Weight loss is often accompanied by health problems, hair loss, skin deterioration. But not in this case. The Mediterranean diet helps in weight loss, rejuvenation and improving overall well-being.
The essence of the Mediterranean diet
This is the only diet approved by UNESCO recognized as a truly safe system for weight loss. Rather, it is able to improve the overall condition of the body, does not conflict with the canons of proper nutrition, but has its own approach to compiling a diet. The classic Mediterranean diet contains many foods that are forbidden by other weight loss systems.
The essence of the diet is the daily use of food that is present in the diet of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean. Among the Spaniards, Italians, Libyans, Moroccans, obese and obese people are rarely found. These countries have a low mortality rate due to cancer and cardiovascular disease. They lead in terms of the life expectancy of the local population.
What are the benefits of the Mediterranean diet?
This system was not invented by nutritionists, it was not compiled in laboratories, but was formed over the centuries in certain places. The Mediterranean diet menu does not contain artificial products, preservatives, semi-finished products, which will already have a positive effect on human health.
Benefits of this diet:
- Prevents diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lowers cholesterol, disperses existing plaques, prevents the formation of blood clots, the development of atherosclerosis.
- Maintains clarity of mind, positively affects the functioning of the brain. This diet can prevent Alzheimer's disease.
- Eating according to this system prevents cancer of the stomach, intestines and breast.
- Reduces blood sugar levels, prevents the development of diabetes, as well as insulin resistance.
- Boosts immunity, helps the body heal faster after serious illnesses, long-term treatment.
It is based on products that give strength and positively affect the emotional background. It is believed that the Mediterranean miracle diet not only increases longevity, but also affects the quality. Only an energetic, cheerful, active person can live 100% every day.
Basic principles of nutrition
It is worth immediately dispelling the myth that food under this system is expensive. The diet in the Mediterranean cleansing diet is rich based on a variety of products. It is not necessary to eat only shrimp or delicate fish, you can always get budget analogues.
Basic principles:
- There is not enough fat intake, these are not fried sausages or pastries from a pan. This is a useful extra virgin olive oil. You can safely water salads and other dishes without worrying about the caloric content of your daily diet.
- Lots of vegetables and fruits. The Mediterranean diet also allows grapes, bananas, banned by other systems. Plant foods should be included in every meal.
- Dairy products. It is worth focusing on natural yogurt, fermented milk, fermented baked milk. No need to use fermented milk products with sugar, dye, flavor in the composition. If you want, you can always add berries or honey.
- Fish and seafood. Like vegetables, this category is the basis of the diet. These products should be present in the daily menu.
- White meat. You do not need to use it often, 3-4 times a week is enough, less often. At the heart of chicken, rabbit meat, quail, you can sometimes have lamb.
- Cereals. Brown rice, hard wheat pasta, buckwheat may be present in the diet in the Mediterranean diet, pearl barley is allowed. Legumes are a must.
- Red wine. You can drink up to two glasses a day, served with lunch or dinner. It is important to choose natural wine without preservatives and excess sugar in the composition.
- Eggs. Yes, but not more than one a day
- A variety of natural spices, all kinds of fresh and dried herbs are welcome. You can eat nuts and seeds.
- Bread and rye cakes are pastries made from wholemeal flour.
During the Mediterranean Wellness diet, it is important to drink not only wine (although this is very pleasant), but also clean water. The daily minimum is 1. 5 liters. Green tea, natural fruit drinks over fresh berries, lemon water are welcome. Just do not turn healthy drinks into a source of carbohydrates by adding sugar or honey. The taste buds need to be cleaned.
Weight loss rate, duration
This system does not promise to lose 15 kg in one month or 40 kg in six months. The weight in the Mediterranean (Mediterranean) diet is gradually removed without stress on the body. With the right approach, a person will lose 3-4 kg per month, but it all depends on the initial data.
If you eat on the Mediterranean diet menu for weight loss for a long time, then very soon your old habits will be forgotten, other foods will take the place of your favorite dishes, the right diet will become a way of life. The Mediterranean diet is not limited in time, it can be noticed at any time, because the inhabitants of Morocco, Italy, Greece, Spain eat something like that.
List of banned products
The diet for weight loss in the Mediterranean diet can be built independently, below are just the approximate menu options. The main thing is not to add banned products. This is especially true for refined sunflower oil, sugar, spices mixed with glutamate and other preservatives.
What not to diet:
- sausages, bacon, semi-finished products;
- pure sugar, limited honey;
- sweet drinks, cakes, ready-made cakes;
- any pastry made from white flour;
- lard, bacon, fatty meats and dairy products.
The easiest way to avoid mistakes with dishes is to cook your own food. Cheap oils, not the freshest vegetables, low-quality meat and fish, are more commonly used in cafes and restaurants.
Mediterranean diet for weight loss: menu for every day
Here is an example of how you can eat in this system. You can then adjust the diet according to work schedule or study, personal taste. In addition, it is not necessary to eat different dishes every day, you can cook something for some lunches or dinners.
