8 Simple yet Effective Diet Tips to Boost Your Immunity this Monsoon:
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Boost Your Intake of Vitamin C:
Monsoon develops an environment for bacteria and viruses to thrive. So, most of us suffer from viral infections, allergic reactions, fever, and other seasonal ailments during this season. Also, in the rainy season, the air contains more bacteria than any other time of the year. Boosting your immunity can help you stay healthy and avoid falling prey to various infections. And, increasing your intake of vitamin C is the simplest and most effective way to improve your immunity. Add citrus fruits, such as oranges, sprouts, fresh green vegetables, and other vitamin C food sources to your diet plan for the immune system strengthening this monsoon.
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Make it a Habit to Drink Ample Purified Water:
Often, we drink less quantity of water during the monsoon. However, to keep your body healthy, you need to stay hydrated by increasing your water intake. Water helps regulate the core temperature of your body. Good hydration levels can help improve the functioning of your nose and lungs. Moisture helps safeguard the broken membranes in your nasal passages, so infectious microorganisms fail to enter your body. Make sure that the water you drink is clean and purified, as water infections are prevalent in the monsoons. Carry a bottle of water wherever you go outdoors.
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Increase Your Intake of Probiotics:
The healthy microorganisms that thrive in your gut and digestive system and support your health are called probiotics. These probiotics improve your gut health and enhance your nutrient absorption capacity. So, try to improve your gut health by adding foods containing probiotics to your immunity boosting diet plan. Include curds, buttermilk, and yoghurt in your regular meals. This will not just make your digestive system healthy and strong, but also improve your immunity and prevent you from falling prey to the potential stomach infections in the monsoons.
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Take the Right Care When Eating Fruits and Vegetables:
While it is always healthy to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to keep immune system disorders and seasonal diseases at bay, you need to exercise the right care while eating them in the monsoon. When you are eating outdoors in the rainy season, choose to eat clean and freshly cooked foods. Avoid going for raw-cut salads and fruits from street vendors, as you never know the quality of water used to wash the fruits and vegetables. When eating at home, scrub the vegetables and fruits under running water to get rid of the germs present on their skin.
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Spice Up Your Diet:
Spices not only add flavour to your food but also helps enhance the functioning of your immune system, which helps keep various immune system disorders at bay. So, spice up your meals and immunity boosting diet plan with herbs and spices, such as turmeric, garlic, pepper, and ginger. You may also have spiced tea. Another simple way to have immune-boosting spices is by adding tiny slices of freshly cut ginger to the lemon water and drinking it the first thing in the morning.
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Say No To Junk Food:
You may feel tempted to eat delicious street food in the monsoons, but it is wise to avoid it. In the rainy season, the roads are full of potholes brimming with mud and water. This provides an ideal environment for all sorts of harmful microorganisms. The street food and freshly cut fruits at the street vendors are exposed to the open air for long hours. So, these street foods are more likely to become home to harmful microbes. This is why, when you relish junk food in the monsoons, your chances of falling sick, experiencing diarrhoea, or stomach infection increase. Instead, have a light homemade meal, or a bowl of hot, home-cooked daal khichdi. You can also substitute rice with amaranth (i.e. rajgira) or whole jowar (sorghum) when following a diet plan for immune system boosting.
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Limit Seafood:
If you are fond of eating plenty of seafood, consuming it in the monsoon might prove a little harsh on you. This is because, in the rainy season, the risk of water contamination is quite high and the fish and other marine life happen to become vulnerable carriers of the infection. So, it is wise to avoid eating seafood in the monsoon.
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Refrain from Eating Uncooked Food:
In the monsoons, avoid eating raw food, uncooked, or partially cooked food, as these foods can be a host of harmful bacteria and other microbes. Instead, prefer eating food which is cooked at the proper temperatures, as at these temperatures the microbes, such as bacteria, no longer survive. So, you get to eat healthy food when following a diet plan for the immune system.
