A proper diet and healthy activity can replace many medications. There is no medicine that can replace a healthy diet and proper physical activity," says Saša Plećević, better known as Doctor Feelgood. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Feelgood worked in the emergency medical service in Nis, before completing his specialization in anesthesiology with reanimation at the Academy of Medical Sciences in Belgrade. Although he was involved in sports since he was a child, he trained in the field of fitness in the USA, and after returning to Serbia, he created the Dr. Feelgood program. When asked what was the turning point for him to decide to dedicate himself to healthy lifestyles and pass on his knowledge, Dr. Feelgood tells "Magazin":
"When I was finishing anesthesiology, medicine was just emergency treatment of patients. I didn't take care of prevention. I even watched colleagues who graduated from medicine and went into preventive branches, like my sister who also graduated from medicine and specialized in hygiene - like: 'what did she study to be a doctor for water and nutrition, soil, air... '. I wondered why anyone would do that. My mission was emergency anesthesia and surgery. However, while doing that job, I realized that many people would not have gotten into such a state if they had taken a little care of their life and health," says Feelgood, who is totally committed to prevention.
"I got my doctorate in sports medicine, graduated from the sports academy, Chinese medicine and saw that medical prevention is the most important part of medicine. The bottom line is that you preserve and improve your health, and then you do good for yourself, your family, and the country. Every illness costs less and everyone is happy," says Dr. Feelgood.
"I have a mission to educate people on how to preserve and improve their health, and since I was an active athlete, I coached basketball and have been in sports all my life, I always took care of my diet. Then it was somehow compatible with proper nutrition and training," explains Feelgood.
The interlocutor of the "Magazine" emphasizes proper nutrition, although many identify it with a healthy diet.
"The right way of eating is a little different from the healthy way of eating. A totally healthy diet is if you make sure that you consume foods that are of organic origin, unsprayed. First of all, we would have to prepare the organic soil for all this so that the fruits are healthy and organic, which is almost impossible in this modern society, with so many people on the planet. But from the nutrition we have, we should use the best. You should avoid the four white deaths that I keep talking about, which means: very salty and fatty foods, white flour, sugar, which is one of humanity's greatest enemies. I'm not one of those people who say you can't eat it. If you feel like eating cake, eat it, but not every day in large quantities, because that is not good", claims Dr. Feelgood, who is in favor of moderation in everything - physical activity and diet.
"Moderation is the most important thing in a healthy life. Food that is available and that is clinically tested and approved is for eating," advises Dr. Feelgood.
His code for a healthy lifestyle is 5-0-5, and he explains what that means:
"The first five is five meals a day, to have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. I am an opponent of various diets, especially those where you eat once a day, and those stories that people prolong their lives by starving themselves are meaningless. The interval between meals is three to four hours. The next number from the code is zero, and it symbolizes that there are no cigarettes, we avoid the four white deaths - salt, sugar, white flour, fatty foods, alcohol, but I'm not saying that we don't eat. And the last five is a five kilometer walk in the health zone", is Dr. Feelgood's advice for a healthy life.
"It's the zone where you feel a little tickle and your heart beats faster during that walk, and it's mandatory to drink two and a half liters of fluid. Avoid liquids that are salty, sweet, fatty and carbonated. Although I say two and a half liters of liquid, it still depends on gender, age, physical activity, health condition and many other factors. But an adult should take in two and a half liters of fluid, because a liter and a half is lost through urine, 100 milliliters through stool, 500-600 through breathing through the lungs and 500 milliliters through evaporation through the skin, and that's when you don't sweat. That's why you should consume two and a half liters of liquid a day, maybe one to two glasses of red wine a day," recommends Dr. Feelgood.
The users of his program are not prohibited from using intentions, which are strictly prohibited in some diets.
"I love to eat sweets, so I allow everything to those who come to me. There is a period of 20,30 days where we take care of proper nutrition, and then after that we introduce a little bit at a time. In a proper diet, you can eat chips and ice cream from time to time. Physical activity must also be moderate. Children that you read about in newspapers, hear about on television or radio are bad because they can lead to disorders and diseases, as well as accelerate the aging process. Also, excessive physical activity is not good because it can lead to an accelerated aging process and then it has no effect. Taking care of all these segments leads you to health," he believes.
