Rainy season – Varsha ritu – An individual is likely to experience loss of appetite. Hence following
changes in diet is advised.

Recipes prepared from old grains of barley, wheat and rice to preserve digestive capacity.
Include cow’s ghee, lentils, green gram (moong dal), rice and wheat in daily diet.
Consume small piece of ginger with rock salt before every meal.
Use sour and salted soups of vegetables, onion and other vegetables; of course in moderation
Use spices such as pepper, ginger, asafoetida (hing), garlic, jeera powder, coriander and turmeric for
enhancing your digestive capability and immunity.
During cooler days due to heavy rains, sour, salty and oily diet is preferred. In this scenario, sesame
oil is preferred for cooking. If suffering from allergies, ulcer, acidity and auto immune disorders like
Rheumatoid arthritis or similar pain disorders involving multiple joints, sour content should be bare
minimal. Especially tomato has to be kept out of diet.
Water should be consumed within 24 hours of boiling, honey can be added in water before
consumption but in room temperature. Honey and warm water should never be consumed together.
Boiled water stored over longer duration during monsoon gathers heaviness and causes indigestion
apart from respiratory symptoms.
Addition of ginger and green gram in daily diet is beneficial. Green gram is recommended diet for
many diseases.

Eating warm food and avoiding uncooked foods and salads is recommended.
Avoid leafy vegetables, tubers, nuts, green peas, curd and red meat . Any food which is heavy to
digest should not feature in the menu during monsoon. One may have buttermilk instead of curds.
Buttermilk should be slightly sour and not astringent or bitter. It is not recommended for people
suffering from throat infection and asthma.
Consumption of Haritaki / Harad (Terminalia hebula) with rock salt in monsoon season is beneficial
to health. A physician’s advise is helpful before considering this combination.

Diarrhea, allergy and common fever, etc. are prevalent in rainy season due to the consumption of
incompatible foods. Incompatible means one food article doesn’t combine favorably with the other and can
never be used as a recipe. Example taking milk that has salt in it instead of sugar. Such a combination
is quicker and stronger in impacting the body by entering through the gut and reaches even deeper
tissues. This incompatibility gets amplified due to inherent nature of rainy season. According to
Ayurveda, toxicity and potency of toxins whether acquired or from within the body’s metabolic
byproducts is at its peak during rainy season. Hence as far as rainy season or varsha ritu is
concerned, caution with regards to choice of diet or manner of eating is the point of focus.