Holy Week is considered the time when fish is consumed the most in Colombia, in this regard, Diario del Huila spoke with experts about the benefits of a proper diet.
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DIARY OF HUILA, NEIVA
By: Angelica Andrade Quimbaya
During Holy Week, communities belonging to religions such as Catholicism, commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, a time when, in Colombia, households opt for activities related to prayer, recreation, rest or family union.
Likewise, families reduce the consumption of red meat, a symbol with which they seek to “Honor Jesus, who spent 40 days without eating or drinking anything”, an action that modifies some practices used by people interested in “fasting” to lose weight. weight.
In context, Dr. Nubia Carolina Bastos López, nutritionist and dietitian from the University of Pamplona, revealed that the reasons for losing weight should be a permanent mission, since this helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hypertension. , among other.
“Every day we can work on maintaining a proper weight and staying healthy. An important part is to take into account the foods that we can consume, choose the appropriate form of preparations, everything is in creating eating habits, making small changes day by day, these changes can include the intake of more fresh vegetables, fruits, a Significant contribution of protein, call it fish, chicken, eggs, having a balanced amount of carbohydrates, does not mean that we should avoid their consumption as such, but rather eat them in adequate amounts, everything is in the size of the portions, “said the professional.
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Consistently, the cooking methods in which it is essential to avoid the use of frying and maintain the safety of the food that is consumed, can contribute significantly to the purpose of not only losing weight, but also keeping healthy.
“We can also help maintain a proper weight by practicing physical activity, we are a bit sedentary and if we have this problem, we can start with fifteen-minute daily walks and gradually increase the time, the idea is to get us to do physical activity an average time of one hour per day. Something that we put aside a lot, is the importance of having a restful sleep, a restful sleep is being able to sleep approximately eight hours a day, this helps to improve the metabolism that supports us with the goal of achieving an adequate weight and it will also help us help build muscle mass,” said Carolina Bastos.
Regarding fish, the dietitian clarified that this product has excellent nutritional quality, since it provides proteins of high biological value, “there are nutrients called essential amino acids that are important for the proper functioning of our body and the body does not generate them by themselves”, clarifying that there is no specific nutritional factor for a certain type of fish if what is sought is to choose one with differential properties that benefits weight loss or reduction and that, by increasing its consumption in the daily diet, Said protein contributes to balance the diet, added to the elimination of the exaggerated consumption of carbohydrates and fats that it considers an essential element to maintain a correct functioning of the body.
According to Bastos López, fish has a considerable amount of important nutrients, among which the contribution of Vitamin A stands out, essential for the immune system, vision, proper growth and development in children who, in adequate portions, provides the exact amount of amino acids, the proper functioning of organs such as the heart and lungs, adding that another essential component is Vitamin D that improves the absorption of calcium consumed, “remember that calcium is the main element that constitutes the bones, therefore it helps us to avoid the early appearance of osteoporosis and complications in the future”, reiterating that there are also minerals such as phosphorus, mainly responsible for the formation of bones and teeth, selenium and iodine, among others.
“The vitamins and minerals contained in fish play a very important role in how the body absorbs, assimilates and uses carbohydrates and saturated and trans fats, which are bad for the body. In the same way, magnesium somewhat regulates the functioning of the muscles and the nervous system, taking into account that it also acts as a mediator of the sugar level and blood pressure, as for selenium, it helps to protect our body from infections and, finally, , the omegas that are a kind of unsaturated acids, such as omega 3, very famous by the way, which provides benefits related to positive adjuvant anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant effects on the heart, helping to dramatically reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. In conclusion, fish provides highly relevant elements for the proper functioning of the human body”, specified Bastos López.
Frequent consumption of fish:
Some factors that limit the consumption of fish are related to the perception of the price, considered expensive compared to other edibles classified as more “feasible”, however, the professional explained that, similar to what happens with fruits, vegetables and vegetables, there are seasons of greater production that cause a balance of supply and demand, an economic effect that benefits the acquisition.
