Kefir for weight loss: properties and characteristics of use
Kefir has always been considered a useful and dietary product.It is recommended by nutritionists and supporters of proper nutrition from around the world. It is necessary to understand whether kefir is so useful, how it is said about it, and with what it can help those who lose weight.
Which product to choose?
Kefir is a fermented milk drink that promotes weight loss due to the peculiarities of its composition. However, you need to be able to choose the right product so that it benefits the slimming person.
First of all, you should pay attention to the shelf life of the product. For weight loss it is recommended to use only a fresh drink, from the day of production of which no more than a day has passed. A more “late” kefir contains more organic acids, which in some cases negatively affects the state of the stomach (especially with increased acidity, gastritis, ulcers). In addition, this drink has a pronounced laxative effect.
Pay attention to the expiration date should be for another reason. Natural drink "lives" no more than 3-5 days, after this time, the beneficial bacteria in it die, and kefir brings harm instead of benefit. If you have a product that, according to the shelf life, can be stored for more than a week, these bacteria are missing from it. But various stabilizers, chemical additives and preservatives are present in considerable quantity. One can hardly talk about the benefits of such a drink.
The best option, of course, can be called kefir cooked on sour milk sourdough. To use it for weight loss should be immediately, on the first day after readiness.
You should not choose fatty kefir. The best can be called skim or 1 percent. It contains the necessary fats for the body, including helping to assimilate certain vitamins and microelements, but in small quantities.
Under the fat in most cases refers to kefir 0.5%. If the manufacturer indicates the fat content as 0%, then either he is cunning, and the fat is still present, or adds to the composition of extraneous components, for example, modified starch. Fat is needed in the drink to bind some of its components, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
The temperature of kefir is also an important fact. The fact is that when heated, the beneficial bacteria that improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract die, while the consumption of cold food does not digest the microelements. Ideal for kefir can be called room temperature, in such a drink, probiotics retain their activity, and vitamins and minerals are maximally absorbed by the body.
Will it help with weight loss?
On the question of whether kefir promotes weight loss, experts usually give a positive answer. First of all, it should be noted that the calorie content of the drink is not high - 100 g of product contains 30-60 kcal (a more accurate indicator can be found by looking at its fat content).
At the same time, it is rich in calcium and protein, which are absorbed from the “sour milk” better than from milk. Protein is needed for building cells, enzymes, muscles. With its lack of not for the better, the condition of the skin and hair also changes.
Calcium is well known as "building material" for bones and tooth enamel, however, it also participates in blood formation, it is necessary for the work of the nervous system.
Kefir can and should be included in your diet for those who want not only to lose weight, but also to replace body fat with muscle, to increase muscle mass.
In kefir there are beneficial bacteria that improve the beneficial intestinal microflora and suppress pathogenic. With the help of kefir, it is possible to strengthen the immunity of both local and general, because most of the immune cells are in the intestine, and digestion is also improved. The probability of putrefactive processes is reduced, toxins and slags are removed from the body.
The drink has an enveloping effect, which helps to neutralize the effect of excessively coarse, fatty, spicy food on the walls of the stomach.Due to organic acids in its composition improves intestinal motility, and hence the digestion.
When consumed kefir decreases the tendency to flatulence, and this, in turn, becomes the reason to include the drink in vegetable diets. Eating raw vegetables may cause increased gas formation, the appearance of colic. Kefir helps to neutralize these unpleasant feelings and sometimes softens the aggressive effects of fiber-rich foods.
Improving the work of the digestive organs, kefir helps the body to better absorb proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and trace elements. This contributes to the normalization of metabolic and lipid processes.
Kefir also has a mild laxative effect, and therefore allows delicately eliminate constipation and clean the intestines. In addition, the drink has light diuretic properties, due to which excess fluid is removed from the body, and the problem of puffiness is solved.