The Mediterranean diet for weight loss includes minimally processed foods. Prolonged cooking, boiling, marinating reduces the amount of nutrients. And cereals, soups, simple salads do not require much time to cook.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BREAKFAST | avocado toast with mozzarella, tomatoes, tea | casserole with cottage cheese with bananas, tea | eggs, mozzarella and 10 cherry pieces | cereal bread, cheese slices, 2 cucumbers | brown rice with cheese and herbs | pasta with shrimp and cheese | Omelette with green beans and tomatoes |
| Snack | ORANGE | A glass of tomato juice | fruit salad with yogurt | soft cottage cheese | grape | Orange juice | a pineapple |
| dinner | boiled vegetables with chicken, a large bunch of greens | creamy shrimp soup | vegetable stew with meat, tomato juice | mussel soup and cheese | gazpacho fresh tomatoes, a piece of grilled fish | broccoli soup with fried shrimp | brown rice, squid in cream, vegetable juice |
| afternoon tea | apples, cottage cheese | vegetable smoothie | glass of yogurt | vegetable salad with olives | fruit salad with nuts and yogurt | toast with tuna, any juice | a slice of bread, salted fish, tea |
| dinner | pasta with seafood and cheese, vegetables | brown rice pilaf with chicken and vegetables | roasted fish with rice, vegetable salad | salad with roasted chicken, carrots and cheese | pasta with green beans, mussels | decoction of fish with tomatoes, vegetables | pasta with shrimp, cherry tomatoes and cream |
Remember that all dietary dishes are prepared with olive oil, it is also used to cook salads, you can add lemon juice, various spices. You can also include a glass of red wine with each meal.
According to the classic Mediterranean diet, the number of meals is unlimited, but it is important not to overdo it. Most menu options have five. You can add an extra dinner or skip the second breakfast, which is also a snack.
Mediterranean diet for weight loss: menu for every day
Many people say that the Mediterranean diet is very expensive and the quality of frozen seafood leaves much to be desired. It is also difficult to find real olive oil. But in this case, it can be replaced with other unrefined fats. Suitable oil of flax seed, walnut, hemp, from pumpkin seeds. You can use edible coconut oil for diet.
Remember that the Mediterranean diet (menu for the following week) includes sparing ways of cooking. Oil can be consumed in any quantity, but only for fuel. You can grease the product before baking it on the grill or in the oven. You can not use it for frying, it is better to cook diet food in a dry pan or lightly coat it with the thinnest layer.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BREAKFAST | zucchini with garlic and sour cream | casserole with raisins | oatmeal with nuts | cheese sandwich, boiled eggs, tea | pumpkin porridge with rice | muesli with yogurt | fish sandwich |
| Snack | bananas | grapefruit | Garnet | Apple | vegetable salad | fruit juice, eggs | puree pumpkin |
| dinner | potato soup without potatoes from any fish, rye bread | boiled vegetables, toasted bread, a piece of boiled meat | vegetable soup, a piece of fish, a slice of bread | pasta with cheese and squid, vegetables | cream soup with chicken and vegetables, tortillas | cabbage soup in fish juice with beans | boiled vegetables with beans, slightly salted herring |
| afternoon tea | yogurt | smoothie with fruit and milk | apple curd | Fruit salad | smoothie with cucumber and herb | cottage cheese with nuts | tomato juice |
| dinner | Greek salad with cheese and olives | fish cakes (steamed, baked), cabbage sauce | pasta and cheese, carrot salad with nuts | fish stuffed with vegetables, cucumber salad with sour cream and dill | buckwheat with chicken, tomatoes | chicken chicken with cream, laze salad | grilled vegetables, a drop piece |
Here, there is virtually no seafood on the Mediterranean diet menu, but if you wish, you can sometimes include them in your diet. For example, add shrimp to a salad or eat a snack with a seafood cocktail.
Mediterranean diet: recipes from the menu for the week
Above the diet menu there are many interesting dishes, which are also simple and quick to prepare. They are great for breakfast, afternoon and evening meals. Here are the most interesting recipes.
Cream soup with chicken and vegetables
In the Mediterranean diet, creamy soups are often on the menu of the week. They are good for the stomach, satiate well and are easy to prepare. Here is a basic vegetable recipe.
Ingredients:
- 300 g chicken fillet;
- 300 g broccoli (you can have cauliflower);
- 100 g carrots;
- 100 g onion;
- 200 g zucchini or squash;
- 150-200 ml cream;
- spices to taste.
Cooking:
- Chop the chicken, dip in 800 ml of boiling water, then add the carrots and onions and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add zucchini, five minutes later broccoli, a pinch of salt. Cook covered over low heat for 10 minutes.
- Grind the chicken with vegetables, add spices to taste. Dilute the cream soup, let it simmer again and you are ready to serve!
In winter, you can use a mixture of frozen vegetables for such a soup. Also, it is not necessary to dilute the dish with cream, you can initially add a little more water.
Pasta with cheese and squid
This dish is in the above menu for every day for weight loss in the Mediterranean diet. Buying squid in the store is not a problem now, but it is prepared very simply and quickly.
