The dietitian evaluated the old Lithuanian cuisine: what is suitable for everyday life, and what to leave only for the festive table

Fashion is not only in the world of clothing, but also in the world of nutrition. Keto diet, protein diet, color variety feeding, seasonal nutrition, intuitive eating. You can't list them all. Our ancestors did not know about all these diets. Did they really eat fatty, high-calorie and inappropriate? Dietitian Vaida Kurpienė appreciated the old Lithuanian cuisine.

Potato pancakes, zeppelins, cabbage, apples, bread, cheese, nuts and mushrooms are probably the first associations that Lithuanians have eaten for centuries. However, not everything is old that is considered old.

Potatoes are a relatively new tradition

"Our Lithuanian dishes are called traditional, such as zeppelins, potato pancakes, vėdarai, indeed, not so old and traditional. Only from the 19th century did potatoes come to the table of ordinary people, until then potatoes were only part of the gentlemen's kitchen, and the people looked at them with distrust. Their main food was turnips and grains (rye, barley, wheat, oats), fat, pork and lamb, herring and freshwater fish, beans, dairy products, forest and meadow goods," says licensed dietitian Vaida Kurpienė.

It is said that potatoes took hold for simple reasons: after the war, both women and children could both plant and harvest potatoes on their own. With cereals, much more strength and work is needed.

Turnips are back and strictly

It was root vegetables, legumes (beans, beans, peas) and grains that dominated the Lithuanian diet for a long time.

"Turnips were also strictly one of the basic foods. The old Lithuanian turnips have already disappeared, but the interest in turnips and our old plants is returning. In supermarkets, you can find turnips and harpsichords from other countries. Like other root vegetables, they are suitable practically everywhere we put potatoes: in soups, stews, for a side dish. Cut into straws, like celery or black radish, it can be added to salads, they are very useful vegetables," said V. Kurpienė.

Unsweet stewed porridge

Often, stewed porridges of various grains, unsweetened, coarse grains were also found on the Lithuanian table. Cereal crops, millet, and hemp have been used for food on our lands since the Neolithic period.

"Sometimes I hear the horror of the old Lithuanian cuisine – how they ate improperly! But there is also something to learn from them. For example, cereal porridge. They are eaten unsweet, whole grain, flavored with a dash of lard, tallow or crackers. This resulted in slow-breaking carbohydrates for a longer feeling of satiety, and some fat. We can safely include whole-grain porridges and grain products in today's diet," said Vaida Kurpienė.

Oats, buckwheat, wheat, rye, barley, millet – the nutritionist advises to include as many different cereals as possible, even those that the inhabitants of our region did not know.

In the past, opportunities were limited, not all peasants could afford the luxury of variety, so they creatively came up with different dishes from the same ingredients. Nowadays we have better opportunities, so variety in nutrition, together with moderation, is a very important element, the dietitian says.

Answered about gluten intolerance

When asked about gluten intolerance, the healthy eating expert drew attention to the context in which we change grains.

"Many say that I am gluten intolerant. Sometimes this is true, but often ailments are unnecessarily attributed to him. But I've never heard anyone say that they don't tolerate sweets. Which would be much more precise, because only a few percent of the population is actually intolerant to gluten, and no body can cope with a large amount of sugar. Year after year, the amount of sugar consumption increases drastically. Therefore, it is very important not only what we give up, but also what we change into."

Statistically, only 1-2 percent of people are intolerant to gluten, and this part definitely has to give up cereal products. Some cannot eat cereal for other reasons. For many others, instead of giving up gluten, it would be enough to reduce the diet of pizza and other fast food and choose to eat slow-breaking whole grain products and their health would improve.

"However, it is attacked to eat white rice, cornmeal, crisps and other products, which are simple carbohydrates that affect our body like sugar. So such a shift is a small achievement, more often the other way around. When there is a shortage of carbohydrates that break down for a long time, you want to compensate for them with fast carbohydrates – sweets or salty fatty foods," emphasizes V. Kurpienė.

Food may contain more sugar than dessert

In the past, sweets were a rare exception, they could only be tasted during major holidays, Easter, Christmas, indulgences or special occasions, such as weddings or christenings. Meanwhile, sugar is now a daily occurrence.

Sugars are found not only in sweets and drinks, but also in a huge amount in other foods – yogurts (up to 30%), sauces (up to 50%), breakfast cereals (as much as 25%), fish products, even some bread (up to 11%). Therefore, the dietitian urged to read the labels carefully.

