Prep up for season change: Here’s a checklist

As the season changes, so should your grocery shopping list! Won’t it be fun to hit the super market with your immunity-boosting, refreshing and season special list? Here are few things that you need to stock up for a happy and healthy home.
 

Kitchen Essentials:

1. Green tea:   Brimming with antioxidants, this   cuppa   is bound to help you ward off infections during season change. Green tea is a great alternative for milk based tea, since milk is prone to contamination, especially during the rainy season. Green tea can keep your weight in check, maintain blood sugar levels, prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases and improve brain health too!
 

2.   Tofu: Tofu is a great source of calcium especially in the monsoon season when it’s a bit tricky to consume dairy (risk of contamination, as mentioned above). Grab a pack or two and go online to find exciting recipes to tempt your child. Tofu has an additional advantage: It is a great source of protein and iron – the nutrients that help to promote growth in a child.

3.   Bitter gourd (good old karela): While children cringe from this vegetable, it is a wonder veggie to keep cold and flu at bay. Bitter gourd is a wonder veggie with antibiotic, anti- fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic and expectorant properties. Experiment with some recipes online and cook up karela in new ways – you never know what might just work with your child!

4.   Bone broth: Stocking up on bone broth is a good idea. Reason? Bone broth contains gelatin cooked form of collagen which makes up for more than of half of the protein in the body. It’s a good idea to serve your child a cup of broth if you observe early symptoms of cold and flu; I’ve seen this remedy work up a miracle. Simply throw in some veggies to the broth and you are good to go.

Make sure you also stock up your kitchen with herbs and spices like ginger, tulsi, methi, turmeric, black pepper and cinnamon – and use them generously while cooking your daily fare.

Home Essentials:

1.   Disinfectants: Come rains and you need to stock up on the best disinfectants in the market.

The changing season brings along infections and those germs are going to spread! Opt for a good, branded disinfectant especially for cleaning floors, kitchen slabs, dining areas and so on.

2.   Hand wash and sanitizer: Bacterial infections grow rapidly, wherein it goes on spreading from one individual to the other easily. Hence invest in a good hand wash and inculcate a habit in your child to wash hands after school, after play, after meeting friends and so on. Same goes for you! Wash hands before cooking, eating or after you have returned from travel or work. A hand sanitizer comes handy on-the-go.
 

3.   Nasal spray: No matter how hard you try; your child may still fall sick! Cold and flu are common occurrences – and the most discomforting effect is a blocked nose! Keeping a medicated spray handy will take care of troublesome nights when your child faces difficulty falling asleep due to a blocked nose. A nasal spray brings instant relief from nasal congestion – so purchase one from the medical store as soon as you feel a change in the air!

Even as you stock up on the essentials, here are 5 tips to keep seasonal menace at bay….

1.   Avoid roadside fruit juices and cut fruits.

2.   Avoid fish – stick to lean meat, poultry and eggs.

3.   Consume herbal teas like chamomile, nettle or peppermint.

4.   Go easy on dairy products.

5.   Exercise and sweat out the extra moisture, it can keep infections at bay.

Did you find the information shared by Huda Shaikh useful? Will you include some of the above items in your grocery list? Any questions? Huda Shaikh is here to respond to your queries. Please post your thoughts and queries in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: A special initiative powered by Otrivin to help you breathe easy. Always use as directed on pack. Opinions expressed above are independent opinions of the author.