Ingredients:
- 1 kallamar;
- 200 g pasta;
- 150 ml cream 10%;
- 0, 5 tablespoons of olive oil;
- 70 g of cheese.
Cooking:
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions, but simmer for a minute less. Drain into a colander.
- Heat a pan, lightly grease it with oil.
- We clean the squid, remove the back, cut it into strips. Toss and fry literally for a minute while making sure to mix with a spatula.
- Add the cream to the squid, let it simmer, start with half of the grated cheese, let it digest and salt.
- Spread the pasta, stir quickly, let the pot simmer and turn off. Leave for ten minutes under the lid.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese during serving.
In the same way, you can cook shrimp sauce or other seafood for the diet. The only thing is that you need to use low-fat cream so as not to increase the caloric content of the dish.
Greek salad with cheese and olives
This salad is a great substitute for lunch, dinner on the diet, especially in summer. It fully meets the requirements of the diet.
Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers;
- 2 tomatoes;
- 0, 5 red onions;
- 1 pepper;
- 15 ml of lemon juice;
- 1 pinch of pepper;
- 100 g sliced cheese;
- 2 tablespoons oil (olive);
- 10-12 olives.
Cooking:
- Cut the cucumbers. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and grate them as well. Cut the red onion into half very thin rings. Pour into a salad bowl.
- Cut the pepper into thin strips and slice into cubes, olives, add to the rest of the products.
- Mix lemon juice with oil, add salt, pepper. Toss over salad. Stir while serving.
You can add any greens, use cherry tomatoes instead of the usual tomatoes or replace the olive oil with Greek yogurt. It also makes a wonderful sauce.
Mediterranean diet for the elderly
It has already been mentioned above that the Mediterranean diet helps prevent Alzheimer's disease. Has a positive effect on the brain, will be a salvation from senile dementia. Also, nutrition according to this system has a great effect on other internal organs, but in old age it is recommended to give up wine, as well as change the composition of some dishes. Here is an example menu for a week of Mediterranean diet for seniors. It meets all the requirements of an aging organism.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BREAKFAST | oatmeal with raisins | oven cheesecakes, fruit puree | steamed omelette with green beans | millet porridge with pumpkin | pumpkin fries, sour cream | omelette with fish fillets | Fruit cottage cheese |
| Snack | puree pumpkin | ORANGE | Apple juice | part of soft cottage cheese | vegetable salad | Beijing cabbage salad with olives, lemon, herbs | carrot salad, nuts |
| dinner | boiled vegetables, minced fish kitten | vegetable soup, a piece of fish | buckwheat soup without potatoes | puree chicken soup, black bread | soup with rice and tomatoes, compote | Cauliflower and cheese casserole | cauliflower soup, bread |
| afternoon tea | cottage cheese | a glass of kefir | smoothie with banana and yogurt | tomato juice | cottage cheese | vegetable smoothie with leafy greens | any fruit |
| dinner | buckwheat with fish kitten and tomato sauce | vegetable stew with fish | vegetable salad, chicken kitten | roasted fish, vegetable puree | boiled chicken with pasta | aspic fish, 10 olives, 1 tomato | pres chicken, rice rice, tomato juice |
Mediterranean diet reviews
First review, female, 34 years old
I have been on this diet since the second year, I am used to it, I do not like red meat, I have rejected animal fats, but I have added chia seeds to the main diet, instead of rice I use quinoa. All the while my weight has dropped from 82 to 57 kg. It was gradual, not all at once. I noticed that the clothes become looser, the stomach is much smaller, in addition, the scales pleased me.
Second review, female, 25 years old
It all started out weird for me, at first I saw a menu for a week with recipes for weight loss on a Mediterranean diet from a friend, only then did I start digging into what kind of system it was. I immediately liked that everything is simple, you do not need to cook anything complicated, just for me. Generally, we sat down with a friend, she supported me, but she was the first to leave the race. I went to the fifth month of the diet, my health improved significantly, vitality appeared, I started to sleep well, I lost 9 kg. But the initial weight was small (67 kg to 164 cm).
Third review, female, 47 years old
I have never had weight problems, but menopause came very early. From the age of 44, I started to gain weight fast, as a result, +20 kg in a year. The endocrinologist told me about the diet, I liked the idea of such a diet myself, but I adapted it a bit for myself, for example, I refused wine. I can not drink it, the body does not tolerate it well, constantly heartburn. But I allow myself pomegranate juice.
Fourth review, female, 38 years old
I heard about the Mediterranean "miracle" diet from a doctor, decided to study this diet and went through it smoothly. I had no Mondays, no schedules. I simply gradually changed the usual food into systemic dishes. My goal was to improve health, as there are many chronic diseases and hereditary risks. In parallel I lost 11 kg.
Contraindications to the diet
Despite the high grades, prices and many positive feedback, the Mediterranean system has contraindications.
Who should not diet:
- people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, an abundance of fiber can provoke pain attacks;
- persons who have suffered serious illnesses, surgical operations.
Also, do not follow this diet if you are intolerant to fish or seafood. Every person should evaluate in advance how close the diet is, if they can adhere to such a diet in the Mediterranean diet menu for weight loss for a long time.