Not only garlic: what and how to eat so as not to get sick

Executive Director of ANO “National Research Center“ Healthy Nutrition ”.

Drink two liters of water a day

Many supporters of the correct lifestyle adhere to this rule. However, there is no evidence that this approach improves health. Conversely, if there is a problem with kidney function, excess fluid will accumulate in the body. This will lead to swelling. The same situation is with 2 glasses of water, which some nutritionists recommend drinking in the morning before meals. There is no scientific evidence on the benefits of such a technique. How do you find the middle ground? The body really needs water, but its amount depends on the individual. If you are thirsty, fill a glass with water (not tea, coffee or juice), take a sip. If you feel thirsty, drink. But don’t force yourself to do it on a schedule.

Don’t eat after 18:00

Such advice would be useful for those who go to bed at 20:00. But rarely does anyone live on such a schedule. The main rule that should be taken into account: the evening meal should occur at least 2 hours before bedtime. This interval should not be greatly increased so as not to experience hunger at night.

You should not replace fruits with juices, they no longer contain fiber, it remains in the cake.

Eat fractionally

This method of eating is useful only for people with abnormalities in the work of the gastrointestinal tract. If there are no diseases, it makes no sense to increase the number of meals. This often leads to overeating. It’s another matter if you see that you have a long interval between breakfast and lunch, and, not keeping it, you start to seize the feeling of hunger with cookies or sweets. Plan yourself a light lunch. Let it be a healthy product – cottage cheese or yogurt. There are no uniform nutritional rules for everyone. Someone needs to eat 6 times a day, someone feels great skipping breakfast. Another thing is your condition matters. If you see that your waist is approaching 150 cm, it’s time to change your diet and meal schedule. What you like is not suitable for the body.

Count calories

This is difficult to do. There are programs for smartphones, in which an approximate calculation is carried out. But in order for it to be as close as possible to the truth, it is necessary to very accurately enter data on the amount of food that you ate. Few can withstand such painstaking work. Instead, it’s best to keep an eye on what’s on your plate. Strive to have ½ of your diet with vegetables and fruits, they are a source of fiber, which is important for digestion. Fish is preferable on the table 2 times a week. But red meat (pork, beef, lamb) should be consumed no more than 1-2 times a month. Don’t forget about polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are important for metabolism. There are many of them in nuts, seeds, vegetable oil.

Make it a rule to regularly change your weekly set of vegetables and fruits. The more varied it is, the more vitamins and minerals you will receive. Even bell peppers of different colors differ in the content of nutrients. The whole diet should also vary, one cannot be limited to one set of products. So you reduce the amount of nutrients entering the body. Are you used to eating yogurt? Alternate jars of different brands. Manufacturers use different starter cultures, and therefore the content of beneficial bacteria in fermented milk products is different.

Eat alone

The rule “When I eat, I am deaf and dumb” has been instilled in us since childhood. However, it has been proven that in solitude and silence or in front of the TV, a person eats more than if he sits at a table surrounded by his family. In this case, food intake lasts longer; during the conversation, the participants in the meal eat less.

Use a mono- or keto diet

They will not benefit the body. The weight will indeed decrease, but it will definitely return when switching to a full-fledged diet. It is impossible to adhere to a protein diet for more than two weeks. The reason is the reduction of nutrients that we get from food. A safe and effective way to lose weight is through physical activity. If you can’t master the workout in the gym, make it a rule to walk. The norm for a healthy person is 10 thousand steps. Keep track of your daily routine, try to go to bed at the same time. This will prevent fatigue from building up. Overstrain and stress are the main causes of excess weight.