Prone to monsoon sickness? Experts share a holistic guide to keep you fit through the rains

Chef Raveena Taurani promotes cooked food, warm mixes and hot soup bowls on her monsoon menu

Achoooo! You may welcome the Bambai ki baarish with long drives to Lonavala, cutting chai at the tapri, savouring cloudy views, playing your monsoon playlist and snorting in petrichor; but your body has to face the brunt of low immunity and gut issues. Fikar not, we have a holistic plan for all your monsoon problems (waterlogging and traffic jams, not included!)

There is a beautiful word in Ayurveda to describe the junction of receding summer and incoming monsoon. It is called ritusandhi - a transition time when the heat is washed down by the rains. This is when the body becomes prone to infections, and immunity is compromised. "That's why it is important to keep immunity at optimum levels," says Dr Manoj Kutteri, Medical Director and CEO at Atmantan Wellness Centre, Mulshi. He draws attention to the vata dosha, the Ayurvedic mind-body element associated with air and space. Air, of course, is in excess during the season.

"Pacify the vata by including moist food, rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients to build immunity. Any food you can eat without the support of a drink falls in this category," says Kutteri, adding, "Bread is dry while a salad or cooked vegetables are moist. So are whole grains, lentils and beans. While boiled and well-cooked cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, and cauliflower are encouraged, leafy greens contain a lot of contamination and are infection-prone and must be avoided. Fibres are important for our bowel movements. To help gut, add more fibre, probiotics and prebiotics and be stress free."

Dr Aarati Patil, co-founder, Gynoveda, a platform that combines Ayurveda and technology to heal period problems, says, "Since immunity and digestive power are deeply impacted during the monsoon, eat food that is easier to digest. Add triphala, haritaki, tulsi, guduchi, amalaki to aid the digestive system and stick to meal times without munching in-between meals. To maintain gut health, the three vital aspects are normal bowel movement, good fibre intake and healthy gut flora. Have buttermilk at lunch and add a tadka of hing, jeera, kadi patta to soup and veggies to make them more digestible. Junk and heavy, oily food can aggravate the pitta [acidic fire] in the body, so reduce the intake of gravies and deep-fried dishes and restrain your meat intake. A chicken soup is good in the season, but red meat would be too heavy for the body to digest."

Dr Manoj Kutteri recommends putting fresh juices and raw foods on hold due to poor handling of ingredients

Kutteri emphasises the importance of drinking enough water. "Summer gives ample signs of dehydration, including parched lips, dried throat and a clear thirst - the monsoon doesn't. Since 60 to 70 per cent of our body weight is water, we must stick to our daily intake even in the rains," he adds. Dr Patil too recommends regular water intake and suggests consuming warm water, at least twice a day.

Indian spices are known as precautionary ingredients to keep monsoon-prone diseases at bay. Kutteri recommends warming spices such as ginger, garlic, pepper, turmeric, and tulsi. "They are respiratory herbs. Cooking spices like rosemary, turmeric, coriander, garlic, and cloves have medicinal value and can be used to light the digestive fire. A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with warm water is also a great addition. Use herbs and spices to make herbal teas and tissanes."

Interestingly, monsoon is a time to put fresh juices on hold and cut consumption of raw foods. Kutteri says this is mostly due to unhygienic handling during the rains. "If you can ensure the vegetables are thoroughly cleaned, a small amount is permissible. Carrots and cucumbers are okay as the outer layer gets peeled, but broccoli and cauliflower should not be consumed raw. Also, dairy products can cause the vata to flare and should be avoided. If you must, then choose chaas over yoghurt. Even better, have kadhi," he suggests.

Raveena Taurani, chef-owner of Yogisattva café too promotes cooked food on her monsoon menu. Cold salads are replaced by warm mixes, fresh juices are substituted by hot soup bowls, served with a slice of bread. "Our raw salads change to varieties with more cooked vegetables and we go easy on spinach too. We encourage slow-cooked food, which has better nutritional value, is easy to digest and is warming to the body. Lychees are in season so we do sorbets and even add them as shavings on our salads. Amaranth leaves are wilted down and added to sweet potato and edamame tikkis, flavouring it with sautéed garlic and chilli flakes. There is a lot of pressure on the soil in the monsoon so root and leafy vegetables are not at their best. Even cold-pressed juices should be avoided. Bottle gourd is a big no-no; an overtly bitter one can cause poisoning," warns Taurani.

