Drink Green Tea, use light cooking oil to increase immunity

New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Weak immunity reduces our metabolic rate and thus, suppresses the body's ability to fight diseases. A lower metabolic rate also means that our digestive system's ability to break down and absorb food is weaker, leading to stomach ailments like constipation and bloating. Stay hydrated and increase fiber intake to increase immunity, says an expert.

Dolly Kumar, director of GAIA Herbs, shares tips to increase immunity and the metabolic rate and not miss out on monsoon activities:

* Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water and water-based drinks such as green tea during monsoon season because the increased humidity makes us sweat more and leaves our bodies dehydrated and makes us more susceptible to falling ill. 

* Increase fiber intake: Increase consumption of light fibrous grains such as oats, brown rice, and barley that are easy to absorb by the body. Avoid watery cereals such as curried rice which can cause bloating during monsoon.

* Switch to light cooking oils: As much as you love eating pakoras during monsoon, avoid deep fried foods as they can make one feel heavy and are difficult to digest. If you still want to indulge in a few monsoon munchies, use lighter oils such as corn oil or olive oil instead of heavy cooking oils like mustard.

* Use natural immunity boosters: Turmeric powder and Fenugreek seeds boost metabolic rate and are natural antibiotics. 

* Lime and honey: To further boost metabolic rate and immunity, have lemon juice and honey as they assist in the digestion process and help the intestines carry out their functions properly and effectively.