Eat according to weather, keep yourself healthy

20 years ago, we ate foods according to the geography of the region and the prevailing seasons. But today, any foods are available at any time of the year. What I've noticed is that people have forgotten to eat according to the weather thus they end up eating anything at any time. The side effect is low immunity causing innumerable health problems. Who remembers that cauliflower, broccoli, leafy greens are full of little insects which are sometimes not even visible to the naked eye?

As the rain pours down, it is time to stop the mangoes. Continuing to eat them just because we are getting them from other parts of our country, or the world is harmful to the body.

One monsoon, I continued eating the mangoes and sure enough I was sick like a dog. Today, I have the common sense to eat according to the weather and I strongly advocate it. Who wants to fall sick? Rather, I really want everyone to be fit enough the year round. It would be great if you could learn what to eat so that you could use food as a tool to create a firewall in your bodies, protecting you against germs, viruses and everything harmful in the environment.

When you look at your fruits, it's time to bid farewell to mangoes, but some wonderful fruits have arrived and look forward to bananas, peaches, plums and cherries.

Add-on a nice piping hot rasam containing asafetida, curry leaves, tomato, red chili, coconut, mustard seeds, onions, garlic and ginger; they aid digestion, prevent flatulence and keep the chill at bay.

The assortment of spices is anti-inflammatory preventing joint pain and stiffness which come hand-in-hand with this weather.

Fresh corn on the cobb is being sold at all street corners. Roasted, steamed, boiled or baked with a dash of butter and spices or tossed in your food; corn contains antioxidants boosting overall well-being.

Let's not forget the vegetable kingdom. Pick on the gourd family, sword beans, peppers, onions, cucumbers and pumpkins. These vegetables are free of tiny germs and insects which make them safe to eat.

One gets the most amazing quality of the brownish orange yam (elephant foot yam) in the monsoon. Boiled and sautéed in cow's ghee with cumin seeds, ginger, green chili and salt is delicious.

With the temperatures dropping, ragi, jowar or rajgira bhakris and brown rice with a dollop of ghee accompanied with vegetables and a piping hot daal or rasam is a very satisfying, well-balanced meal containing all your nutrients.

A lot of deaths in India are caused due to gastroenteritis. Dr Minoru Shirota, a Japanese scientist made us realise the importance of gut bacteria to improve gut health. He discovered Lactobacillus casei which when consumed aided in increasing natural killer cells which are cells that defend the body and kill viruses, harmful bacteria and infections that attack us.

Thus, fortify your gut with foods and beverages that contain probiotics. They have bacteria which are good for your gut micro biomes preventing gastroenteritis, intestinal disorders etc., which are rampant in the monsoon.

Add a pinch of cinnamon to your soups, chais, daals, and stews. It acts as an antidote to keep away water-borne diseases. Fresh ginger root has come into the market. Its anti-inflammatory properties prevent seasonal cold, coughs and flus. Stomach disorders and aching joints are prevented when ginger is part of your daily meal.