"It's a confusing time for the body," says Amrita Kaur, clean-eating propagator, chef and food curator, explaining further, "Having bid goodbye to grishma [summer] ritu and welcoming the varsha ritu, the body's immunity takes a hit. Go easy on the stomach and try not to over-eat. Have lighter, warm meals with less oil and spices - only when hungry. Boil water and cool it down [ushnodaka] or sip on lukewarm water through the day."

Kaur banks on the good ol' kadha - one medicine for all problems that has the goodness of ginger, haldi, black pepper, cloves and tulsi. "It's the perfect home remedy for cough and cold; pour a cap or two of Old Monk rum if you're in the mood," she adds. While at a cooking school in Bali, Kaur learnt the recipe for Balinese Jukut Urap Salad and Indianised it with the use of tendli and Malabar spinach (optional). She recommends having a mix of rock salt and grated ginger before a meal. "It acts as a pre-digestive. This is a good time to consume kombuchas and fermented foods like dosa and kanji," she concludes.

The important question, though, is how does one ignore the cravings for oily, fried fritters, vada pavs, bhajias or the cold chaat on the streets? Kutteri says, "What you must dodge is unhygienic handling of food that causes infections. So, it's best to eat your favourite dishes at home or from a stall where servers wear fresh gloves. Eat hot foods instead of stored cold items, and continue your nutrition regime. However, keep in mind that at the end of the day - moderation is key, so satisfy your desires once in a while."

Balinese jukut urap salad

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
1/4 French beans, diagonally sliced
1/4 cup papdi beans, diagonally sliced
1/4 cup ivy gourd (tendli), sliced lengthwise into quarters
1 small carrot, julienned
A handful of Malabar spinach
1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
A handful of bean/moong sprouts
3-4 shallots (small sambhar onions), sliced
2-3 garlic cloves
A handful of tulsi or regular basil leaves julienned
Handful of mint, chopped
For the dressing
Juice of a lemon
1 tsp juice squeezed from freshly grated ginger
1 tsp jaggery powder
Rock salt to taste
1/4 tsp red chilli flakes

METHOD
Squeeze the coconut milk out of the freshly grated coconut. Reserve for another use. Roast the coconut lightly until fragrant. Blanch the beans, Malabar spinach, cabbage, carrots and sprouts in boiling water for two minutes, and rinse with cold water immediately. Fry the garlic and onions in oil and set aside. Combine the dressing in a bowl. Toss everything together and let it soak the flavours for 20-30 min before serving warm, or at room temperature.

Old Monk kadha

INGREDIENTS
4 cups water
2-inch ginger, grated
1 inch fresh haldi/1 tsp haldi powder
3-4 cloves
4-6 black pepper
2 green cardamom
1 tsp fennel
1 cinnamon stick
1 mulethi stick
1-2 star anise
4-5 springs of tulsi leaves
1 spoon of jaggery

Chef Amrita Kaur welcomes the rains with lighter, warm meals with less oil and spices and hot kadha. Pic/Atul Kamble

METHOD
Bring water to a boil, add all the spices and simmer until it reduces to half. Sweeten with jaggery

Dr Aarati Patil recommends

>>  Daily asanas and walking keep the body supple
>>  Avoid excessive use of antibiotics as it exposes us to infections
>>  To keep a check on gynaecological symptoms, add a physical activity for 20 minutes a day

Dealing with aches and skin problems

>>  Self-abhayanga, the practice of massaging your own body keeps the skin supple and reduces swellings

>>  To activate heat in the body, add a few rounds of surya bhedana pranayama or right nostril breathing. Those with cardiac conditions can opt for anulom vilom or single-nostril breathing

>>  To manage aches, use hot and cold applications on painful areas. It improves the free flow of blood circulation and reduces inflammation. Check your Vitamin D levels and ensure you consume Vitamin C and E and Omega-3 for good skin, immunity and strength

>>  Humidity in monsoon also causes skin breakouts.

Apply sesame or almond oil before a hot bath

Courtesy/Dr Manoj Kutteri