Kefir gives a feeling of fullness, it can replace breakfast or dinner. In addition, he is able to save from the night "raids" on the refrigerator. It's enough to drink a glass of kefir for an hour or two before going to bed.
General rules of use
Should not be considered kefir that "magic pill" that will save from excess weight. It will only help and speed up the result, but only if the daily calorie content is reduced, the junk food is abandoned, and the physical activity is sufficient.
If you resort to kefir diet, you should not sit on it for longer than 5-14 days. The poorer the diet and the more limited the calorie content, the shorter the nutritional pattern should be.
Kefir should be taken with caution when the acidity of the stomach, gastritis, ulcers. You should not try to lose weight on kefir with individual intolerance to this product.
On fasting days it is important to remember to observe the drinking regime. We are talking about pure water, the daily volume of which can be calculated by a simple formula. For every kilogram of weight should be 30 ml of water.
If you are on a kefir diet, you should eliminate salt and sugar from the diet. The first retains water in the body, causing edema, the second - reduces the activity of beneficial bacteria in kefir.
With fasting days and monodiets with a significant decrease in energy, unacceptable strength and cardio. They need carbohydrates and energy. You can make unhurried and not too long walks, do stretching, yoga.
Enter and exit the diet should be smooth and gradual. Before you begin to eat a certain system, for a few days, reduce the daily KBDT, discard heavy meals, reduce the amount of carbohydrates. When you exit the diet should do the opposite, gradually increasing the caloric content of dishes and the amount of carbohydrates.
In the morning
Kefir in the morning is considered one of the most healthy drinks. The fact is that lacto-and bifidobacteria are best absorbed on a relatively empty stomach. Thus, kefir drunk in the morning will prepare the digestive organs for further daily food intake.
Today, however, most nutritionists say that breakfast should be more dense and contain slow carbohydrates. They will provide the body with energy, help to avoid overeating in the afternoon.
In the light of such recommendations we can say that kefir is better to drink an hour before breakfast. Then after it should be carbohydrate food intake, for example, oatmeal or buckwheat porridge.
If you drink kefir before breakfast is inconvenient, you can replace it with breakfast, but provided that the second breakfast (in 1.5-2 hours) will be more dense, and all the same slow carbohydrates will be included in its composition.
In the evening
In the evening, kefir usually replaces dinner. In this case, they drink it as an independent drink or prepare a smoothie, combine with vegetables and greens. However, if such a meal seems overly modest, it is better to eat a protein-vegetable dinner, and after a couple of hours, drink kefir.
Quite often kefir smoothies also replace dinner. You can cook them by combining kefir with cottage cheese, honey. For greater satiety, you can add a banana, however, you should be aware of the rather high caloric content of the fruit. The oatmeal, cornmeal, and bran added to the drink will help to prolong the feeling of fullness.
For the night
In most cases, kefir before bedtime is taken to relieve feelings of hunger.
A big misconception is that kefir should be drunk directly in the bed or sent to it immediately, as a glass with a drink will be devastated. This is wrong, because it will cause edema in the morning, and the digestive tract will process proteins and other components of the drink most of the night, which cannot be called useful.
Kefir is better to drink an hour before bedtime or a little earlier. And it should be done in small sips, you can with a teaspoon. In this case, kefir is fully absorbed during the night, and the next morning you wake up with a good appetite.
Another feature of a fermented milk drink is the ability to soothe the nervous system, relieve intellectual and emotional stress, and normalize sleep. At bedtime, kefir should be drunk to those who suffer from insomnia.
At night you can drink kefir and constipation. To enhance the effect it would be good to throw sliced prunes into a glass with a drink. Then the next morning you can forget about violations of the chair.
If in the morning after drinking kefir at night you notice muscle and headaches, reconsider the mode of taking the drink. Most likely, the body does not have time for the night to fully absorb the protein from the product. It is better to move the time of his admission to an earlier date.
What can be combined?
Sitting on a kefir diet is quite difficult, and even fasting days solely on this product can be dangerous - the daily calorie is too small. In most cases, kefir is combined with other products.
