How to Stay Healthy During Monsoon? 5 Tips and 5 Foods to keep Doctor Away!

Monsoon is splendid, gorgeous, gorgeously destructive, but it brings a plethora of illnesses with it. Cold, flu, viral fever, skin infections, malaria, diarrhoea, and jaundice are just a few to name.

So how do you stay safe during this season of sniffles and sneezes? It’s very simple, with a mix of prevention and powerful immune-boosting foods.

Here, we’ll tell you monsoon health tips to prevent common illnesses, top 5 foods to boost your immunity naturally, some home remedy dos and don’ts, and why stress makes you fall sick faster.

Common Health Risks During Monsoon Season

The monsoon season brings many health risks. But the common ones include the following.

• Contaminated water (hello, diarrhea).
• Mosquitoes (Dengue & Malaria’s besties)
• Fungal & bacterial infections (all thanks to humidity).
• Weakened immunity (your body’s defense goes low while invaders go high).

Primary Precautions to Take in This Season

Here are some precautions to take during the monsoon season.

Drink Water

Always drink purified water. If you don’t have water purifier, just boil the water for at least 1 minute. Do this especially if you have kids or elders!

Don’t Wear Damp or Dirty Clothes

I know clothes don’t dry easily in monsoon, but whatever you do just DO NOT wear dirty clothes. Fungal and Bacterial skin infection are rampant in the rainy season, and what better way to invite them other than wearing damp-dirty clothes!

Wet clothes = breeding ground for fungi.

Always wear clean, sun-dried clothes. Iron them if they’re not drying fully.

Take Care of Mosquitoes

These little buggers don’t just bite, they are also vectors of parasites and viruses that cause Dengue, Malaria and what not! So, don’t let water collect in plant pots, drains, or old containers. Use natural mosquito repellents and keep your surroundings clean.

Cook Fresh & Store Smart

Homemakers and especially cooks have to be very careful with procuring only the freshest of ingredients, cleaning them right, cooking them properly and, storing them at the right temperatures. Do practice food safety and hygienic handling of foods.

Also rampant these days is food fungus/mold. To avoid mold formation avoid buying in bulk, use processed/packaged foods before expiry dates, store fresh produce in airy and sunny place and store perishables in the refrigerator!

• Avoid street food during rains.
• Always wash vegetables and cook food thoroughly.
• Don’t bulk-buy perishable items. Mold and fungus grow fast in damp weather.

How Monsoon Weakens Immunity and How to Fix It?

Immunity is our body’s ability to fight any disease causing infections. It is made of different cells like B cells, T cells, Natural Killer cells, Macrophages etc.

During monsoon, your immune system fights viruses, bacteria, fungi, and even parasites, all at once and our immune system is overwhelmed fighting them all. This constant stress depletes essential nutrients like Vitamin C, Zinc, etc.

These are vital for immune cell function. When you’re low on them, even a small virus can knock you out for a week!

Top 5 Immunity-Boosting Foods to Eat in Monsoon

Now that we know how this monsoon season weakens immunity, here are the top 5 foods that will help your immune system fight those infections.

Indian Gooseberry (Amla)

Amla has 20x more Vitamin C than oranges. It boosts your white blood cells and strengthens your immune system.

Amla juice, Amla Preserve, Amla powder, Amla infused water, and even eaten as raw, in any form Amla is an extremely potent source of Immune Boosting and disease fighting nutrient, Vitamin C.

Yogurt (Dahi)

This delicious and smooth household resident is so high in protein, calcium, probiotics, and Zinc; it should get a superfood status already! 170 grams of plain yogurt provides approximately 11% of daily value of Zinc. It helps maintain gut health, which is directly linked to immunity.

In India, there exists a myth that one should not eat yogurt when you have cold as yogurt in itself is cold by nature so it will only make the symptoms worse! But that is not true. On the contrary, studies show that eating yogurt has been associated with decreasing the duration of cold. It also soothes the itching throat and the upset stomach.

Turmeric (Haldi)

We all know it, we have all drank it, the “Haldi ka Doodh (Turmeric Milk)” and our grandma’s claim that it heals cough and cold might actually be true!

Curcumin, the orange-yellow pigment in turmeric is a potent immunomodulatory agent. It is shown to modulate the growth as well as activation of various immune system cells. Not only that, even at low levels, curcumin is shown to increase antibody response.

In past 2 decades more than 3000 studies have been published investigating numerous health benefits of turmeric! Want to reap Haldi’s immune boosting benefits this rainy season? Just add a pinch or two to your warm glass of milk.

How to consume? Warm milk + 1 pinch turmeric + black pepper = Golden Immunity Milk.

You can also add it to curries, soups, or lentils (dal).

Holy Basil (Tulsi)

Holy basil, Tulsi or Queen of Herbs! It is known to be antibacterial, anti fungal and anti inflammatory. Not just that, it too has immunomodulatory quality. However it’s best quality is it assists body’s natural healing process. Which is why regular intake of tulsi leaves in the form of tea/concoction during rainy season has been an ancient practice.

Bonus, if you catch any fungal skin infection, apply juice of crushed tulsi leaves over it. It not only helps clear the infection, but also relieves the itch!

Garlic (Lahsun)

Garlic too is a powerful antifungal, antiviral and anti bacterial. The compound “Allicin” present in the Garlic is what gives it these properties. So, this rainy season do you need another reason to throw in some extra crushed cloves into your curry?

How to consume? Add crushed garlic to your curries or tadka. You can also chew 1 raw clove with honey (if you can.)

Wrapping Up

Prevention is better than prescription. Rainy season may be beautiful, but it also brings the risk of getting sick. With these monsoon health tips and 5 powerful immune-boosting foods in your daily routine, you can stay strong and sniffle-free! But if you do fall sick and symptoms are persistent, don’t just rely on home remedies. Do see a doctor!

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q. Can Stress Make You Catch a Cold?

Absolutely! Stress increases the hormone cortisol, which suppresses immune function. That’s why you’re more likely to fall sick.

Q. Should I avoid fruits during the rainy season?

No, just avoid pre-cut fruits from street vendors. Wash and eat fresh fruits at home.

Q. Can I drink cold water or buttermilk during monsoon?

Yes, if you’re otherwise healthy. But avoid it if you’re already experiencing cough or sore throat.

Q. Is it okay to give kids turmeric milk daily?

Yes, in moderation. Just 1/2 tsp in warm milk is beneficial and safe for kids.