As he says, the walk he advises in his code is not training.
“You have to be active every day, seven days a week. You don't have to drink it if you can't. Even the latest research says that people who have those microcycles of 15 minutes or seven in that health zone have more effects than one walk in which you will cover five kilometers at once. It is important to accumulate that mileage, which is from 45 minutes to an hour. Even when you are at home doing housework, you can be in the health zone. Namely, if you are vacuuming - do not go slowly, but move so that it is in the health zone. If you go to the store, let it be in the health zone and that's it," concludes Feelgod.
Children are copy-paste versions of their parents
There have been fewer and fewer children's shows in recent years, so Dr. Feelgood decided to educate the youngest about healthy lifestyles through a television format called "Healthy Child". He also talks about how important it is for children to learn proper nutrition and exercise from a young age.
"Children are copy paste parents. They absorb everything their parents do. If the parents eat unhealthy and improperly, the children will do the same. They should be included as soon as possible to eat on their own, giving them small plates, utensils and portions. They should not be forced to eat, because in this way an aversion to food is created. Try it once, twice, and then show him by your own example by having the parent start eating, and watching him, eventually the child will start too," advises Feelgood. As for physical activity, it is mandatory for children, he believes. That is why he started the TV project "Healthy Child".
"Five years ago, when my daughter Tara was five and my son Andrej was two years old, I saw that there were no shows for children. I wanted to do a show for kids that would be educational. That's why I created a format where the kids cook and practice with me, and we also have a knowledge quiz. Also, there is a part of the show where we tie eyes to the children, and they guess fruits and vegetables. It's an educational mission that younger people like the most," says Feelgood and reveals what his biggest victory is:
"My biggest victory is when people meet me on the street and say 'doctor, our child didn't eat a green salad until he watched your show.' That was also my goal," he adds.
"Every kid even knows that slogan we start and end the show with - 'a happy kid is a healthy kid,'" says Feelgood.Lemon and water in the morning block the youth hormone
Dr. Feelgood has been creating his first viber community since December.
"There will be Instagram, Facebook, a website, everything about healthy eating, exercises, and all of that for free, as well as tips like 'why drink only water in the morning, not water with lemon as everyone recommends,'" reveals Feelgood. But before this advice can be found on his website, Plećević explains to the readers of "Magazine" why you should not drink warm water or water with lemon in the morning.
"In the evening, when you lie down to sleep, the growth hormone is immediately secreted. It is the hormone of our youth that accelerates metabolism and has a positive effect on nails, skin, hair, which pulls fat cells from fat depots. So, it speeds up the metabolism and when you drink a glass of water with lemon in the morning, as soon as you wake up, the pancreas recognizes that lemon as sugar and then insulin is secreted, which blocks that growth hormone. Therefore, drink only room temperature water in the morning. Why would you drink lukewarm water? According to traditional Chinese medicine, you don't drink cold water, but room temperature because of that energy," advises Dr. Feelgood, who will explain what, how and how much to eat through the Viber community, and will also have online training sessions. Many people wonder if online trainings are good, and Dr. Feelgood answers that question as well:
"They are and they are not. For me, they are, because I have been in active training for 40 years and when an online trainer gives me advice, I can apply it because I know it. However, this is impossible for beginners. You listen to it, but you're not sure you can do it right. Therefore, online training is not for beginners. However, my online trainings will contain basic exercises, and instead of an instructor, you can be accompanied by one of the family members because they will see how I do these exercises and therefore correct you if you are not doing them correctly," he explains.
Losing weight is simple math
Dr. Feelgood is against diets.
"They are not healthy diets where you eat, say, only a certain type of food. In the past, there were Unicef diets, then chrono nutrition, but all of these have advantages and disadvantages. Although, the chrono diet is medically the closest. Many say about this diet, 'eat as much as you want only certain foods at a certain time', but this is a misconception. It's all in the calculation of how much you take in and how much you spend. You can gain weight on the healthiest food in the world, if you eat more than you consume, and you can lose weight on the unhealthiest food, if you don't take in more than you consume. Someone in a state of anxiety and stress does not take in food and logically loses weight, while someone in such a state eats a lot and if they eat healthy, they gain weight. Only plus and minus, there's simple math".
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