When choosing healthy bread – check three things

When choosing bread, you will not go wrong if you check three things: the amount of fiber should be as high as possible (at least from 6 g), as well as protein; while sugar is as low as possible, preferably up to 3 g, emphasizes V. Kurpienė.

"If 100 g of food contains more than 10 g of sugar, I would already classify it as a dessert category. Some breads are like that. However, if there is a lot of fiber and protein, little sugar, you can safely attract such bread into a regular diet," says the healthy nutrition expert.

According to her, in the past, rye, wholemeal bread with a lot of fiber and protein dominated. White bread is a relatively modern product, and used to be a holiday dish.

Fermented vegetables are important in the diet

Many still remember cabbage or apples fermented in large barrels from their childhood.

"Tanning was a way of preservation, after all, you can't go and buy vegetables like you do now. Therefore, they fermented not only cabbage, but also apples and other root vegetables. It is still important to leave fermented vegetables in your diet today. And not only in winter, when there is no fresh food – in spring, summer and autumn we also need prebiotics and probiotics, which are abundant in fermented foods," says V. Kurpienė.

True, since tanning is a method of preservation, such products also contain a lot of salt. Therefore, you should not abuse such products by eating a lot at once – it is better to eat them regularly, distributing them throughout the day.

"Now it is not necessary to preserve food in order to preserve it until the next harvest, but fermented products are very useful for our microbiota, so you can ferment a jar, and after eating it, ferment it again. Not only commonly fermented cabbage is suitable, the spectrum can be much wider: pumpkins, beets, carrots, as well as pears, apples and plums, most root vegetables are suitable and harder fruits or vegetables are suitable," advises V. Kurpienė.

Forest goods contain many valuable substances

In forested lands, mushrooms, nuts and berries also enriched their diet. A handful of berries or hazelnuts are very useful for a healthy diet, the latter are rich in protein, folic acid, and berries are rich in antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C, which has an anti-inflammatory effect.

"Mushrooms have pre and probiotics. Oriental mushrooms, shiitake, etc., are particularly well studied because of their anti-inflammatory properties, but this does not mean that our Lithuanian mushrooms are inferior, simply because there are not so many of them in the world – less studied. I have a favorable view of mushrooms in the diet. They have proteins, trace elements, fiber, a useful product," said V. Kurpienė.

Fish is more common than meat

Meat, unlike what we often imagine, was not a frequent dish on the Lithuanian table, as it is now. In addition, there is a centuries-old tradition of fasting several times a year, abstaining from heavier, fatty, meaty meals.

"We eat too much meat these days. Like sugar, the amount of its consumption is steadily increasing. In the past, meat was rarely on the table for many and certainly not three times a day, as it is now. Fish, again, was not salmon that is common to us now, but more often herring or freshwater fish caught in local lakes or rivers," the interlocutor points out.

Fish is a complete source of protein, omega-3, during the week experts recommend it should be eaten at least twice, and better and more.

The importance of fermented milk products

The farmers' table was supplemented by dairy products, the most health-friendly – fermented: sour milk, fermented buttermilk. Sour milk contains calcium and phosphorus, improves digestion and intestinal function.

"Some ask what is the difference between kefir, yogurt and sour milk. Basically, all this is fermented milk, only bacterial cultures differ. Each country, region and even household has its own local microflora, so sourdough cultures differ everywhere and these different products are obtained," explains the dietician.

Nowadays we need fewer calories

According to dietitian Vaida Kurpienė, in the old days, when a person worked 12 or more hours a day in the fields, hard farm work, a man had to consume about 5 thousand euros. calories to withstand such physical exertion.

Nowadays, when the workload is much lighter for many of those who do less hard physical work, 2 thousand euros is enough for men. calories, and some don't need that much.

So, looking at "how porridge with crackers and fatty pork used to be eaten", let's first assess whether we are physically moving as much as we did then.

Then it becomes clearer why we now choose not pork neck, but cut, and why there should be more vegetables on the plate.

On the other hand, it would be best to eat cakes as often as their ancestors ate: only during holidays, put fish on a plate more often, fermented products and live according to the rhythm of nature – go to bed on time and at the same time every time.

This will help you better understand your body's needs and understand your feelings of hunger and satiety more clearly.

Text published in Delfi | Grown in Lithuania