It is an inevitable fact that there are changes in the diet, especially during the holidays. Dietitian and Physiotherapist Buket Ertaş Sefer said, "While some turn the holiday into an advantage by reducing the number of meals with late breakfasts, others deserve to be malnourished as if they had the opportunity. The important thing here is to stay away from the concept of all-or-nothing." 

Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Dietitian and Phytotherapy Specialist Buket Ertaş Sefer, who said that there may naturally be some changes in everyone's diet at times such as holidays gave information about the points to be considered in nutrition. Reminding that increased meat consumption during Eid al-Adha may pose a risk, especially for people with chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, Buket Ertaş Sefer said, "As always, the important thing in this period will be when and how much you eat, rather than what you eat. As always, what is important is balance."  She listed the things to be taken into account about the holiday feeding style as follows…

Eat Plenty of Vegetables in Breakfast

Buket Ertaş Sefer, who said that it is necessary to consume plenty of greens for breakfast considering that more meat will be consumed at lunch dinners, hospitality, and hosting guests at the feast, said, "Even eating cooked vegetables will balance both your daily cholesterol intake and your protein consumption. If you are going to consume meat every day, choose at least 1 meal for yourself. Take care to consume plenty of vegetables and salads besides the meal you choose. It is beneficial to take a break from the consumption of eggs, which we always support. However, including cheese, which is a source of protein and fat for breakfast, as well as healthy vegetable fat sources such as avocados and omega 3 sources such as walnuts, will help to balance the omega 6 taken during the day."

Support Your Heart by Facilitating Digestion

Stating that good digestion has a great contribution to general health, Specialist Dietitian Buket E. Sefer said that to ensure this, it would be better not to take liquids just before meals and during meals. Explaining that those who are deficient in stomach acid should definitely consult a specialist, Specialist Dietitian Sefer said "The ease of digestion reduces gas formation and keeps pressure on the heart to a minimum. For this, extra recommendations can be obtained by consulting a specialist to facilitate digestion. For example, products such as apple cider vinegar and beet kvass can be used."

Eat a Vegetable Dish with Olive Oil at Every Meal

"Since raw vegetables are also difficult to digest, if you have indigestion complaints, you can mostly prefer cooked vegetables instead of salads," said Dietitian Sefer and continued as follows: "The preference may vary completely depending on the situation of the person. If you are consuming salad, adding apple vinegar with a soft drink makes digestion easier. The acidity effect of meat will be balanced by alkaline vegetables. It is also important to diversify the greens as the weighted vitamin we get from each vegetable is different."

Limit Blood Fatty Friendly Carbohydrates

Although LDL is generally spoken during the holidays, triglyceride, another blood fat, should not be forgotten. Dietitian Sefer said, "Blood fats are at great risk during this period of increased consumption of sweets as well as meat". It is beneficial to try not to consume sweet foods every day. If you do, make up for it by walking. The sugar in your body can never be made up to 100 percent. However, controlling weight and regulating blood sugar will prevent the triggering of diseases. Unfortunately, the biggest friend of triglycerides is carbohydrates. It is very important to regulate daily carbohydrate intake, especially avoiding sugar. The fact that the holiday came to a particular summer setting increased the tendency towards desserts that are relatively better than those with milk dessert and ice cream. We can see that as an advantage."

Limit Tea and Coffee Consumption

Going to the neighbor’s house during the holiday period and hosting guests cause the consumption of tea and coffee to increase. However, it should not be forgotten that the more tea and coffee, the more water is wasted.  Therefore, in addition to consumption, getting a bottle between meals and remembering to drink water will contribute to your health.

Consume Sacrificial Meat After 24 Hours

Dietitian Buket Ertaş Sefer, who said that it is very important to wait 24 hours to consume meat, even though it is a habit to eat immediately after the sacrifice due to traditions and habits, listed the things to be considered when consuming meat as follows:   "Meat is already a difficult food to digest. Since freshly cut meat is harder, it may cause digestive difficulties in the stomach's intestinal tract. At the end of the appropriate waiting period, it is best to cook only with your own oil with the right cooking method (boiling, grilling). It should also not be allowed to charcoalize the meat. Because overcooked meat produces carcinogens until it is charred. Since red meat is a food that contains a lot of fat, even if it is lean, it is very important for cholesterol balance not to use animal sources such as extra butter.'
 
 Yeditepe University Hospitals Dietitian and Phytotherapist Buket E. reminded that especially regularly used cholesterol and heart drugs will be more important in this period, and added, "There may be an increase in cholesterol due to excessive meat consumption. In addition, consuming meats that are difficult to digest can even trigger a heart attack. In addition to the diet, the follow-up of the drug regimen is extra important."