Mind your diet and habits during monsoon

Monsoon is the time when the earth cools down after the blazing summer. When the weather changes drastically it is important to alter our dietary plans as well to stay healthy and fit during the rains. Our ancestors had great knowledge about the right food that had to be consumed during each season to ensure that our body keeps up with the changing climatic conditions. It could be because of this incredible awareness about the human body and its nutritional requirements that most of them were able to keep away ‘lifestyle’ diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, cancer, heart ailments and obesity.

Here are some tips to maintain an ideal diet and healthy body during the monsoon season.

Cooking regimen

Consume only cooked food and drink boiled water to avoid diarrhoea and indigestion that are rife during monsoon season.

Boiling and steaming, which constitutes a major part of the Kerala cuisine, should be done below the boiling point to prevent the loss of essential nutrients from the food items. The water which is used to cook pulses or lentils can also be used while cooking curries and soups.

Soaking grains in water for too long or washing rice so many times may take away the nutrients from it. To prevent indigestion, it is better to have kanji (rice porridge) as it provides nourishment. Rice porridge must be prepared in medium heat with required quantity of water.

The nutritional quality of the paddy and wheat grains increases significantly with time, and there will be changes in its chemical structures when they are cooked to perfection. As per the Ayurvedic texts, it is good for health if rice from old paddy is cooked, along with lentil dal fried in ghee, during the rainy season. Similarly, wheat grains or barley malt can be cooked.

Salty and sour soups and curries too are store houses of essential nutrients that can provide great nourishment during the rainy season. But it is advisable to avoid meat and other non-vegetarian food during this time. In other words, any food that causes indigestion and acidity should be shunned.

Take warm food

It is important to consume warm food in moderate quantity. Hot soup with a dash of dried ginger will warm you up. Vegetarians can try out mixed vegetable soup or a bowl of lentil dal gravy.

Use clean and boiled drinking water. Avoid drinking directly from rivers or other water sources.

Herbal nutrition

Ayurveda advices to consume self-generating alcohol like herbal concoctions or arishtam in moderate quantity during rainy season. The alcohol content in these would be much less as it is prepared organically using herbal extracts. Mixing herbs like thuvarchilayuppu and panchkolam in drinking water is advisable.

The monsoon diet should also include chennelu, navaranellu, padolam, wheat, barley, green gram, honey, gooseberries and grapes.

It is important to keep a check on the food intake to keep away rheumatic attack which is common in monsoon. In the olden times, herbs such as karinkurinji, kurunthotti, putharichunda root, nannari kizhangu (Indian Sarsaparilla), thazhuthama root, moovila root and nilappana kizhangu, which were available in abundance, would be soaked in water and then ground into a fine paste along with cumin and coriander. This herbal paste mixed with raw rice porridge was the ideal breakfast which would provide all the essential nutrients and nourishment. These herbs help in cleansing the blood and keep away rheumatic fever.

Herbal porridge made with raw rice and fenugreek and mixed with a fine paste of herbs like illamketti, puthrichunda root, cumin, coriander, turmeric and coconut is a healthy food which should be consumed during the monsoon.

Honey helps

Ample doses of honey should be included in your daily diet when you are forced to stay inside for days due to the torrential rains. Consuming honey during monsoon would help to keep the metabolism of your body intact.

Shun a few habits

Though rains are conducive for good sleep, try to skip your regular afternoon nap. Avoid walking in the drizzle and always use footwear when you walk outside during the monsoon. Do not indulge in tiring jobs for so long. It may not be good for your health to enjoy the little sunshine that may make an appearance for a short while during the rains. You should be extra cautious while bathing in rivers as chances of drowning and accidents are more during the monsoon. 

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