What is the Mediterranean diet, a menu for every day to lose weight

Weight loss will be followed by health problems, hair loss and skin loss. But not in this case. The Mediterranean diet helps in weight loss, rejuvenation and improvement of general well-being.

The essence of the Mediterranean diet

This is the only diet approved by UNESCO and recognized as a truly safe weight loss system. On the contrary, it is able to improve the general condition of the body, is not contrary to the canons of proper nutrition, but has its own approach to composing a diet. The classic Mediterranean diet contains many foods that are prohibited by other weight loss systems.

The essence of the diet is the daily use of foods that are present in the diet of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean. Among Spaniards, Italians, Libyans, Moroccans, there are rarely fat and obese people. These countries have a low mortality rate from cancer and cardiovascular disease. Leading 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 assembled in laboratories, but it was formed for centuries in certain places. The menu of the Mediterranean diet does not contain artificial products, preservatives, semi-finished products, which will already have a positive impact on human health.

Benefits of this diet:

• It prevents diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lowers cholesterol, dissolves existing plaques, prevents the formation of blood clots, and the development of atherosclerosis.
• Maintains clarity of mind, positively affects the functioning of the brain. This diet can prevent Alzheimer's disease.
• Diet according to this system prevents cancer of the stomach, intestines and breast.
• It lowers blood sugar levels, prevents the development of diabetes, as well as insulin resistance.
• Increases immunity, helps the body recover faster after severe illness, long-term medication.

It is based on products that give strength and positively affect the emotional background. It is believed that the Mediterranean wonder diet not only prolongs life expectancy, but also affects quality. Only an energetic, cheerful, active person can live 100% every day.

Basic principles of nutrition

It is worth immediately debunking the myth that food is expensive under this system. The diet on the Mediterranean cleansing diet is rich in a variety of products. It is not necessary to eat only shrimp or delicatessen fish, you can always pick up cheap analogues.

Basic principles:

• There is not enough fat intake, these are not fried sausages or cakes from the pan. This is a useful extra virgin olive oil. You can safely water salads and other dishes without worrying about the caloric content of the daily diet.
• Lots of vegetables and fruits. The Mediterranean diet allows even grapes, bananas, forbidden by other systems. Plant foods should be included in every meal.
• Milk products. It is worth focusing on natural yogurt, sour milk, fermented baked milk. There is no need to use fermented dairy products with sugar, color, flavors 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 don't have to use it often, 3-4 times a week is enough, less often. In the heart are chicken, rabbit meat, quail, sometimes lamb.
• Cereals. Brown rice, durum wheat pasta, buckwheat can be present in the diet of 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 a natural wine without preservatives and excess sugar in the composition.
• Eggs. Yes, but not more than once a day
• Various 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 it is very pleasant), but also clean water. The daily minimum is 1. 5 liters. Green tea, natural fruit drink on fresh berries, water with lemon are welcome. Just don’t turn healthy drinks into a source of carbohydrates by adding sugar or honey. Taste buds must be cleaned.

Weight loss rate, duration

This system does not promise a loss of 15 kg in a month or 40 kg in six months. Weight on the Mediterranean (Mediterranean) diet disappears gradually without stress for 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 menu of the Mediterranean diet for weight loss for a long time, your old habits will be forgotten very quickly, other foods will take the place of your favorite dishes, proper nutrition will become a way of life. The Mediterranean diet is not limited in time, it can be observed at any time, because the inhabitants of Morocco, Italy, Greece and Spain eat something like this.

List of prohibited products

The diet for weight loss in the Mediterranean diet can be built independently, below are only the approximate menu options. The main thing is not to add banned products. This is especially true of refined sunflower oil, sugar, mixed spices with glutamate and other preservatives.

What not to diet:

• sausages, ham, semi-finished products;
• pure sugar, limited honey;
• sweet drinks, sweets, ready-made desserts;
• any white flour pastry;
• lard, bacon, fatty meats and dairy products.

The easiest way to avoid eating mistakes is to cook your own food. Cheap oils are most often used in cafes and restaurants, not the freshest vegetables, low-quality meat and fish.

Mediterranean weight loss diet: a menu for every day

Here is an example of how you can eat on this system. Then you can adjust the diet to your work or study schedule, personal taste. In addition, it is not necessary to eat different dishes every day, you can cook something for a few lunches or dinners.

The Mediterranean weight loss diet includes minimally processed foods. Prolonged cooking, stewing, marinating reduces the amount of nutrients. And simple cereals, soups, salads do not require much time for cooking.