“There are harvest seasons, so to speak, that occur depending on the types of water and the climate in the different areas of the country. In the case of Easter, the implicit theme of marketing promotes the consumption of fish and the advice is to take advantage of the prices of the promotions and select the place where it is going to be purchased, taking into account the recommendations against the factors visible to identify a fish in optimal conditions for consumption
since it is of high biological value, but it is also very sensitive to contaminating physical aspects that affect safety”.
In short, the season and the supply-demand relationship are key to increasing the community’s consumption of fish, accessing its purchase at lower prices and thus benefiting not only health, but also the economy of Colombian households.
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The triad to maintain an adequate weight:
To refer to the idea of many people, related to achieving a weight proportional to the body mass index, the professional alluded to the fact that there are no quick, “miraculous” or definitive strategies for the body to reach certain goals, thus ruling out the premise of who perform physical activity while eating inadequately.
“The issue of achieving the ‘ideal’ weight is like maintaining a triad, this means that not because we do some exercise we can consume all the foodstuffs that come our way, but it is transcendental to have a balance between proper eating habits which implies moderate consumption of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, a balance between physical activity and here we include the time and type of exercise, added to restful sleep”, explained the nutritionist, reiterating that, sometimes, the priority of rest is decreased , maintaining the excuse of having a proper diet and exercising, without valuing that the body needs energy to achieve and maintain optimal functioning.
Regarding the possible existence of recommended foods to lose weight, the professional indicated that there are no clinical studies that relate nutrients, components or properties in specific foods that benefit the purpose of “losing weight”: “There is no food key or star that, based on research results, is considered ideal for weight loss. The key is, I reiterate, proper nutrition, exercise and restful sleep”.
In the same way, Bastos referred to the relevance of not demonizing carbohydrates which, of course, are also considered relevant for the daily development of the organism and what must be taken into account are the portions of this type of nutrients, emphasizing that people should not be “pigeoned” into the so-called strict diets, but apply small changes that are constant over time.
Red meat replacement at Easter:
Among the habits of the religious communities that profess Catholicism is the abstinence or limitation of the consumption of red meat during Holy Week, which is why products of high nutritional value are recommended, such as white meats, which include fish, chicken and eggs, legumes whose price is easy to acquire and these include beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas.
Legumes are products of plant origin that also help the body to function properly and help maintain an adequate nutritional status, like soybeans, a food with a good source of protein to replace red meat that is culturally no longer consumed in some homes. during this season”, Bastos pointed out.
To keep in mind when purchasing fish:
These are some recommendations to take into account when buying fish and that can avoid a bad moment derived from health complications.
· Observe the fish carefully, making sure that the eyes are transparent and bright.
· Check that the gills are bright red and moist, if you find that they are brown, whitish or yellowish, it can be established that it is a fish that has been exposed for a long time and can generate a risk of contamination.
· Prefer the purchase of gutted fish, which have already been properly cleaned.
· Check that it does not have a fetid odor.
· Check that the scales are well adhered and that the meat of the fish is consistent.
ü Dried fish:
· Observe that the yellow color is uniform and does not present reddish or greenish spots.
· Verify that the consistency is hard and that the taste is salty.
· Verify that its smell is not similar to that of ammonia.
· Check that the label is visible and clear, the packaging is in perfect condition.
· Inspect that the label contains complete information on the product, in terms of sanitary registration, name of the food, ingredients, nutritional table, batch identification, expiration date, storage instructions and net weight of the product.
Affectations derived from the consumption of fish in bad conditions:
Regarding the consumption of fish in poor condition, the support professional of the food safety and quality component of the Huila Departmental Health Secretariat, Carlos Eduardo Vargas Peña, assured that they can trigger Foodborne Diseases, ETAS, in the that the main symptoms are vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and, in some cases, headache or reddening of the skin.
“In case of consuming food and presenting some of the symptoms described, you should go to the nearest health center so that the doctor can carry out the respective analysis and determine if the symptoms presented are associated with possible food poisoning,” added Vargas Peña. , who also referred to the advisability of purchasing products in places that have sanitary conditions, that is, that they are clean, do not generate bad odors, refrigeration equipment is in good condition, the staff is with their respective endowment and that they are monitored by the health authorities.
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