Keeping the digestive system healthy during monsoons

Monsoon is a great respite from the scorching summer heat and humidity. It brings the promise of rain and new life. From getting wet in the rain, to going for a hot cuppa after the rains, the monsoon has something in store for everyone. It’s also the time when a host of air and water borne diseases come into play. Malaria, Chikungunya, Dengue, Food poisoning become widespread during monsoons.

Keeping your immunity in check becomes important especially during this time of the year. Our gut is the headquarters of our immunity. “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. A very popular saying but here replace mama with gut- and you pretty much get the picture. Hence keeping the gut healthy during monsoons is of utmost importance. We don’t realize what happens in our digestive system plays a huge role in how well you are able to fight off germs. What you eat-even, at times whether you eat- can have a direct impact on how quickly you recover from an infection and whether you catch the bug in the first place.

Here’s what you should do to keep your digestive system healthy:

Eat a wide variety of seasonal produce: Fruits like custard apple, jamun, pears, plums some variety of mangoes, lychees are loaded with nutrients and prebiotics that keep our gut healthy. Vegetables like lady’s finger, different types of gourds, brinjal etc. are widely available during monsoons. Ragi is a monsoon crop and very rich in calcium, fibre, nutrients. Hence eating seasonal produce will ensure that you are getting enough nutrients, prebiotics, fibre that keep your digestive health happy.

Eating Pre & Probiotics: Probiotics thrive on prebiotics and probiotics promote the growth of healthy bacteria. Hence, both are equally important for a healthy gut. If you are eating a wide variety of seasonal produce and your diet mainly comprises of minimally processed foods, you are likely to get prebiotics. For probiotics foods like sourdough bread, fermented veggies, pickles, yoghurt, kombucha, rice kanjhi, some cheese can be good options. For example: eating cucumber raita, sourdough veggie sandwich with some fresh cheese, kombucha with fresh plums can be a good combination of pre and probiotics.

Start your day with alkaline foods: Foods like wheatgrass juice, alfalfa grass juice is very healing for the gut. Its power packed with nutrients and puts our gut in alkaline state. Hence if you are someone who feels acidic in the morning you should definitely try consuming the above.

Avoid consuming leafy greens: Leafy green may contain some microorganism at this time of the year that can lead to stomach upset. Hence, it’s best to avoid consuming them during monsoons.

Clean Water: Many diseases spread during monsoons are water borne. Hence make sure the water you drink is not contaminated. Boil the water and let it cool to make it germ free. Avoid consuming street food as the water they use may be contaminated. Also, take care of your hydration. Drink enough fluids like coconut water, chia seed infused water, buttermilk to avoid dysentery, dehydration, diarrhea.

Your gut microbiome is as unique as your fingerprint and changes throughout your life. Our lifestyle plays a very important role in regulating our gut bacteria. Modern day lifestyle can have negative effects on our gut health. Avoid being sedentary, taking too much stress, excessive drinking or eating processed foods.