Dr. Raina Stoyanova is the dessert of every diet menu. She is the person who inspirits the diet in a special way and cares for the health and body of the person through the stomach. Her calling is to read about, but she also writes on healthy eating. See has been consulting and helping people to maintain a beautiful and healthy body for 10 years, taking care of their stomach. Rayna is also an endocrinologist and assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, and nowadays a devoted mother to her young son.
Dr. Stoyanova added Delishu to her personal menu with great pleasure and as our adviser on nutrition-related health topics, we asked her a lot of questions about the easiest ways to maintain an appropriate nutritional balance in our daily menu.
Hello Rayna, one of the most discussed topics today, is how to eat healthy in the dynamic rhythm of life. Which is the right formula and is there one?
- Nowadays, each of us, in one way or another, strives for nutrition health or at least protects from the unhealthy eating pattern. Feeding within a balanced range includes providing optimal nutrient intake to ensure functioning of the body without overdosing or scarcity, as well as avoiding the consumption of harmful substances. Healthy eating is a process that is built and sustained over the years, thanks to our will, constant self-education and discipline in the application of what we have learned. The universal formula is the daily consumption of over 400 grams of vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products as well as sausages and delicacies to be replaced with fish, poultry and plant alternatives to products of animal origin. Culinary food processing is also extremely important – it is best to be cooked, roasted or grilled, because in the breading or frying the products take up a lot of fat and double their energy value.
They say that health is in the stomach. What foods and supplements are needed to keep a healthy stomach?
- The stomach and the gastrointestinal tract are important to our health as every organ. Since nutrients are absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, problems with it will lead to serious health consequences of a variable nature. These include weakened immunity, impaired hormonal balance, obesity, vitaminal and mineral deficiencies, chronical infections, oxidative stress, allergies and many others. The daily intake of naturally fermented foods like yoghurt, pickled cabbage, kefir, fermented nuts delicacies, etc. have a beneficial effect. Such foods are probiotic in nature and help develop a healthy flora in the stomach and intestines. Our market is getting more and more fermented nuts delicacies, such as Delishu, which add flavor and variety to our daily menu. Taking digestive enzymes can also facilitate the digestive process.
What are the basics of balanced nutrition?
- Complete and balanced nutrition is completely applicable today. It is achieved through maximum approximation and life in harmony with nature. Balanced nutrition requires first and foremost the observance of certain proportions of the active substances – 20% fat, 30% protein and 50% carbohydrate. One of the key elements in the balanced feeding, is the water balance. Without it, everything else loses importance. Each organism needs 30 ml of water per kilogram of body weight. Nutrition should take place regularly, at three main meals and at 2-3 intervals. They must not be more or less. Balanced diet is greatly assisted by physical activity. Through it, we consume more energy, increase our tone and our overall physical and mental state.
For or against diets?
- It depends. It depends on the “diet” of the individual. Diet is used for healing purposes in various types of illness and is very important for the effective achievement of the end result. For acute gastritis, for example, diet is extremely helpful for rapid cure.
Being a specialist in healthy eating, what are the supplements that you recommend to maintain our intestinal flora? Are there such foods?
- A healthy, nutritionally balanced and varied person should not need additional intake of food supplements. Probiotics, or modern symbiotics, including probiotic cultures and prebiotics necessary for their development, are a suitable supplement for gastrointestinal health. Naturally, fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir, boza, fermented winter salads, and ever-increasing fermented nuts can contribute to the additional introduction of beneficial bacteria into our intestines. So, experiment.
Can you tell us more about functional foods – what do they represent and why are they useful?
- The concept of functional foods was born in Japan in the 1980s, with the idea of achieving people’s longevity by slowing down aging and achieving better physical and mental health. The European Union FUFOSE (Functional Food Science in Europe), in collaboration with the European ILSI (International Life Science Institute), deals with the development and approval of functional foods in the European Union. It is important to emphasize that functional foods are not a medicine or a food supplement. They must have a proven beneficial effect that exceeds the adequate nutritional effects of natural food ingredients by improving the health status or reducing the risk of disease. Functional foods can be a natural food in which one beneficial ingredient (a microelement ) is added or a natural food that has a beneficial effect (selected probiotic bacteria that improve intestinal flora) or component removal (hydrolysis of a protein that has allergenic properties). Functional foods are foods or ingredients (vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, phytonutrients or biologically active substances) that provide health benefits beyond those of the usual diet consumed by the general population.
And finally, can you tell us which is your favorite recipe with Delishu?
My favorite buckwheat with vegetables
250 g buckwheat 2 onions 2 peppers 5 . tomatoes 1 stalk leek 1 tablespoon seasoning by choice 1 tablespoon soy sauce 4 tablespoons oil salt, pepper, red pepper
The buckwheat is washed and boiled in water (500 ml), gently salted, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Cut the vegetables finely and the tomatoes into cubes. Fry the vegetables for a few minutes, finally add the tomatoes. Add a glass of water and add spices and soy sauce. Leave it to boil for 5-10 minutes. Drain the buckwheat and put it into the dish. Let it take from the aroma and serve it hot. It can be sprinkled with green herbs of choice and I strongly recommend garnish with natural Delishu.
Повече за д-р Стоянова може да прочетете:
http://www.raynastoyanova.com/