Binge smart, feel good — enjoy balance taste and health this rainy season.
When it pours outside, we instinctively reach for comfort food — hot samosas, crispy pakoras, steamy masala chai, or maybe some creamy khichdi. While your taste buds rejoice that, your health might silently face the consequences.
However, switching to only steamed or bland food during monsoon might leave you emotionally unsatisfied.
So the question is: Can you enjoy your comfort food and stay healthy during monsoon?
The answer is — YES, with a little balance, smart swaps, and some conscious eating choices.
The combination of cooler temperatures, humidity, and absence of sunlight during the monsoon affects both our metabolism and mood. That promotes our cravings for:
Deep-fried snacks
Warm carb-heavy dishes
Sugary beverages
Caffeinated drinks like chai and coffee
Ever wondered the reasons? These foods offer instant warmth, familiarity, and spike in serotonin levels — the feel-good chemicals that brighten those gloomy days.
But they’re often loaded with oil, sugar, or sodium, that can increase the risk of sluggish digestion, bloating, and seasonal infections.
With the monsoon comes several dietary issues:
Higher risk of contamination in raw foods
Slow digestion due to humidity
Dehydration despite the wet weather
Craving for fried, hot, and sugary treats
So, the real trick lies in balance — pairing comfort with nourishment.
Love your pakoras? Try air-fried onion bhajis or baked samosas. You’ll still get the desired crunch — minus the excess oil. Add ragi, besan or oats flour to boost the nutrition factor.
Indian comfort food often uses spices like turmeric, ginger, ajwain, and black pepper — all of which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Add ginger-garlic paste to soups and dals
Sip haldi-tulsi chai instead of caffeine-heavy drinks
Make the OG monsoon comfort food more healthier by:
Using brown rice or millets
Adding vegetables like spinach, carrots, and bottle gourd
Serving it with a side of probiotic-rich curd (if digestion allows)
Light on the tummy, rich in essential nutrients — and soul-soothing!
You don’t have to give up ghee parathas or sev puri completely — just eat everything mindfully.
Serve on small plates
Eat slowly to tune into fullness
Avoid binge-eating straight from the kadhai
Moisture-rich foods including lauki, zucchini, cucumber (if well-cleaned), and soups help beat internal dehydration caused by monsoon humidity.
Incorporate:
Lauki soup with pepper and ginger
Steamed veggie momos with mint chutney
Homemade lemon-coriander broth
Monsoon, the season of nostalgia and indulgence, when food is at the heart of it all; but you don’t need to choose between flavour and fitness.
By making small yet effective changes — you can enjoy your comfort favourites in a much healthier avatar. After all, the best kind of comfort food is the one that warms your soul without upsetting your digestion.
