A Very Happy Monsoon to everyone!!!
Hope everyone of you is enjoying the delightful and refreshing showers after the scorching heat of summers. But along with the enjoyment, monsoon brings certain risks to our health. Sudden changes in the weather conditions and increased humidity actually reduces our immunity and digestive capability resulting in various infectious diseases like dengue, malaria, typhoid, viral fever and also diarrhea, dysentery, respiratory disorders,allergies etc.
In such situations, everyone around us becomes a Doctor and starts suggesting a number of remedies starting from “Doodh pinese cough hoga” to ” kiwi khanese platelets badhega”. So, let us get acquainted with some clinically proven healthy tips which will actually help each one of us in coping with this change.
Hygiene stands first and foremost when it comes to avoid infections:
1. Avoid outside and especially street food to avoid food borne illness. Eating raw and cold foods like salads, fruit plates, fruit juices, cold sandwiches may aggravate the risk of infection.
2. Thorough washing of fruits and vegetables with warm water
3. Roots like carrot, beetroot,yam should be consumed in cooked form,
4. Always consume fresh and hot food, Avoid stale or cold, refrigerated food
5.Always consume purified water.
Next are the foods which we must consume to increase immunity:
Water: Drink minimum 3 Liters of water as water helps to flush off infectious agents from our system. One can also consume coconut water, lemon juice, barley water. But fruit juices, sugary drinks and caffeinated beverages should be avoided as it aggravates the thirst even more. Hydrotherapy also has a significant role in improving platelet count. Herbal tea/ Green tea:
Green tea is rich source of anti-oxidants thus significantly improves immunity. Herbal tea rich in clove, cardamom, ginger,lemon grass improves digestion, reduces nausea, vomiting and also great for soar throat.
Fruits and Vegetables:
In rainy season, one should focus on consumption of vitamin C and Vitamin A rich fruits like Oranges, pineapple, papaya, amla, green apples, peaches, plums, litchees etc. There is not a single specific fruit like kiwi or dragon fruit which will miraculously increase platelets, Adequate hydration and high protein diet plays a significant role.
Green leafy vegetables, gourds, capsicums, yams,pumpkins etc. should be consumed in plenty. Vegetable soups, broths, boiled or grilled veggies, steamed or saute salads should be chosen over raw or cold salads. Onions and Garlic has many anti-microbial properties and should be liberally used in all preparations,
Eat your proteins:
Milk and Milk products will give a good quality proteins, B complex vitamins, calcium and should be consumed regularly. Only in the case of stomach upsets or loose motions, Milk should be avoided.
Curd and buttermilk are good probiotics and help to maintain gut health. In the case of frequent cough and cold one can consume traditional haldi with milk as “curcumin” present in haldi is best anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agent.
Any kind of animal proteins like egg, fish, chicken should be properly cleaned and cooked well in order to avoid the risk of infections.Chicken broths, grilled fish, grilled chicken can be the best options.
Spices and Condiments:
Ginger, Garlic, asafoetida (Hing) are best to relieve stomach distress. Always have tea with dry ginger powder to reduce cough and cold. Mint also has amazing benefits against nausea, indigestion, headache etc. and can be used in tea, soups and also various curries and chutneys.
Exercise:
Outdoor exercise like running, jogging, walking may not be possible in rainy season but one should not miss exercising. Swimming, Zumba, Yog or functional exercises can be good options. Be physically active through out the season as lethargy is likely to be built and can affect our enthusiasm and zeal.
And Last but no the least…. Enjoyy rains and greenery with trekkings, hikings which will refresh you from daily grind
HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND HAPPENING MONSOON….
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