Say Goodbye To Tummy Travails This Monsoon

Four strong tips to boost your gut health

- Luke Coutinho

The monsoon comes with a number of maladies, like typhoid, diarrhoea, dysentery, Hepatitis A and E, jaundice, food poisoning, and menaces by mosquitoes, namely malaria, dengue, certain fungal infections, and so on. Along with all that there's also humidity, dampness, food contamination, and mould growth all of it creating a perfect recipe to fall sick.

Here are some simple lifestyle tips to adopt if you want to keep yourself, and especially your tummy, healthy.

• Skip the raw

During the monsoon, avoid raw food, especially when eating out, because it carries the risk of infection. This includes raw smoothies, sprouts, and salads. If you do eat raw, ensure the produce is washed properly. Foods are more prone to fungus and mould growth in times of dampness. Sometimes the seeds attract fungal or mould growth, so be careful of that.

Thorough washing of fruits and vegetables is a must during this season because we never know what we might accidentally consume with what we eat. You can buy a chemical-free, safe vegetable and fruit washing solution or make your own.

WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS GROWING UP, I GOT A BOX AND FILLED IT WITH SOIL SO SHE COULD PLAY WITH IT EVERY DAY

Here's a DIY veggie wash solution that will help disinfect and clean vegetables and fruits and remove grime, dirt and dust without changing the taste:

• 4 parts warm water and 1-part Apple Cider Vinegar (4 cups water and 1 cup ACV.)