DNA India
07 July 2010
Sujata Chakrabarti
Mumbai, India

The monsoon is in the city and this is the time to watch your intake of food closely. While some food items may not be good for your health, some may actually help fight off the most common ailments that plague you during the monsoon months. While many of us run to the doctors at the slightest sign of cold or cough, many regular kitchen ingredients can actually help save some bucks. Dietician Jyoti Lalwani points out that one of the most common ailments during the rains is respiratory track infections. Little honey and ginger juice can be as effective as over the counter drugs. She says, “Little honey mixed with ginger juice can be very effective in viral related colds. During the rainy season in Mumbai, it fluctuates between dry and humid which makes people susceptible to cold.”

Full blast of the air conditioning in the office can also lead to discomfort among many. Lalwani says the best way to avoid a cold is by sipping on green tea. “It helps in cooler temperatures,” points out Lalwani. She adds, “Green tea pumps in anti-oxidants into the system that helps ward off cold and it also helps have healthy skin.”

Actor Simone Singh admits she is quite fond of green tea. Apart from that, she also loves tulsi tea, jasmine tea and dragon ball tea. She explains, “I drink herbal tea without milk or sugar. That is good for my health. The properties of herb in it is cleansing for the body. Tulsi tea is cleansing for our system too. They are not only healthy but are deliciously fragrant too.”

Nutritionist Naini Setalvad says there are several illnesses that affect the human body during the rains, “Colds, cough, flu, indigestion, food poisoning, malaria, typhoid, jaundice, and ringworms and rashes, fungal infection, scabies etc, are very common.” Hot food is the best soother. She explains, “Food that is hot really soothes you and generates the feeling of warmth. Cold foods are more likely to catch bacteria which can make you prone to infections. Lukewarm water is good for digestion, keeps you warm. Drinking a glass of luke-warm water helps flush out all toxins accumulated overnight in the body.”

Ingredients Naini asks readers to stock up during the monsoon are garlic (to beat anti–viral and anti– fungus, keeps off skin infections, cold and coughs), onions (for cold and flu as it really is a fantastic mucous melting food), and turmeric (antiseptic and prevents infections boost immunity and keeps away cold flu and coughs).