After the holidays, when many pamper themselves and do not limit their diet in any way, you need to quickly put yourself and your digestion in order. Fasting diets will help with this, and there are a large number of options for such diets.
Their essence lies in the fact that a person narrows his daily diet to one or three products from a group, for example, fruits or vegetables. Usually this is about two kilograms of product, distributed over several meals throughout the day. It is also important to drink plenty of water; Do not drink any other beverages.
“Fasting days have many advantages. Firstly, they make it possible to get more energy spent than energy received from food, that is, the person begins to lose weight. Secondly, they help remove excess fluid and toxins from the body. Thirdly, they reduce the load on the gastrointestinal tract. “After all, with regular application, they help reduce the volume of the stomach,” Daria Veselova, an endocrinologist at the flagship clinic “Be Healthy”, told socialbites.ca.
How do I choose the one that suits me?
“I always recommend that patients try different options for fasting days. This helps them decide what is right for them: Someone may feel great eating a fresh or baked apple with plenty of water, but for others it will be a slog,” a nutritionist and head of the nutrition department told socialbites.ca ( EMC) Ksenia Selezneva.
Due to the decrease in the amount of calories taken during the fasting diet, you may experience weakness, dizziness, drowsiness and concentration problems. Therefore, according to Selezneva, if a person has never fasted, if there are no problems with his tolerance, it is worth paying attention to fermented milk products.
“This is one of the more filling options, so you can start there. When draining fermented milk, 1-1.5 liters of kefir or plain yoghurt are distributed throughout the day, and at least 2 liters of water are added. You can replace cottage cheese and kefir. But you cannot stick to such mono-diets for a long time, otherwise the diet cannot be called healthy and correct: a person will not be able to receive a large amount of nutrients and calories for life,” Selezneva noted.
But according to consultant nutritionist Alexey Kabanov, deputy director of the ANO Scientific Research Center “Healthy Nutrition”, a day on kefir is a dubious idea.
“Obviously this idea failed. You will definitely have an upset stomach due to too much acidic product. Heartburn and diarrhea are possible. This will give you relief, but only because of the power outage,” Kabanov explained.
Another popular option is fasting on porridge. You can spend this day eating buckwheat, semolina or oatmeal without salt, butter or sugar. Porridge can be cooked in the morning and divided into five mini portions per day.
One of the best options would be to drain buckwheat porridge. This product is considered by many to be a superfood: it contains vitamins K and B6, as well as important microelements – potassium, calcium, iron and phosphorus.
Buckwheat is good for people with heart disease, diabetes and many other diseases, as the product helps lower blood sugar levels.
“You can spend the day eating buckwheat or rice. Although it is of course possible, it is difficult to digest. But there will be fewer problems. The average option is days when pears, apples, watermelon or water are consumed. Essentially, this is fasting, but at least you can get some energy from fruits and essential fiber. But such an imbalance will also lead to problems in the gastrointestinal tract. You will need to eat 5-7 apples a day and this is of course too much for your intestines. Sitting on water for a day is already an extreme situation, close to a health risk,” says Kabanov.
In his opinion, the only acceptable option is a protein fast day. In this case, a person can compensate for the lack of protein in the body by approaching a balanced diet.
Proteins aid recovery after training and injuries, support immune function, and promote muscle growth. However, their excess is dangerous for people with kidney disease, protein also triggers hypertension and diabetes.
“You can eat eggs for breakfast, fish for lunch, and vegetable proteins for dinner: legumes, whole grains, plant-based meat. But in general, such stressful single fasting days will most likely harm the body. The goals are questionable, so is the impact. It is important to create and stick to a complete, balanced, long-term diet. “Otherwise, you will be experimenting on your own health,” warns Kabanov.
Single diet rules
According to Veselova, mono diets have a few important rules. It should not be observed for more than 1-2 days, but such days can be arranged regularly, for example, once a month. It is important to consult a doctor before choosing a mono diet.
“In the first days of the monodiet, the doctor will recommend you to keep a food diary: you will write down your emotions after eating and monitor your body’s reaction to foods. Then you can discuss your impressions with your doctor and change foods for fasting days if the initially recommended diet does not suit you,” said Veselova.
Some fasting diet options may not be suitable for people with various diseases. For example, fruit or vegetable days are fraught with increased stomach acidity, which can lead to gastritis and ulcers.
You should also approach fruit-based mono diets with caution if your blood sugar is high.
“There are a number of contraindications. The main contraindication for certain fasting days is intolerance to any component of the fasting diet. For example, if a person has lactose intolerance, fermented milk fasting days are not for him. In case of exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes, pregnancy and breastfeeding, you should consult your doctor. “A competent specialist will help you understand whether a particular fasting day will be beneficial or whether it is better to avoid it. Also, you should definitely not fast during periods of increased physical or mental activity,” added Selezneva.
It is also important to enter and exit the mono diet correctly. Veselova says it’s better to do this gradually. According to that, The next day after unloading, the menu should include lean meats, fiber-rich vegetables, fermented milk products – all in moderation.
But there is another point of view: “A fasting day means a short-term change in diet for only one day, so a special “exit” is not required, for example, after two weeks of fasting. Selezneva concluded her words.
All experts emphasized that in most cases it is much more effective to establish a regime and constantly adhere to the basic principles. If you decide to radically change your eating habits only for a while, be sure to consult your doctor to choose the best option, taking into account your health indicators.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.