Nutrition in the Monsoons

By M H Ahssan

Munira Kawad, sports nutritionist with Gold's gym and nutritionist Sneha Jain draw out a food chart that will enhance your health in the monsoon.

Haves
Salads:- People are a little wary of having salads in the monsoons but Munira insists that salads are a must in all seasons.As she says, "You must definitely not have salads outside but do have salads at home. Add a molecule of potassium pomegranate (easily available at any chemist) in water and wash the vegetables in that solution, rinse the vegetables with clean water again and you know that your salads are safe to consume."

Fruits: "Cherry and litchis are very good to have in the monsoons also have papayas and apples," affirms Munira.

Ginger, garlic: "In the monsoons the digestion is disturbed so you must incorporate foods that are good for digestion in your meals. Have ginger, onions, garlic, pepper and jeera," says Sneha.

Hot soups: Hot soups are recommended by both nutritionists as they give you nutrition and also taste yum and it's generally safer to have boiled liquids in themonsoons.

Have nots
No oily food - Munira says, "In the monsoons, people crave for oily food like pav wada and bhajiyas but it's a strict no-no, especially the ones available on the streets." Sneha insists that people must also avoid the roadside juices, golas, kulfis etc. Resist these to avoid all kind of water diseases."

Corn: "Most people love having corn in this season and it's available in plenty. But corn's sugar content is very, very high and hence one must avoid having corn or limit one's intake if one is watching one's weight," asserts Munira.

Mangoes and pineapples: Fruitis generally considered very good for humans. Though, Munira agrees with this she advises people to avoid having mangoes and pineapples. She says, "The sugar level in these fruits is very high and hence one must stay away or limit one's intake of mangoes and pineapples."

Avoid leafy vegetables: "One thing that one must avoid having is leafy vegetables, reason being that in monsoons there are lots of germs in leafy vegetables."