06/07/2020
The monsoon food guide –
Eating according to the season and region is the foundation of staying healthy. It allows not just for individuals to have better health but also contributes towards the local economy and helps keep the global ecology in a state of balance.
So here is a guide on what you can eat during monsoon -
1. Vegetables – The soil during the rains is not suitable to grow green leafy vegetables and therefore we shift to creepers like doodhi, pumpkin, karela, gilka and root vegetables like sweet potato, suran, konfal, etc. The exception to this rule are the wild and uncultivated greens that shoot up during the season - ambadi, shevla, lingdi to name a few. Every region has its own and special recipes to go with it. It’s very important for your gut bacterial diversity and acts as a booster shot for immunity.
2. Grains & millets – Nachni is the millet for rains. You can eat it as porridge, bhakri or even a papad. Say no to multi-grain bread, attas and biscuits though. The season also comes with festivals and special months like shravan where the focus shifts to eating smaller millets like rajgeera, samo, kuttu, mandua, etc. Again, have them in traditional preps and in combination with dahi, makhan, etc., to ensure optimum assimilation. Note that rice, jowar and wheat can be eaten throughout the year. Also corn, but insist on desi corn and not sweet/ American corn.
3. Pulses – traditionally, as Indians went off meat/fish during the rains, the pulses that were carefully dried and segregated during summer would serve as the source of protein, vitamins, minerals and even fibre during this season. The best ones turn into usals, the next grade to dals, the one after that to wadis (that can be cooked as sabzi and is often a mix of many pulses) and papads. Zero wastage policy has been an integral part of our culture. Two important pulses you must incorporate in your meals this season are – kulith (horsegram) and alsaane (goa beans). Great for skin and hair. Please note that the Canada food guidelines now recognises pulses both as a vegetable & protein.
4. Specialty items – Every season has its own king, if its mangoes for summers then its deep fried bhajiya for the rains. Use filtered groundnut/ mustard/ coconut oils and don’t re-use the oil for cooking afterwards. Remember that without essential fat in the diet, Vit D can not get assimilated, and that essential fats also help in regulating blood sugar. So apart from being tasty, deep fried pakoras are healthy too (and for everyone, heart patients, obese and diabetics included), eat them without fear and with the confidence that you know where to stop eating.
