Healthy monsoons!

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Lovely showers bring with them the temptation to indulge in those calorie-laden samosas, puris and pakoras. But monsoons also make you susceptible to many diseases. So as a cardinal rule, you must ensure that you don’t go overboard with those deep-fried munchies. As experts share tips on healthy eating, it’s time to eat food that boost your immunity levels.
Most dieticians suggest that you must try and keep your palate as light as possible. So while the craving for chhola bhaturas never ends, avoiding them is the first rule for a healthy diet. So what are the must-haves? “Cook with cumin, fennel, coriander, turmeric and ginger. Include ashwagandha, asparagus, foods rich in vitamin C and ayurvedic herbal jams like chyawanprash that act as a health tonic. All these build immunity,” says nutritionist Dr Preeti.
With the changing weather, it’s time to change your breakfast plan too. Wellness expert Dr Shikha Sharma suggests, “Try and avoid heavy stuff like sausages and milk in breakfast during monsoons. Instead, you can either have cereals with nuts, fruits with nuts, or even better, have vegetable juice with sprouts.”
As far as drinks are concerned, it is suggested that you give a healthy twist to your morning tea to boost your energy levels. Sharing her recipe of ginger cinnamon tea made with a twist, Richa Nathani, a college student says, “You need to add honey to this one and simmer it properly to make a strong tea. It’s not how you make your usual tea. For this one, you have to simmer ginger, cinnamon, and water in a saucepan for 20 minutes, or more for stronger tea. And then add honey or sugar and strain tea through a sieve. In most cases, you should use half a cup of thinly sliced fresh ginger, six cups water and two cinnamon sticks.”
Experts tell us that ginger in this weather acts as a natural liver cleanser and tulsi also helps you fight infections. Guduchi is another ayurvedic herb that helps boost immunity.
Among fruits, Dr Ishi Khosla, clinical nutritionist and director, Whole Foods India, suggests that darker the colour of fruits and vegetables, more concentrated are they the sources of anti-oxidants. “Antioxidants fortify the immune system and make you less susceptible to seasonal allergic syndromes. Fruits with dark colours include pomegranates, red grapes and various berries, which are a must,” she says.
But don’t think monsoons are the time for boring diets. Just give some creative twists to your boring food and make the best of this season. “It’s best to have makka (corn), chana (chickpea), besan (gram flour), jow (oats) around this time, so I usually make salads for my kids using different dressings. We avoid eating meat or fish around this time,” says housewife Sonia Kapoor.

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Soups for monsoon evenings
healthy potato soup

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onions
4 cups peeled potatoes
1 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour

Method
Place chopped onions and peeled and diced potatoes in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer until soft for about 10 minutes. Drain them. Melt margarine in saucepan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Heat to thicken. Add onions and potatoes to this mixture, and heat to serving temperature.

basil and badam soup

Ingredients
50 gm almonds (blanched and minced)
10 basil (tulsi) leaves
2 cups water
1 stick cinnamon (dalchini)
2-3 cloves (laung)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 green cardamoms

Method
Boil minced almonds, water, cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom for 10 minutes.
Sieve and add salt, pepper and basil leaves to the liquid.
Boil for 5 minutes. Your soup is ready. If you want the soup to be more thick, add 1 teaspoon of cornflour mixed in 1/4 cup of water.