Imagine you are sitting on the balcony and it's raining outside, you shut your eyes and feel the earthy fragrance with a cup of tea, what a beautiful feeling! Farmers in India rely on rains for their crops. But along with beautiful rain, monsoon also brings diseases like seasonal cold, flu, typhoid and mosquito-borne diseases like dengue. It is very important to keep oneself and one's family healthy as people tend to have lower immunity during the rainy season. The pandemic too, has taught us the importance of healthy eating and building immunity.
During monsoon, it is always advisable to eat home-cooked food and avoid eating outside. Apart from fried food, green leafy vegetables like cauliflower and spinach also must be avoided as monsoon is the breeding time of various microbes and bacteria that contaminate these vegetables.
A healthy meal for monsoon must include foods which are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. Here is the list of vegetables that that will keep you safe during the monsoon season:
1. Cucumber
This easy to grow vegetable is very beneficial for building immunity and keeps the body hydrated during monsoon season. It is rich in potassium, manganese, copper and Vitamin A, B, C and K that help your body in fighting against monsoon sickness. They can be added to salads, sandwiches and also infused in water.
2. Bottle Gourd
Bottle gourd aka lauki, is considered as one of the healthiest vegetables during monsoons. It is rich in dietary fibre that supports a healthy digestive system. Apart from being a good source of iron, Vitamin B and C, it is also a low-calorie veggie that can keep your stomach light after the meal.
3. Bitter Gourd
The easily available monsoon vegetable is considered more beneficial than spinach. It is loaded with minerals, Vitamin C and antioxidants which helps to protect you from seasonal diseases along with regulating blood sugar level.
4. Beetroot
Nothing is better than beetroot for improving hemoglobin levels. Since it is rich in manganese, fibre, Vitamin C, potassium and iron, adding it to your daily diet can have several health benefits like improved blood circulation and high immunity. It can be consumed as juice, soup, salad or chips.
5. Tomato
Tomato is found in almost every cuisine of the world. Eating tomatoes is a delicious way to stay healthy during monsoon as it can be added to a variety of dishes including sweet chutney and salads. They benefit our bodies greatly during the monsoon season as they are rich in Vitamin C, K and antioxidants.
6. Radish
Being rich in Vitamin C, radish boosts immunity and also helps in tissue repair and growth. Eating radish during monsoon can help you fight diseases like common colds and flu. The easily available vegetable also aids better digestion, hydration and blood pressure regulation. It can be cooked as a vegetable and also goes well with salad.
7. Pointed Gourd
Commonly-known as parwal, pointed gourd protects our body against liver diseases and has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. If you want to keep yourself safe from the common cold, make sure you include parwal in your regular diet.
8. Okra
Also known as ladyfinger, this tasty vegetable has many health benefits. It is loaded with Vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and magnesium. All these nutrients help in fighting against monsoon bacteria and improving immunity levels. It is easily available and can be also grown in your kitchen garden.
So, include these healthy vegetables in your daily diet to stay safe from monsoon diseases and enjoy the beautiful season.
