A Perfect Monsoon with Perfect Food – Food for Rainy Season.

I love the rain and everything about the monsoons

The spirit of this season and the rhythm of nature form the rhythm of life, which is joy in itself. Pours all the time, feeling the thrill from mid June to mid September.

The cool atmosphere by the rain and the cold wind amplifies Vata dosha in the body. On the other hand , hot steam released when the water falls on the heated earth , heated up during previous season shoots pitta dosha in the body.

Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, muddy smell and the taste of your favorite food during monsoon.

But monsoon do bring certain health risks .Our body is more susceptible to health issues due to reduced immunity during monsoon.

The humidity in the atmosphere is usually high in this season, as a result the body’s digestive capacity goes down. The food needs to be light and easily digestible.

Eating should be limited to twice a day. Don’t force yourself to eat if you are not hungry.

Rice , moong dal , kichadi , fulkas made from the wheat flour , bakari made from the jawar.Any grains used are best if stored for an year and then consumed. It is not advisable to use freshly harvested grains.

Among pulses and lentils , moong dal , tur dal and horse gram are the best. Having a warm dal soup would be the best recipe in this cold weather.

Vegetables that are easy to digest like cucumber, bitter gourd, bottle gourd can be used regularly.

Good to avoid green leafy vegetables during this season.

Spices that helps digestion like cumin , asafetida, dry coriander , cinnamon , curry leaves , ginger , garlic , kokam etc such masala mixtures should be used in appropriate quantity when making vegetable dishes and soups.

It is good to eat fresh green chutney made from green coriander , mint , lemon and fresh coconut during meals. This gives a good taste and helps digestion.

It is also good to take pickle made from ginger , fresh turmeric , lemon during meals.

After Lunch , it is good to take fresh buttermilk with dry ginger powder and black salt.

Since the digestive capacity is low during this season , keep the use of raw food items to a minimum.

Amongst fruits – Apple , sweet lime, Papaya, pomegranate etc may be eaten in moderate quantity.

It is good to eat dry fruits including dry dates, raisins and 3-4 almonds soaked in water overnight.

The sweet rasa helps to reduce both vata and pitta dosha, hence one can eat sweet items during this season but be sure that the sweet preparation is light to digest like Sweet rice with saffron, sheera made from wheat or rava , kheer made from rice or wheat , coconut barfi, moongdal payasam and similar light sweets can be included in moderate for lunch.

For dinner , it is best to take moong dal khichadi , liquid rice , soups made from moong dal or horse gram beans and similar food items that are very light and easy to digest.

Food to be Avoided:

Foods that are heavy to digest and oily foods are to be avoided. Refrain from eating red millet , corn, barley.

Avoid kidney beans , channa dal , pawta beans.

Avoid naturally sour foods like tamarind , tomatoes and lime in your diet as it promotes water retention.

Taking cold drinks , cold water , curd , paneer and heavy sweets are best avoided.

Enjoy monsoon by choosing the right , light and delicious food.