Mediterranean diet for weight loss. Menu for day, week, recipes. Reviews and results

The Mediterranean diet is the only nutritional system that has a phenomenal number of fans who follow its rules not only to lose weight, but also to improve the health of the whole body, which ultimately leads to active longevity.

Basic and basic principles

The uniqueness of the diet is that it is not a set of rules, principles and restrictions artificially created by nutritionists that you always want to break.

This is the result of observing the community of a certain region, comparing the statistics of its population with the rest of the population of the planet, determining the reasons for its superiority and adapting the traditional diet for the region to other countries.

The term "Mediterranean diet" was first used in the middle of the 20th century by the American couple A. and M. Keys, who studied the dependence of cardiovascular diseases on diet.

It turned out that Italy, where nutritionists have published scientific works on heart diseases, differs from their own country in that the local population, which consumes enough fat and high-calorie foods, does not gain weight and is less susceptible to diseases of the circulatory system. , hypertension and diabetes.

This led to new research in Italy, and then to the validation of the idea in Japan, Germany, Finland and Yugoslavia.

Ansel and Margaret Case's sensational discovery prompted American scientists, concerned about disease rates and the nation's rapid "obesity, " to use their research in the 1970s to create a program of "preventive medicine. "In fact, these are the systematized basis of the traditional nutritional nature of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries.

The popularity of the diet has been very high for half a century, which proves its simplicity and effectiveness, and UNESCO has recognized the cuisine of 12 Mediterranean countries as national cultural heritage. Unlike other diets, the Mediterranean diet has no time limit.

In matters of nutrition, it should become a way of life, making its adherent a resident of the Mediterranean region. Given the simple principles and the availability of the necessary products in all stores, this is not difficult at all. The Mediterranean diet for weight loss means following certain rules that quickly become a habit.

To do this you need:

• switch to 6 meals a day (3 main and 2 additional, called snacks);
• make seasonal (not greenhouse) vegetables, fruits and berries the basis of the diet;
• focus on fish and seafood in your diet;
• use only olive oil in the kitchen, use it both for cooking and preparing salads;
• eat foods made from legumes every day;
• minimize sugar consumption by replacing it with honey;
• drink only dry red wine, refusing other alcohol;
• consume at least 6 tbsp. clean water per day;
• lead an active and mobile lifestyle.

To better understand these simple rules, the "Mediterranean Diet Pyramid" was developed. Closer to the base, occupying the largest volume of the geometric figure, are the foods that should be consumed several times a day.

This:

• rice, millet, bulgur, durum wheat pasta, grain bread;
• vegetables and fruits;
• fermented milk products, cheeses;
• nuts, dried fruits.

In addition, there are food products near the top of the pyramid, that is, occupying a significantly smaller volume, with a consumption limit of 1-6 times a week.

This:

• fish dishes;
• poultry meat;
• potato;
• chicken egg;
• sweet desserts.

At the top of the pyramid is meat. Italians prefer beef and lamb and almost never eat pork. In countries where the main meat diet is pork, it does not make sense to deviate from the generally accepted product, you just need to choose lean cuts.

Thus, the visual distribution of priority products allows you to reduce the diet to the following daily diet:

The name of the product	% of food consumed per day
Cereals and legumes	35
Vegetables, fruits, herbs	thirty
Fermented dairy products, cheeses, fish, meat	20
Olive oil	10
Sweet desserts	5

An important point: when to eat from the listed products.

The distribution of diet over time looks like this:

• cereals, grains, chicken eggs, vegetables, fruits - breakfast;
• fermented milk products, fruits - 2nd breakfast;
• soups, pasta, rice, vegetable salads, meat, fish, fruits - lunch;
• fruit salads, fermented milk products, cheeses - afternoon snacks;
• fish, vegetable stews, salads, seafood, cheeses, fruits - dinner.

Thus, looking at the list of permitted foods and the distribution of their intake during the day, we can conclude that it will not be necessary to starve. Plus, a good red wine is a daily bonus in the Mediterranean diet. Even desserts are allowed - once a week (Italians and French are famous lovers of sweets, but in moderation).

However, to start the process of losing weight (that is, this is the goal of switching to diet food), you need to be mindful of the amount of food you eat. The volume of food consumed in one meal should not exceed 240 ml (visually this is 16 tbsp. L. or 1 tbsp. ).

