With monsoon season arriving, the heat of the summers has finally cooled off. There is a drop in the mercury and everyone is loving it. And of course, looking forward to sipping a hot cup of tea as we watch the rains from our windows.
When the weather changes though, we need to make sure that we are well equipped, since a weather change always tends to bring in viral infections and our body needs to have a good shield through a strong immune system.
Let us look at the diet changes and the foods that need to be included to enjoy the season without having to compromise on our immunity.
Drink Herbal Tea
Everyone enjoys a cuppa during this season. But how about having your tea along with infusions that will work towards building your immunity?
Replacing regular tea with herbal tea is also a smart choice for the season. Regular tea can be infused with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
If you have herbal tea, make it with mint leaves, pepper corns, holy basil, and lemon grass. These can be easily sweetened with organic honey which will help you take care of your throat and improve immunity.
Avoid Raw Foods
Rainy season exposes raw produce likes fruits and vegetables to several micro-organisms so make it a point to wash the fruits and vegetables well.
Cooking will also ensure that the load of these harmful microorganisms is reduced.
Moreover, the digestive power is slow so its best to have warm, semi cooked preparations like sautee salad and warm soups as far as possible.
Consume Good Fats
As the weather changes and it starts getting cold, it’s important that you insulate well by having good fats in the diet.
Ghee, almonds, walnuts, and mixed seeds help you in building immunity and insulation.
Foods For Increased Humidity
Bitter foods like karela, lemon zest, orange zest, and kale will help your body handle the increased humidity in this weather.
Astringent foods like amla will also help deal with the humidity and the vitamin C will help you improve your immune health.
Keep Your Meals Light
Heavy meals are difficult to digest, especially the dinner. So keep your dinner as the lightest meal of the day, including more soups and sauteed vegetables, along with a light meal like khichadi or rice and dal.
Heavy meals or eating too much at one time will make it difficult to digest, so have small and frequent meals in place of large meals.
Hydrate Well
As the weather changes, the urge to have water decreases due to increased humidity.
But its very important, don't miss having 8-10 glasses of water in the day.
Signs of improper hydration include tiredness, fatigue, and confusion and could increase chances of urinary tract infections.
Don't Forget Your Daily Dose Of Probiotics
Probiotics present in buttermilk curd, rice kanji, and fermented vegetables will help the body increase the load of good bacteria, which in turn will build immunity, prevent acidity, or bloating.
Make sure you have one glass of buttermilk with a meal or in between it.
Include More Millets This Season
Millets like jowar, ragi, bajra, and kuttu are easy to digest, high in fiber, iron, and protein. You can make flour to prepare rotis, make porridge, or even cook it like khichadi.
Some Lifestyle Changes That'll Help Beat Humidity
Start The Day Right: The first thing which you consume in the morning as your day begins is of prime importance.
In this season, starting your day with amla candy, chawanprash, one teaspoon of ghee, or herbal tea is far better than just having plain coffee or tea.
You are giving your body a chance to nourish well. If you wish to have tea, consume it after a gap of half an hour.
Include Pranayama In Your Exercise Routine: Daily exercise in the form of walks, yoga, or light weight training will benefit in better digestion.
But apart from this, its important to practice pranayama for sure since it will clear your nasal passage, allow more oxygen uptake, and remove carbon dioxide.
This will in turn improve immunity and ensure better blood circulation.
Enjoy this season to the fullest without falling ill by following these simple tips!
(Avantii Deshpaande is a food science and nutrition expert with over 20 years of experience in the field. You can find her on Instagram at @nutritionist.avanti.)
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