Tips on Food stuffs to avoid in the Monsoon.

Hello all, the reason for writing this post is… The monsoon has just started, and I have already started seeing patients, friends, relatives suffering from monsoon illnesses like – fever, cold cough, loose motions, typhoid etc.

Rainy season is a beautiful weather, it brings happiness and joy all around. It brings in the all-important water – which is the basic need for growth. The trees become greener, the lakes get filled up, and the rivers start flowing faster. But along with this beautiful growth spurt, there is also an increased growth opportunities for flies, mosquitoes, bacteria, viruses and other germs.

The green vegetables which are healthier in winter season, becomes risky in monsoons, as they get spoiled very fast and lead to bacterial growth. The fruits get spoiled very fast, and show bacterial growth. Bread/sweets start showing fungal growth before their expiry dates. The non-vegetarian food also gets spoiled very fast. So food which are okay to consume in other weather, should be avoided in the Monsoon.

Keeping in mind all these things I’m giving you a list of things you should avoid eating in the Rainy season.

• Raw/uncooked things – sandwich, sev puri, bhel, dahi puri, chutneys, subway sandwiches, salads, outside juices.
• Raw green veggies – coriander raw on anything – e.g. poha, sev puri. Also leafy veggies like Spinach, cauliflower, Broccoli should be avoided as they contain lot of germs. If well cleaned and home-made – then it’s fine. But completely avoid it in restaurants – No palak dosa, spinach soups, salad, and raita.
• Avoid fruits which get spoiled easily – Mango, strawberry, jack fruit, kiwi, grapes, cherries, pineapple, and custard apple. Similarly avoid the ice creams of these fruits, fruit cakes are really bad,
• Fruits you can have – banana, apple, Papaya, orange, mosambi, peru, pear, watermelon.
• Avoid outside food completely if possible, or at least eat max once a week. Those who have habit of evening snacks, shift to safer options (packed food – so less bacteria) like – biscuits, wafers, khakra, farsan, fruits, moong daal, green tea.
• If at all you have to eat outside – order that is hot – dosa, utappa, pav bhaji, sabji, daal rice. Avoid chutneys, salads, masala papad, chaas, dahi, lassi, and milkshakes in hotels. (milk & milk products are source of germs)
• Ice freezes the germs and doesn’t kill them. So ice is a big source of germs. So no Golas, juices with ice, even fruit flavoured ice-creams.
• Water is another big source of germs. If possible drink boiled water only. (Boiled water is better than filtered water) do not drink water from anywhere. Make sure the glasses and bottles are cleaned regularly. If there is water logging in your area nearby, strictly use boiled water. Many a times this water logging gets mixed with our drinking water and causes typhoid, loose motions etc.
• Avoid colored foods/ food with essence – red velvet cakes, artificial color, Chinese, pav bhaji or Punjabi sabji with added color, fancy desserts etc.
• Bread and pav should be restricted because they get spoiled easily in this weather.
• People going for treks – should drink clean water, avoid outside food, be hydrated, road side vadapav sounds yummy but they are very unhygienic.

If you follow these basic do’s and don’ts you will have a healthy, disease free Rains.

Extra precaution needs to be taken of – children, elder people, pregnant females, patients with Diabetes, Kidney disease etc.

You may also read the next post – Health Tips for Monsoon trips.

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• Child Health series.
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Dr. Hitesh P. Fariya              Hitaarth Clinic               Homeopathy.Diet.Counselling

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