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss does not give immediate results. Using a balanced menu, hearty meals and small restrictions in their lives, adherents of these principles, as a rule, continue to live more observantly and after a while feel the improvement of their health, significant weight loss and the need for renewed nutrition. Active movement of the body.

Contraindications for use

The success of the diet depends on three factors:

• a small amount of animal fats and sugar;
• high amount of dietary fiber, fiber;
• high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

Although the Mediterranean fasting diet is a well-balanced way of eating, it has contraindications.

This combination is unacceptable for some people:

• People with extreme obesity will not be able to get the expected result by changing their diet. In this case, special, radical methods are required to regulate weight.
• Such a food set with a high level of fiber can be harmful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Allergy sufferers who react to seafood or other key components of the Mediterranean diet will need to avoid it.

Main menu of the week

After some time, getting used to the Mediterranean diet and its features will help you create a balanced menu for the day, taking into account your preferences and capabilities. Until then, you can use the recommendations of nutritionists.

Days of the week		Main dishes (excluding snacks)
	Breakfast	Supper	Supper
Monday	Oatmeal with fruit and water (or low-fat milk); coarse bread with cheese; Green tea	cooked fish (200 g); a side dish of cooked vegetables; 100 ml of red wine	boiled seafood; Vegetable salad
Tuesday	Yogurt muesli (natural, without additives); Grain bread with feta cheese; Tea (green or black)	fish boiled with herbs; Pasta category "A"	Boiled or baked turkey (200 g); Boiled buckwheat; Vegetable tomato salad; 100 ml of red wine
Wednesday	2 egg omelette for them; coarse bread with cheese; Fruits (1 pc. )	Chicken soup; Vegetable salad	seafood salad with avocado; 100 ml of wine
Thursday	Buckwheat milk porridge; Green tea; Fruit	pasta with seafood and tomatoes; 100 ml of wine	Steamed fish (200 g); Side dish - boiled bulgur; Vegetable salad
friday	cottage cheese stew; Coffee	cheese soup with shrimp; 2 slices of bread croutons; 100 ml of wine	Fish cutlets; Vegetable stew; 2 slices of hard or semi-hard cheese
Saturday	Muesli with yogurt and dried fruits; Whole grain bread, cheese and avocado sandwich; Green tea	zucchini, tomato, feta cheese casserole; 100 ml of wine	Baked or boiled chicken breast (150 g); boiled lentils; Vegetable salad
Sunday	Cottage cheese stew with dried fruits; Fruit (1 piece); Coffee	seafood risotto; Vegetable salad	Boiled or steamed fish (probably boiled meat (150-200 g); Vegetable stew; 100 ml of wine

Mediterranean diet recipes

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss is distinguished by a wide selection of dishes to create a menu.

It is important to remember that:

• Olive oil is used in cooking - a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lipids, which can sometimes be replaced by another vegetable oil;

• bread consumption is limited and grain should be ground;
• food must be prepared without using store-bought sauces or canned goods with E-additives;
• milk and fermented milk products should be low-fat;
• the consumption of any sea fish in diet food is encouraged - herring, mackerel, cod, hake, pike perch, perch; fish should be steamed, grilled, boiled or fried;
• White poultry or rabbit meat can be included in the diet 2-3 times a week, red meat (beef, lamb, lean pork) - no more than 2-3 times a month. It should also be boiled or baked;
• salt is used in small quantities, it is well replaced with lemon juice and spices; sugar is completely excluded, you can use a little honey;
• We must not forget about drinks - any teas, herbal teas, coffee are allowed; simple clean water is required;
• wine should be red and dry, it helps reduce appetite, normalizes stomach acidity, participates in hematopoiesis and lowers cholesterol;
• Store sweets, which are high in sugar, fat and palm oil, are excluded from the diet.

Summer salad (with chicken)

A hearty and easily digestible salad has an unusual, spicy-fruity taste due to the combination of ingredients.

The composition of the ingredients

Mixed:

• boiled chicken breast - 150 g;
• fresh peaches - 2-3 pcs. ;
• canned pineapple - 50 g;
• stalk of celery - 2-3 pcs. ;
• any lettuce leaves - 150 g.

For dressing, you need low-fat natural yogurt without additives (1/2 cup), mint, cinnamon, lemon peel.

