Pregnancy is the most beautiful, as well as the most crucial phase in a woman’s life. During this time, there will be people telling you what to do, what not to do. Your family members will be extra careful, protective or even paranoid about you and your baby’s safety. From tips to advice, you have heard it all. However, we have some quick tips for you to follow this monsoon season for a healthy diet that will help you to stay out of any unknown dangers and risks that the monsoon season might bring with itself.
1. Say No to Raw Vegetables: Cut vegetables are sometimes more contaminated with bacterial load, thus they should be avoided, as they pose a threat to the health of the fetus. Instead, opt for boiled or cooked vegetables and that too immediately after cooking. Drinking soup is the best way of getting ample nutrients without any health risks. However, always prepare food at home in a clean environment and avoid outside food.
2. No to Raw Fruits Too: Not just raw vegetables, fruits with high water content can be easily contaminated because the moisture in them can easily develop bacterial growth. Easy to go fruits in monsoon are oranges, Kiwis, Sweet Lime, Grapefruit etc. This is because these fruits are high in antioxidant content that is necessary for healthy fetus growth and contain loads of vitamin C.
3. Good Hydration: Keeping yourself hydrated is the basic necessity during pregnancy, especially during the rainy season due to humidity. It’s important to flush out toxins from the body. Mothers should take boiled water that has been cooled down.
4. Be Careful with Non-Vegetarian Food: You should be extra careful with non-vegetarian food, especially seafood, during monsoon. Pregnant women must eat properly cooked or barbecued food as roasting kills most bacteria.
5.Avoid Street Food: Monsoon season brings a host of health problems like food poisoning, indigestion etc. Therefore, pregnant women must stay away from street food.
(Bipasha Das is a certified health coach and nutritionist. She runs a diet and wellness clinic ‘Sugati’. She has been awarded Most Recommended Nutritionist of the Year 2018-19 by Brands Impact. She has worked with top hospitals, and is a life member of the Indian Dietetic Association and on the panels of renowned corporate houses like Ericsson, GE Power. Bipasha is working with Municipal Corporation of Delhi - Public Health Department( South Zone) as a consultant, and creating awareness programmes on Women and Children Health, Health for Public Health Workers, Office Sedentary Workers etc.
*Answers are based on general queries. Please contact a professional for any personal treatment.
Share your queries - sugati.dietandwellness@gmail.com and poshanguru@outlookindia.com)
