Dietitian – About Advent Detox: Following Some Principles You Will Definitely Improve Your Health

A good time to develop new habits.

According to the dietician, in the past, Lithuanians’ eating habits were dictated by nature itself. There was not much meat or other animal products at this time of year. In addition, it was cold, it was necessary to live in a compressed state, which formed a certain behavior – there was less fun and more time at home in silence.

But at a time when we are lacking for nothing, the abundance of options is everywhere, and there is just what the heart desires in stores, abstaining from certain products must be conscious.

“As much as we ourselves tend to give up, maybe give it to someone, for the improvement of our health and at the end of the year doing the so-called detox, in modern terms, of fatty foods, sweets, alcohol, fun. Considering the context of these days, it is extremely significant, ”said K. Jasmontienė.

Detox is a very popular word, but what does it really mean? What does it mean to detoxify your body?

“We can recommend such, say, Advent detox with a calm heart to anyone, because it really will not harm their health. Although several famous detoxes are done after the New Year, after the holidays. As for them, it seems that we take one broom and sweep everything, like a house after a big party. Unfortunately, we shouldn’t treat our bodies like that. If we ate and drank heavily during the holidays, brooms would no longer be enough. It is a big burden on the kidneys and liver and it takes more than a week before we get back to normal, ”said K. Jasmontienė.

So Advent and Christmas are the time when we have to remember the peculiarities of the vegetarian diet, remember all kinds of vegetables, eat more fish than meat, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, seeds. Basically everything our ancestors ate in ancient times.

The doctor also recommends giving up processed meat, and now is a particularly good time to cultivate this new habit.

“It is recommended to give up processed meat not only during Advent or Lent, but always. That amount must be extremely limited and extremely small, no more than 50 grams per week. During Advent, I suggested giving it up entirely, reducing the amount of red meat to once a week. In general, it is recommended to choose both white and red meats 2-3 times a week, as recommended by the principles of a healthy diet ”, advises the interviewee.

It is urgent not to forget the fish

The diet of the remaining days can be completed with mushrooms, fish, legumes. It would be great if we didn’t eat meat or fish one day a week, but instead got a portion of animal protein from eating eggs and fermented dairy products.

“What we get from eating this way is a significant increase in the proportion of seasonal vegetables in our diet, because inevitably fresh vegetables are currently being replaced by fermented vegetables. As we know, they are a source of probiotics and prebiotics and a great helper for the immune system and intestinal health, – said K. Jasmontienė.

– Research on lifestyle shows that we actually eat very little fish in Lithuania. Including it a couple of times a week and fasting would definitely add to what we are missing. Eating fatty fish would increase omega-3 fatty acids. The benefits are endless. “

The interlocutor warns that Lithuanians are not prone to consume different products, they prefer tomatoes and cucumbers throughout the year. However, this is not a healthy approach, and everyone should remember the so-called variety of vegetables and the ‘rainbow on a plate’.

“In fact, there are root vegetables that are very interesting. But often when children are asked if they know what a turnip is, many of them do not know that it is a vegetable and have never tried it in general. When there is more time, which we really have a little more now, it can be used to cook, remember old recipes and enrich our diet with them ”, said K. Jasmontienė.

Diets and experiments are definitely not recommended

There are a variety of tips on the internet before the holidays: some plan to starve before Christmas and make up for Christmas, others plan not to limit themselves now and go hungry after the holidays. What does this behavior do to our body?

According to the dietitian, these experiments cause great stress on the body. Also, if such fluctuations occur drastically and quickly, they can manifest themselves in a variety of unpleasant phenomena. Indigestion can cause indigestion, diarrhea, bloating. Sometimes such sensations last a long time and suffer more than a week, sometimes turning into chronic problems.

“Especially if it is fatty food, we eat it while drinking alcohol, it is a great challenge for our liver, pancreas and the entire digestive system. If we go on a hard and drastic diet after that, the body is definitely not well. If it lasts a long time, doing it more than once can cause stones to form in the body. And in general, such large fluctuations are a stress on our health. What we feel when we eat badly, if it is not acute poisoning, we do not see it the next day. As a result, it often seems to a person that it does not matter and it is still possible to eat unhealthy foods without consequences, ”explained the dietitian.

Also, it should be remembered that diet is one of the major contributing factors to obesity. The more often and more drastically you follow the diets, the more your metabolism slows down and the more likely you are to have to constantly live in an effort to control weight.

K. Jasmontienė also gave some tips on how to make this year’s Christmas table healthier. First of all, he said, you need to think about what to wear in advance, so as not to have to buy ready-made products afterwards. One of the most important principles of health is freshly prepared food.

“If you cook at home, you should refrain from using large amounts of fatty sauces. It is also possible not to bake in the pan but to bake in the oven. The next thing is moderation. If only family members are present at the celebration, it is not necessary to produce enough for 4 days and then eat alone so as not to be thrown away. This is not a rational decision, “said K. Jasmontienė.