Step by step cooking process

Summer salad is prepared in 3 stages:

1. The process should start with preparing the base of the salad: cut the chicken breast, peaches, pineapples and celery into small cubes. It is better to tear the lettuce leaves with your hands.
2. To prepare the sauce, put yogurt in a separate bowl, add cinnamon, lemon peel and chopped mint leaves.
3. Next, you need to add the dressing to the salad base and mix gently.

What can I add?

A salad will remain tasty, healthy and in line with the rules of the Mediterranean diet if:

• use turkey meat instead of chicken;
• peaches can be replaced with nectarines and pineapples with orange pulp.

This type of salad will remain a healthy, low-calorie and satisfying meal.

How to serve a bowl

It's easy to make a summer salad in any season by buying imported peaches or oranges. Good for dinner with a glass of dry red wine. The dish can be garnished with lettuce leaves and leftover fruit pieces.

Salad with basmati rice

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss is known for its grain salads, where you can combine poultry, fish or vegetables with grains to get a varied but satisfying and healthy meal.

One of these salads is below.

The composition of the ingredients

Mixed:

• basmati rice - 1 tablespoon;
• feta cheese - 60 g;
• dried tomatoes - 2 pieces;
• peanuts - 2 tbsp. l. ;
• mint;
• olive oil;
• spices;
• water (for 200 g of rice - 250 ml of water).

Step by step cooking process

Basmati salad is prepared in 6 stages:

1. Basmati rice should be washed and then soaked for 15 minutes. in warm water, which will help reveal the taste and aromatic properties of the grains more fully.
2. Then you need to continue cooking in the same water, after boiling, reduce the heat temperature. After boiling the grains for 20 minutes, put the bowl aside and keep the grains in the hot pan for another 15 minutes. Only then can the rice be mixed with a fork.
3. At this time, sun-dried tomatoes should be poured with boiling water and kept for 10 minutes, then dried with a paper towel and chopped.
4. Roast the nuts, chop them and grate the feta cheese.
5. Add tomatoes, cheese and nuts to the cooled rice - this is the basis of the salad.
6. Add chopped mint, spices and olive oil.

What can I add?

You can use other nuts in this dish - pine nuts or walnuts, which are quite suitable for the Mediterranean diet.

How to serve a bowl

The dish can be served for lunch or dinner, garnished with a sprig of mint.

Cream cheese soup with seafood

The Mediterranean diet allows for the consumption of high-fat foods such as cheeses.

They appear on the table almost every day, served as an appetizer, at the end of a meal with a dessert or when preparing a hot meal.

The composition of the ingredients

Mixed:

• hard or semi-hard cheese - 200 g;
• processed cheese - 100 g;
• shrimp - 150 g;
• mussel meat - 100 g;
• cream (20%) - 200 ml;
• chicken egg (yolk) - 1 piece;
• carrot - 1 piece;
• onion - 1 piece;
• wheat flour - 1 tbsp. l. ;
• wine vinegar - 1 tbsp. l. ;
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.

Step by step cooking process

Cream cheese soup is prepared in 5 stages:

1. To make broth, you need to boil shrimp and mussels, clean their shells, strain 200 ml of liquid and pour it into a pot to make soup.
2. Peeled and chopped onions should be fried in a small amount of olive oil until transparent, and with the addition of pieces of carrots, they should be kept on fire for a little longer.
3. Put the cream in a pot with broth, bring to a boil and put on low heat, add the fried cheeses. The broth should be constantly stirred until the cheeses are completely melted.
4. The next step is to combine the scrambled egg yolks, overcooked vegetables and flour diluted in a small amount of water in a pot. While stirring the soup, bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes.
5. Using the remaining broth, you need to "punch" the contents of the container with a blender to achieve the desired consistency.

What can I add?

To increase the taste, you can use the broth left after cooking the boiled fish.

How to serve a bowl

Soup is served during lunch. The contents of the plate are sprinkled with greens.

Zucchini with feta cheese

Vegetables baked in the oven are a great option for healthy meals that take little time in the kitchen.

One option is Zucchini with feta cheese.

The composition of the ingredients

Mixed:

• zucchini (small) - 4 pieces;
• feta cheese - 200 g;
• garlic - 1 clove;
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. l. ;
• mint;
• spices;
• pine nuts.

Step by step cooking process

Zucchini with cheese is prepared in 4 stages:

1. To prepare pumpkins for cooking, you need to wash them; Peel the old fruits, leave the young ones with the skin; cut lengthwise into two parts and remove the pulp.
2. Then fry the chopped pulp in olive oil with garlic, pass through a garlic press.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to this mixture: chopped feta cheese and mint, nuts and spices. Mix everything carefully.
4. Fill the pumpkin "boats" with the prepared filling and put in the oven at 220 ° C for 30 minutes.

