What does Igor Tsvirko eat for a perfect body? Food diary of the premier of the Bolshoi Ballet

Russian ballet dancer, premier of the Bolshoi Theater Ballet

Tells about his diet and lifestyle.

For me, the most important thing is breakfast

Ballet is a very energy-consuming activity, like any sport, so when talking about nutrition, it is important that the food gives you a lot of energy, but does not reduce your productivity, so that afterwards you don’t feel heavy and don’t want to lie down.

For me, the most important thing is breakfast. It should contain a good amount of protein, and it’s not bad if it tastes good! I usually eat an omelet with cheese and greens or my favorite rice porridge with milk. During workouts, water intake is definitely important.

So for lunch I usually opt for a hot soup, salad and some carbs. Dessert can be a protein bar with coffee or tea with milk.

And dinner after the show is a salad and a piece of turkey, chicken or cevapcici (a traditional Balkan dish, a type of kebab). But everything in moderation and without overeating.

candidate of medical sciences, doctor of integrative, preventive and conventional medicine, nutriciologist

Breakfast is indeed a very important part of the day. But the portion size is always calculated individually. Man is not a steam engine after all. We cannot count exactly how many calories we spend and how many we consume. It’s a personal norm. Ballet is a very energy-consuming activity and requires sufficient food intake. At the same time, the weight norms for ballet dancers are completely different from the BMI norms for a normal person.

Forbidden fruit

There are days when I want pizza or ice cream and I let myself have it because I deserve it. I won’t idealize everything and say that sometimes I can eat something unhealthy after a performance.

Thoughts in nutrition are also important: I eat unhealthy foods as a reward, not as a punishment, scolding myself. The body feels it and is also grateful in return.

Doctor’s opinion: severe restrictions make us think of forbidden fruit. This is stressful. The head needs to be convinced not that certain foods are “impossible” to eat, but that they are not useful. Sugar and trans fats, yes, we try to eliminate. But it is possible to indulge yourself, and from one time certainly nothing will happen. And it is also necessary to convince first of all your head.

Eating after 18:00 is a boost of energy

Of course, you have to eat in the evening, because the profession obliges you “not to die” on stage! It’s a boost of energy.

But if I feel that it is hard for me to jump, or after a vacation I have gained extra pounds, then I significantly reduce my food intake: the portions become smaller.

Doctor’s opinion: yes, this is the way of life of many dancers, but it is very important for the average person to maintain a normal weight at the same level. At the same time not limiting the amount of food eaten. Often the immune nutrition system helps with this. When a person eats foods that are well digested genetically, without limiting their quantity.

Forbidden foods? No, I haven’t heard of any

Undoubtedly, any person sometimes wants to eat high-calorie foods. To get rid of the guilt, you need to make an agreement with yourself:

I will eat this now, but tomorrow I will work even harder and more productively, so as not to gain extra “hugeness” on the hips.

In any case, if at meals you realize that you can’t eat anymore – put your fork/spoon away and take a walk for an hour or two. But forbidden foods? No, I haven’t heard of it. Work harder in the gym, and even if there was forbidden food, it will disappear!

On vacation, the main thing is to get rid of the desire to “try everything”

A ballet dancers’ vacation lasts a whole month, but it happens once a year. Sometimes you want to break away, but how not to transform the cubes into a ball? Here everything is very simple.

For example, when I come to dinner, I clearly delimit my intake: today I eat protein (if there are shrimps, I eat only them, or only chicken, meat), but I don’t throw everything in one plate and with a pile. The main thing is to get rid of the desire to “try everything”. I came here for a few days, I will have time to taste other dishes, and my stomach will say thank you.

Dinner follows the same system. The main thing is to put the dish away in time, if it is already difficult to breathe. Well, and, of course, physical activity. This summer I tried swimming with flippers – a great thing! Working through resistance in the water gives maximum effect.

Plus set a goal that food or drink is a reward for you. And come up with a challenge – a test, for example, that you’ll go to lunch if you do 10-15 push-ups. And pump your abs.

Before dinner, you can walk up a long staircase with a huge number of steps, which is available at almost every resort. You will feel how your brain is happy that you have overcome an obstacle, your body will say thank you for keeping it toned, and your stomach – that it is ready to eat. Everybody’s happy!

Genetics can be worked on

In matters of appearance, not only training and sports, but genetics – that’s what matters! But even here you can not look for excuses. Someone life has given the opportunity to eat as much as you want, and a person does not get fat. For some people, any bun is a point of no return.

But genetics can be changed through the understanding that only “I” lord of his life! And that’s where nutrition and exercise come into play. The formula is trivially simple:

You don’t want to get fat – don’t overeat, and if you crave delicious food, force yourself to go to the rehearsal or training room and burn what you ate.

And then you will be happy. Most importantly, eat fewer calories than you spend in the gym to be on the plus side.

Doctor’s opinion: genetics does not always decide, but the habits acquired with age – yes. Metabolic rate depends on many factors, including age, activity, stress. Most often, a person gets better from excess sugars and a sedentary lifestyle, as well as hormonal malfunctions and a detoxification system that doesn’t work properly.

Therefore, to get fit and slim, it is important to monitor the health of the entire body, not just the amount of food consumed and calories burned.