Kefir can be combined with carbohydrates, such as buckwheat. The latter is boiled without salt, spices and adding oil. Such a diet involves the consumption of up to 2 cups of boiled cereal and 1-1.5 liters of yogurt. Buckwheat can replace cereal, bran.
Several speed up the metabolic and lipid metabolism helps kefir with spices. Usually add those that increase blood flow, have a warming effect. Due to this, blood circulation is accelerated, the work of some organs, in addition, such spices give an antibacterial effect, which helps to suppress pathogenic bacteria.
Ginger is known to accelerate lipolysis (the process of fat burning), cinnamon helps to normalize blood sugar levels and dulls hunger, and red pepper is responsible for thermogenesis.
Preparing a fat burning cocktail is easy. For half a liter of kefir is usually taken in half a teaspoon of ground ginger, red pepper and cinnamon. The drink is recommended to be taken in the morning, after a meal. Do not drink it on an empty stomach, especially in the presence of gastrointestinal diseases. If the drink seems too sour, dilute it with mineral water. Instead of kefir, ryazhenka will do the trick in this case.
You can drink kefir twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. In the evening, some nutritionists urge to replace dinner with kefir with spices. If such a meal does not bring feelings of satiety, it is better to leave a light supper, and kefir to drink an hour and a half after it.
No less effective is the combination of kefir with fresh ginger. To do this, the root must be cleaned and cut into thin slices or grated. The drink will have the same warming and thermodynamic effect as the kefir with spices. However, fresh root also has cough, immunostimulating properties. Honey helps to strengthen the effect of the cocktail with ginger. Among its many beneficial elements are the B vitamins that are involved in all vital processes.
To 500 ml of kefir is added 10 g of fresh ginger root and a tablespoon of fresh honey.Often, such a drink is drunk instead of dinner or as one of the afternoon snacks (second breakfast, afternoon snack).
Kefir is combined with cucumbers and greens. Such a diet will be low calorie, but because of the large amount of fiber and probiotics, there is an effect of cleansing the intestine, improving its microflora. On average, one can eat up to 1 kg of cucumbers per day and drink 1 l of kefir. You can eat foods separately or cook vegetables and greens okroshka, cold soups, where kefir is used as a liquid. With cucumbers you can put celery, green onions.
The apple-kefir diet has a similar effect. The important point is to choose savory, better seasonal apples. It is possible to prepare a cocktail from dietary products - take 500 apples per 500 ml of kefir. Recipes such cocktails may suggest a combination of kefir with lemon, kiwi, cinnamon, honey. Strawberries and grapefruit are also suitable.
To get rid of constipation kefir drink with soda. As a dietary drink, you can also drink herbal tea, natural fruit drinks, tomato juice.
Reviews
Kefir diet, as shown by reviews thinner, is quite effective. Positive reviews can be found literally about any of its varieties, but the leaders here are kefir-cucumber and buckwheat diets. For quick results and cleansing the body, most resorts to kefir mono diet or fasting days on the product.
There are 2 types of buckwheat diet. Some recommend pouring raw buckwheat with kefir and leaving the mixture overnight, and drinking in the morning. Another option is to use boiled and unsalted buckwheat porridge with kefir. It should be noted that raw cereals can cause serious intestinal disorders in humans. In this case, preference should be given to germinated buckwheat.
If we talk about the results, then, on average, according to reviews, an average of 1.5-2 kg leaves for one fasting day. It is important to understand that in the first days of the loss of kilograms is more active, and you lose weight more intense. At this stage, a lot of liquid is removed, then the process slows down a bit.
For a week buckwheat diet usually takes 6-7 kg of excess weight. When cucumbers with kefir are consumed during the same period, up to 7-8 kg are lost, if vegetables are replaced by fruits (apples), the result is slightly smaller - up to 5-6 kg.
How to make a slimming cocktail with kefir and cinnamon, see the next video.