Nutritiology is a relatively young but rapidly developing approach to nutrition in Russia. People with first-hand experience of kefir diets and apple cleanse days will be surprised at how varied their diet becomes after a visit to a nutritionist. At her Nutrisol.clinic, which will soon open near Universitet metro station, Anastasia Zelenina implements a preventive medicine approach based on holistic principles and helps change not only the usual diet, but also the way of life so that she can forget about chronic fatigue, overweight and mood swings forever.
- Why were you attracted to dietetics, because in Russia the demand for this industry is still only gaining momentum?
- It was a personal story that led me to nutritionism. Seven years ago I became a mother for the first time and worked as a lawyer in a large consultancy company until I went on maternity leave. At that time it seemed to me that my pregnancy was going well, but working all day, not getting enough sleep, office food on the run still affected the baby's health. After my son was born, we had intestinal problems, rashes, weight loss. My baby was literally melting before my eyes. Doctors were throwing up their hands, and no one could offer us a comprehensive solution. One day I came across an article by Svetlana Mortensen, a well-known naturopath in the United States, and I signed up to be her sponsor.
Within three months of working with Dr. Mortensen, the child gained the weight he needed, his muscle mass increased, and his digestive problems disappeared. The topic of nutrition grabbed me, and I began to immerse myself more and more in the study of the impact of nutrition and lifestyle on health. I remember Svetlana told me then that the future was in this field and that dietetics would gradually become popular not only in the U.S. but also in Russia. And so it happened.
- What problems do people usually come to a nutritionist with?
- My first clients were children with the same diseases as my son: underweight, temperature reactions to vaccinations, digestive disorders. After seeing the results in their children, their mothers started coming to me to deal with hair loss, hormonal imbalances, cycle disorders, and lack of energy. Systemic and preventive approach to health helps to build their lives in harmony - so that there is enough energy and resources for everything. In turn, nutritiology allows us to build a system of nutrition, circadian rhythms, to achieve the proper amount of physical activity, to establish the process of detoxification, to reduce stress levels. All these measures are an investment in ourselves, in our condition.
- What is the uniqueness of your author's method of recovery? And how will you work with your patients?
- The uniqueness of our approach lies in the synergy of preventive medicine and holistic approach to health. Official medicine looks at the human body as a set of systems and organs and the task of each doctor is to cure a particular organ or disease. In contrast, we view the body as a unified and indivisible whole. Our goal is to see all the interconnections in the body and to correct them with the help of holistic tools: changing diet, habits, drinking habits, fine-tuning sleep and wakefulness cycles. We work with women in the form of consultations, group programs and classes with health coaches.
- Your clinic employs psychologists who practice energy therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and other approaches. Why is the psychological aspect so important?
- Everything that our psyche did not have time to process and could not dispose of in time, goes to the level of the body. Unlived conflicts and stress can be reflected in the form of certain blocks: if this happens for a long time, the risk of developing a chronic disease increases. I am convinced that we can treat the body all we want, but there will be no results until we restore our mental health. And vice versa.
- How does stress affect eating behavior?
- When stressed, many people reach for sweets. It's all about cortisol, the stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. If the adrenal glands are "tired" of stress and can no longer handle the load, they start sending signals to the brain, demanding reinforcement in the form of simple carbohydrates. For example, we drink coffee and candy, the glucose quickly enters the bloodstream, and the strength increases. But this is a vicious circle. By boosting the adrenal glands in this way, we increase their level of overload, which means that they will demand more and more simple carbohydrates. The challenge is to learn how to manage our stress levels with anti-stress practices and a balanced diet system. If our diet covers all our needs for protein, the right fats and complex carbohydrates, the need for sweets will disappear by itself.
- The Nutrisol.clinic website states that you help women who are having trouble conceiving. What is the connection between a desirable pregnancy and good nutrition?
- If a woman has no serious gynecological or endocrinological pathology - no fallopian tubes obstruction, there is ovulation, the cycle is regular, but pregnancy does not occur, then the first thing we look at is the amount of protein in the diet. I can't help but think of the fashion for vegetarian and vegan eating strategies: in today's realities they need to be treated carefully and sensibly, building a diet so as to cover the body's need for protein. Once we normalize protein and the right fats (and fats and fat-soluble vitamins are necessary for the production of sex hormones), pregnancy comes easily in the absence of other pathologies.
- How do you feel about the currently fashionable keto diet?
- You should understand that this is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet designed to treat serious neurological and degenerative diseases: such as autism in children, Alzheimer's disease or dementia in the elderly. This diet is usually prescribed as a treatment protocol for no more than three months. Being in ketosis for long periods of time without indications is dangerous for the gut microbiome - because our bodies are not genetically adapted to this type of diet on a regular basis. For example, our ancestors went into ketosis in winter, when the vegetable supply has been eaten and there is no new harvest yet. They had to "sit" on fats: lard, milk and salted fish. However, this did not happen for a long period of time. In choosing any diet, we must remember that mankind has been around for a long time, and the fashion for diets is relatively young.
- In your opinion, what foods should definitely be eliminated from the diet?
- Certainly all refined fats: sunflower oil, trans fats, margarine. This is evil for everyone, because such fats are built into the membrane, the protective shell of the cell, and the cell becomes particularly vulnerable to toxins. Refined fats trigger the process of glycation, which leads to colossal disorders in the body, to the acceleration of the aging process and intoxication. It is also necessary to exclude sugar and all refined products from your diet: sauces with monosodium glutamate, ready-made products with chemical additives, coloring agents and stabilizers.
- There is a lot of controversy about gluten and cow's milk. How do you feel about these products?
- Gluten has two major problems. The protein molecule of gluten is quite large, and with GI problems, it simply cannot be digested, which can lead to inflammation in the small intestine. In addition, gluten contains a heavy substance that makes it difficult to absorb other nutrients. We should not forget that industrial grains, especially wheat, are treated with pesticides. And if foods containing gluten are not organically certified, the risk of chronic intoxication is high.
If we talk about milk, it also has two problems - protein and lactose, the carbohydrate. Milk protein, like gluten protein, can be poorly digested and cause inflammation, and lactose is the "sugar" in milk that pathogenic gut microflora love. Ultra-pasteurized industrial milk is devoid of beneficial enzymes and vitamins, leaving only two ingredients - protein and carbohydrates. I always say that quality milk, especially goat or sheep milk, is good for proper nutrition if your body can digest it. And, of course, milk cannot be in the diet of an adult in large quantities and form the basis of their diet.
- Tell us, how do you eat yourself?
- I think through my diet in advance: twice a week I buy a certain set of products, of which I then compose my "plate" for the week. My diet includes a variety of vegetables, a little less fruit, berries, herbs, nuts, seeds.
I get healthy fats from coconut oil, eggs, oily fish, avocados and by-products: cod liver, for example. When choosing protein, it's important not to get hung up on one source of protein - like eating only chicken or turkey. We need a variety of protein: rabbit or duck meat, different kinds of fish, seafood. Eggs are also different: chicken, quail or guinea fowl. A person needs to make as diverse a diet as possible to get as many amino acids and nutrients as possible. Another important thing I always pay attention to is the color on the plate. The more different colors, the more phytonutrients, bioflavonoids and antioxidants we get with each meal. Digestive quality, immunity and brain performance: memory, concentration and thinking all depend on it.
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