Galery

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Easter is almost impossible without indigestion, dyspepsia and minor incidents! See what can happen to your body during the holidays these days, as well as ways in which to avoid any potential risks.

For most of us, Easter coincides with one of the 7 deadly sins – greed. The frugal diet of the 40 days of fasting preceding Easter focuses on individual abstinence and abstinence from gustatory pleasures.

Therefore, if you have managed to observe even partially the fast in the last month, you should be especially careful when eating and drinking on Holy Saturday and Easter.

Before and after fasting

Remember that the fast has not been created so that you could have the permission of the church to eat plentifully at Easter. However, if you fast for this reason, it is wrong. In particular, this attitude is wrong not because of the religious part of the fast, but because of your health. You must realize the damage which you cause to your body, if you indulge in animal products and alcohol and all the extras you will find on the festive table after 40 days of abstinence from meat.

As you already know, when the Christian Passover is celebrated in Greece and all over the world, you will surely find red Easter eggs, roast lamb or goat, many homemade pies and plenty of wine. Before you indulge in Easter dishes, remember what to be careful about so that you can spend Easter Monday under the spring sun, and not in bed because of feeling sick.

What can you encounter?

Problems in the gastrointestinal tract are the most common ones, in cases when a long period of fasting or a diet is followed by heavy dishes. Overeating after a frugal diet accumulates in the stomach and intestines and leads to problems such as indigestion, bloating and constipation. All these situations are aggravated by the large amounts of alcohol consumed during these days and nights.

In order to avoid unpleasant surprises, do not forget the "magiritsa" soup, since tradition has already taken care of your health. The soup is relatively easy to digest and prepares the system so that it can avoid collapsing completely because of the inevitably excessive consumption of meat at Easter.

Heart disease and diabetes patients

If you have problems with your heart, it would be good to be careful with food and especially with salt on this day. If you have diabetes, you know that it would be good to be more careful with your choice during the holidays, since there will be very harmful delicacies.

How to avoid this?

During the holidays, remember everything you know about proper nutrition, and there will be no surprises:

• Stop fasting gradually, in order to avoid a stomach shock;
• Avoid eating between meals in order to control the amount of food which you partake better;
• Always start your meal with a salad so that you can fill your stomach with vegetable fibre first and less meat and carbohydrates afterwards;
• Drink lots of water days before the holiday feast and days after it;
• Do not overdo portions. Remember that a portion should be divided into ½ vegetables and salad, ¼ protein and ¼ carbohydrates at every meal.
• If you drink a lot of alcohol, at least make sure that you have had enough food before that;
• Do not leave the table only after you are absolutely full, because you will already have eaten too much. Eat slowly and allow your brain to "get satiated".

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Do not waste your time just at the table, no matter how attractive this may seem.

Do not turn the holidays into days of eating, and do not attempt to try each dish. The value of the festive table lies in the opportunity it provides for us to enjoy the company of our loved ones.

After the lamb, go for a walk and help your body recover after the food. You will have a lot of time which is never enough on other days. Happy Easter!