Why you should avoid leafy vegetables during monsoon. Green leafy vegetables are grown considerably during monsoon. But it is always advised by the experts that you should avoid leafy vegetables during Monsoon or in the wet season.
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Monsoon or Rainy season or Wet season is the time when the average annual rainfall occurs. In the wet season, air quality improves, fresh water is accumulated and vegetation grows substantially.
Most people enjoy the monsoon season and often sit down with a cup of tea and Crispy crunchy pakoras. But unfortunately, it is true that the Monsoon comes with a lot of health problems, which test the human body’s immune system. That is why it becomes important to combat illnesses with healthy, home-cooked foods along with fresh fruits, and vegetables.
Green leafy vegetables are grown considerably during monsoon. Leafy green veggies like Spinach, Fenugreek, etc., are full of healthy vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Leafy green vegetables are very essential for our daily nutrient intake. Because they contain loads of macro and micronutrients. So, it is always recommended to add these leafy greens to your diet.
Why you should avoid leafy vegetables during monsoon:
But it is always advised by the experts that you should avoid leafy vegetables during Monsoon or in the wet season.
Monsoon is the perfect season or time for the growth of various microbes and bacteria. These microbes and bacteria contaminate these green and leafy vegetables. The soil also gets contaminated in the rainy season resulting leeching of these microbes and bacteria into the leaves of veggies.
Leafy vegetables are easier for these microbes to make a home there. So, it is advised you should avoid leafy vegetables. But, considering their health benefits one should be careful while having them during the wet season.
According to experts, our immune system is weak in monsoons. Our metabolism rate will also decrease during this season affecting our digestion and ability to process food.
Reasons why you should avoid leafy vegetables during monsoon:
- Leafy veggies get damaged due to rains resulting in less production. The ones that are available are the stocks that survived the season. This makes more and more bacteria grow on them. Consuming these veggies in an unhygienic way may lead to severe stomach infections and diarrhea.
- Leafy vegetables usually grow in wet areas, as said they make a favorable condition for a variety of bacteria, viruses, fungi, insects and micro-organisms to grow. During other seasons Sunlight works as a disinfectant for the soil. But during monsoon, when there is no sufficient sunlight soil gets infected easily and chances are high that the vegetables growing on this soil will also get infected.
- We are not sure how these vegetables are handled during transportation and stored. Therefore, nutritionists strongly suggest avoiding eating greens such as fenugreek, spinach, other leafy vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage during the rainy season.
- Experts also suggest you should avoid having leafy greens outside at restaurants and Dhaba during the monsoon. You cannot expect hygiene in these places. We are not sure if the vegetables are cleaned properly before cooking.
How to eat leafy vegetables during monsoon:
However, we don’t have to avoid leafy greens completely during the monsoon season. But proper care should be taken before cooking and eating them.
- It is better to consume your green vegetables at home only.
- Wash the vegetables in warm water by adding a little bit of rock salt or vinegar. This will help to eliminate any bacteria and insects nesting on them.
- Check the vegetables carefully for insects and worms before cooking.
- Boiling the vegetables like Cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli before preparing any dish is best to avoid stomach infections. It is not recommended to eat greens raw in the rainy season.
- Cook them at a high temperature to kill any kind of bacteria.
- It is better to eat steamed salads instead of raw vegetables.
What should you eat other than leafy vegetables during monsoon?
If you are going to avoid leafy veggies completely during the monsoon, you have many other seasonal vegetables to replace them with.
Monsoon season is also called a season of gourds, like snake gourd, bottle gourd, Indian squash, ridge gourd, etc. Including gourd vegetables in our diet is the best way to stay away from infections during the season. We can prepare various dishes from these vegetables. These veggies are light for the stomach and easily digestible.
Bottle Gourd or Lauki:
Bottle Gourd Benefits and Recipes:
Bottle gourd is one of the healthiest vegetables available abundantly during the rainy season. It contains a high amount of water and is full of vitamins like vitamin C, K and calcium. It is very good for the heart as it maintains good cholesterol and brings down bad cholesterol levels. Bottle gourd juice is the best for diabetic patients as it stabilizes the blood sugar level and maintains blood pressure. Fever, cough and other disorders are very common during the rainy season, having a glass or bottle of gourd juice with honey relieves the pain of sore throat and soothes.
Apart from medicinal benefits Bottle gourd is widely used to make many recipes. It has a neutral taste which makes it to adopt any flavour we make it. Doodhi Halwa (Doodhi is another name for Bottle Gourd) is a very famous and common dish prepared from Bottle Gourd. Doodhi Muthia (Gujarati Recipe), Dudhi and Chana Dal Sabzi, Doodhi Theplas, Doodhi Kofta Curry, Doodhi Kheer and many more recipes are made out of it.
Please check my Lauki Paratha Recipe.
Please Note: Bottle gourd contains toxic compounds called cucurbitacins, as it belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, which are responsible for the bitter taste and toxicity. Consuming bitter and toxic bottle gourd may lead to Abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, hematemesis and in some cases shock and death. So please taste the vegetable before cooking.
Bitter Gourd or Karela:
Minerals, vitamin C, and antioxidants are necessary to protect the body from seasonal diseases especially in monsoon. Bitter gourd is a storehouse of the above-said nutrients. That is why including Bitter Gourd in your diet during monsoon is highly recommended. Bitter gourd is also known as bitter melon, karela, Karla is one of the healthy vegetables in the rainy season.
Due to its bitter taste, many people avoid eating it. But, the benefits of this vegetable outweigh the flavour. As bitter gourd regulates blood sugar levels it is ideal for diabetic people.
Bitter gourd protects our intestine from parasites or worms found in the human intestine. As said earlier humans are highly prone to stomach disorders during monsoons. Bitter gourd helps to kill the parasites and microbes in the intestine and promotes good digestive health.
We can prepare a variety of dishes from Bitter Gourd such as stir fry, curry, dry Sabji, gravy, chips, pickles, etc.
Also Read
Beetroot:
Beetroot is a nutritional powerhouse. It contains high levels of manganese, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and iron. Low hemoglobin is a common problem in many of us. Beetroot improves the hemoglobin levels effectively.
It is recommended to consume beetroot regularly in any form. Consume it as juice, soup, salad, or chips to maintain a healthy life. It aids in improved blood circulation and blood pressure regulation in our body. As said during monsoon our immunity is low and beetroot helps to build immunity, it is very beneficial to eat it during monsoon.
Beetroot is very effective in maintaining the microbiome of the gut and its antimicrobial effects prevent the outgrowth of harmful bacteria.
Cucumber:
Cucumber can be grown all year, and the monsoon season is no exception to growing this low-calorie vegetable. You can grow Cucumber very easily. It can easily thrive in a small space because of its climbing abilities.
You cannot imagine salads without Cucumbers. They make a great filling for your sandwiches. Cucumber is a low-calorie veggie and contains a very high amount of water. It helps our body by keeping hydrated which flushes out toxins.
Conclusion:
Apart from these, including a nutritious diet and immunity-boosting foods during monsoons is essential. Avoiding junk food and consuming plenty of water is very beneficial against viral infections. Cold, cough and flu are very common during monsoons. So, it is very important to maintain the upper respiratory tract healthy. Consumption of Herbal teas and warm honey water protects the upper respiratory tract. To boost your immunity adequate sleep and physical exercise are very important.
Our food habits define a lot about us! So, choose wisely what you eat and how you eat. Enjoy the monsoon season and its beauty with care. Pay attention to your health and diet…
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Very informative and insightful.
Thank you
Very informative.
Thank you