What can I add?

You can also cook zucchini and eggplant and use semi-hard cheese instead of feta cheese.

How to serve a bowl

The dish goes well either on its own or with a side dish of steamed brown rice. Or you can use it yourself as a cooked vegetable for chicken breast or turkey. Pumpkin will look great with parsley.

Baked fish with cheese

Fish is a commonly consumed food in the Mediterranean diet. During weight loss, it should be eaten boiled or cooked.

By changing the type of fish, you can change the calorie content and taste of the food while maintaining its health benefits.

The composition of the ingredients

Mixed:

• fish fillet - 200 g;
• low-fat kefir - 50 ml;
• semi-hard cheese - 70 g;
• olive oil - 1 tbsp. l. ;
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l. ;
• fennel.

Step by step cooking process

Fish with cheese is prepared in 4 stages:

1. A baking dish should be greased with oil and pieces of fish should be placed on it.
2. Dressing is made like this: you need to combine kefir, water, herbs and mix everything. The mixture should be carefully poured into the fish pieces.
3. Grated cheese should be sprinkled on each piece.
4. Products should be kept in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.

What can I add?

You can add chopped bell pepper to the mixture or put a slice of tomato on top of the fish.

How to serve a bowl

Fish can be decorated with herbs and thin lemon leaves.

Pasta with peas

Among the foods allowed for consumption in the Mediterranean diet, not only in Italy, but the beloved macaroni (macaroni).

There is no certainty that you can lose weight significantly by eating them, but nutritionists believe that category "A" pasta made from durum wheat does not cause weight gain.

The composition of the ingredients

Mixed:

• pasta category "A" - 200 g;
• semi-hard cheese - 200 g;
• green peas - 0. 5 tablespoons;
• bell pepper - 1 piece;
• olive oil;
• lemon juice.

Green peas can be used fresh frozen, which is better than canned.

Step by step cooking process

Pasta with peas is prepared in 3 stages:

1. Pasta should be boiled until al dente, the cooking time is always indicated on the package.
2. Then boil the green peas until half cooked and fry them in olive oil with finely chopped bell pepper.
3. Combine hot pasta with peas, pepper, grated cheese and add lemon juice to taste instead of salt.

What can I add?

Boiled pasta can be combined with many dishes and sauces, resulting in a variety of tasty and satisfying dishes.

How to serve a bowl

You can add arugula leaves to the dish before serving.

Almond Oat Muffins

Sometimes you can treat yourself to homemade desserts.

In this case, the composition of the ingredients will be known without a doubt and there will be confidence in the absence of preservatives and harmful additives.

The composition of the ingredients

Mixed:

• oatmeal - 4 tbsp. l. ;
• chicken eggs - 2 pieces;
• milk powder - 4 tbsp. l. ;
• baking powder - 20 g;
• almonds - 10 g.

Step by step cooking process

Oatmeal muffins are prepared in 4 stages:

1. To prepare the dough, you need to mix the "dry" ingredients: cereal, milk, baking powder, chopped nuts.
2. Eggs should be beaten and carefully combined with the "dry" mixture.
3. The resulting dough should be placed in silicone molds, it is not necessary to lubricate them with oil.
4. Muffins should be placed in an oven preheated to 200°C and baked for 15 minutes.

What can I add?

Any chopped nuts, dried fruits or fresh fruits are suitable additions to the oat-milk mixture.

How to serve a bowl

Dessert can be served decorated with mint leaves or fresh berries. For more enjoyment, you can brew tea or herbal infusion.

When to expect the effect

People who switch to the Mediterranean diet note that, without much effort and worry, they begin to feel positive changes in their health and figure after about 3-4 months. Gradually, at first almost imperceptible, weight loss reaches an average of 3 kg in six months.

People who become fans of tasty and healthy food stop paying attention to their kilograms and lose 10-15 kg after 2-3 years. After reaching the optimal weight, the body independently comes to a state of equilibrium.

The Mediterranean diet is not a change in diet for rapid weight loss, with lightning-fast weight regain at the end of the course. This is a change in lifestyle, an attitude towards the world around you, yourself, your body and your body, giving them the attention they deserve.