily requirements should be maintained because many internal functions employ fluids in the body to rid the body of pollutants, especially during the monsoon.
Drinking plenty of boiled, safe water throughout the day will increase immunity and keep you hydrated.
It improves the appearance of the skin and eliminates harmful pollutants from the body.
Kadha, herbal tea, soups, and other nutritious mixtures, juices, buttermilk, and so on can help improve digestion, detoxify, and increase immunity against diseases.
Consume nutritional fruits and vegetables
Consuming clean, safe seasonal fruits such as apples, peaches, plums, cherries, jamuns, pomegranates, bananas, and cucumbers can provide the critical elements needed to develop immunity and protect against disease.
Bitter gourd, snake gourd, arbi, yam, sweet potato, corn, bottle gourd, and other similar products should be included.
These foods are high in vitamin A, C, fibre, and antioxidants, and can help you stay energised throughout the day.
Eat light food
The gut health is compromised during the rainy season, thus it is critical to eat light, readily digestible foods to avoid any gut-related health issues.
Eating home-cooked meals like dal, rice, oatmeal, khichdi, soup, and so on can help you keep your digestive system healthy.
Corn, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, unsalted almonds, plain yoghurt, chickpeas, oats, and other readily available foods can help satisfy hunger while also providing nutrition.
Add prebiotic and probiotic foods
The inclusion of these healthy microorganisms can be a great option for the monsoon.
Probiotics such as yoghurt, buttermilk, kefir, and pickled veggies aid in helping to keep your gut clean.
They encourage the growth of good bacteria in the gut that fight against the bad bacteria and thus protect your system from the disease-causing bacteria.
Add spices, herbs, and nuts to your diet
Spices and herbs have several medical effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and immunity-boosting characteristics.
Turmeric, tulsi, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices improve the immune system and strengthen the body’s defences against viruses.
Many nuts and seeds are high in nutrients such as healthy fats, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Adopt healthy practices
In addition to eating healthily, it’s important to regularly wash your hands, store food in airtight containers, use clean, dry spoons for spices, properly clean kitchen utensils and related items, keep a clean kitchen, and throw away waste.
These simple yet important habits can contribute to your family’s well-being this holiday season.
Adopt hand hygiene and healthy cooking practices
Before eating fruits and veggies, make sure you wash your hands. When buying the food, any form of imperfection and cut should be avoided.
Additionally, all fruits and vegetables need to be stored at the proper temperature to prevent bacterial or fungal growth.
Final thoughts
The body can prevent many illnesses by maintaining a high immunity. Any time the seasons change, the immunity declines as a result of the body adjusting to the alterations in the atmosphere.
A naturally immune person is less likely to be harmed by diseases and has a higher probability of recovery.
One method to boost natural immunity is to eat well. Consume plant-based foods high in nutrients, such as broccoli and garlic, as well as vitamins C and D, zinc, iron, and protein supplements.
Moreover, you should also frequently opt for preventive health screening. It provides you with vital insights into your health, allowing you to take necessary measures to improve it.
