You may have often heard that consumption of green vegetables in monsoon can be tricky, but nature cares more about our health than we do! If green vegetables are not apt for our health, nature wouldn’t make them conducive to our growth in the first place. That being said, as the monsoon is a season during which moisture is saturated in the air and the environment, it becomes a breeding ground for pathogens like bacteria.
Leafy greens, some of the most nutrient dense vegetables on the planet, are particular victims of the monsoon season – with bacteria from the damp soil making their way onto these healthy vegetables.
Things to keep in mind about eating green vegetables in monsoon
While the prevailing belief is to avoid greens in the monsoon altogether, a more moderate approach would be advised. As for those on a vegetarian and a vegan diet, these leafy green are a primary source of several key nutrients.
1. Some greens thrive in the rain
There are some greens which grow and thrive in the rains – we should consume only seasonal greens and should be mindful of where we buy them from, how we wash them, and how we eat them. Purchasing our groceries from an organic store or consuming home grown veggies, is always the preferable option.
Washing them with salt water is a natural and safe way to disinfect them, but for enhanced safety you could likewise blanch or steam them, to ensure that no disease causing bacteria remain present.
Raw greens in rainy season – are they good to eat or not? Image courtesy: Shutterstock
2. Eat seasonal and local foods
Always follow this key rule when consuming produce: if you see certain fruits and vegetables growing in a particular season, then that’s nature giving us the green light to eat them during that season.
Our focus should always be on seasonal and local produce, as it has been designed by nature to be eaten by the locals there, and is best suited to their bodies. As raw food is living and the richest in vitamins and minerals, and since cooked food loses some of its nutrient content, it’s not feasible to avoid them for the entirety of the monsoon season.
3. Importance of raw food
Traditional wisdom dictates that raw food has ‘praana’ or life, which then gets transferred into our body and cares for all our organs and boosts our immunity. Our diet should hence be filled with nutritive ingredients and fibre every day and we find the maximum amount of these in greens, fruits and vegetables. A lack of these may result in constipation, which then leads to acidity, bloating, water retention, indigestion and inflammation in our body, which in turn leads to a whole host of other chronic conditions.
During the winter and monsoon seasons we tend to fall sick often, and come down with a cold, cough, fever, malaria etc. This phenomenon needs to be looked into, but not only when we are sick, but rather throughout the year.
Eat seasonal fruits. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
4. Eat monsoon-safe fruits
Checking our Vitamin B12 and D3 levels regularly, ensures that we have the required building blocks to keep our immunity in optimal condition. If by chance we are unable to source or grow greens that we can ensure are safe during the monsoon, we should focus instead on eating a lot of monsoon safe fruits and vegetables, that are also seasonal and locally grown, like different squashes, gourds, melons, mangoes etc.
Don’t wilfully deprive yourself of nutrient rich foods that keep the body going in the long run, instead opt to substitute them with other foods that are seasonally appropriate.
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