> zxtable border = "1" cellpadding = "0" > Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Breakfast avocado toast with mozzarella, tomato, tea casserole of fresh cheese with banana, tea egg, mozzarella and pieces of 10 cherries cereal bread, slice of cheese, 2 cucumbers brown rice with cheese and herbs pasta with shrimp and cheese Omelet with beans and tomatoes Snack Orange A glass of tomato juice fruit salad with yogurt soft curd grapefruit Orange juice pineapple Dinner stewed vegetables with chicken, a large bunch of greens cream soup with shrimp vegetable stew with meat, tomato juice soup with mussels and cheese fresh tomato gaspacho, a piece of grilled fish broccoli soup with fried shrimp brown rice, cream squid, vegetable juice afternoon tea apple, cottage cheese smoothies with vegetables a glass of yogurt vegetable salad with olives fruit salad with nuts and yogurt tuna toast, any juice 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 roasted chicken, carrot and cheese salad pasta with beans, mussels fish stew with tomatoes, vegetables pasta with shrimp, cherry tomato and cream

Remember that all diet dishes are prepared with olive oil, it is also used for salad dressing, you can add lemon juice, various spices. You can include a glass of red wine with any meal.

According to the classic Mediterranean diet, the number of meals is unlimited, but it is important not to overeat. Most menu options have five. You can add an extra dinner or remove the second breakfast, which is also a snack.

Mediterranean weight loss diet: a menu for every day

Many 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 the right olive oil. But in this case, it can be replaced with other unrefined fats. Suitable flaxseed, walnut, hemp oil, pumpkin seeds. You can use edible coconut oil for your diet.

Remember that the Mediterranean diet (menu for the week below) includes economical ways of cooking. Oil can be used in any amount, but only for refueling. You can lubricate the product before grilling or in the oven. You can not use it for frying, it is better to cook diet dishes in a dry pan or lightly spread it with the thinnest layer.

> zxtable border = "1" cellpadding = "0" > Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Breakfast zucchini fritters with garlic and sour cream sauce casserole with raisins oatmeal with walnuts cheese sandwich, boiled egg, tea pumpkin porridge with rice muesli with yogurt fish sandwich Snack banana grapefruit Grenade Apple vegetable salad fruit juice, egg pumpkin puree Dinner fish soup without potatoes from any fish, rye bread stewed vegetables, toast, a piece of cooked meat vegetable soup, a piece of fish, a piece of bread pasta with cheese and squid, vegetables cream soup with chicken and vegetables, tortilla cabbage soup in fish soup with beans stewed vegetables with beans, lightly salted herring afternoon tea yogurt fruit and milk smoothies cottage cheese with apple fruit salad cucumber and spice smoothie cottage cheese with walnuts tomato juice Dinner Greek salad with cheese and olives fish cakes (steamed, baked), cabbage salad pasta and cheese, carrot salad with walnuts fish stuffed with vegetables, cucumber salad with sour cream and dill buckwheat with chicken, tomato chicken stew with cream, cabbage salad grilled vegetables, a piece of pike

There are virtually no seafood on the Mediterranean diet menu, but if you want, you can sometimes include them in your diet. For example, add shrimp to a salad or snack with a sea cocktail.

Mediterranean diet: recipes from the menu for the week

Above in the diet menu there are many interesting dishes, which are prepared easily and quickly. They are great for morning, afternoon and evening meals. Here are the most interesting recipes.

Cream soup with chicken and vegetables

On the Mediterranean diet, cream soups are often on the menu during the week. They are good for the stomach, saturate well and are easy to prepare. Here is a basic recipe with vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 300 g chicken fillet;
• 300 g broccoli (you can also cauliflower);
• 100 g carrots;
• 100 g onion;
• 200 g zucchini or pumpkin;
• 150-200 ml of cream;
• spices to taste.

cooking:

1. Cut the chicken, dip it in 800 ml of boiling water, then add the carrot and onion and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, five minutes later broccoli, lightly salt. Cook covered over low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Grind chicken with vegetables, add spices to taste. Dilute the soup with cream, boil 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 pour a little more water.

Macaroni with cheese and squid

This dish is on the above menu for every day of weight loss on the Mediterranean diet. Buying squid in the store is not a problem now, but they are prepared very simply and quickly.

Ingredients:

• 1 squid;
• 200 g pasta;
• 150 ml cream 10%;
• 0. 5 tsp olive oil;
• 70 g of cheese.

cooking:

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions, but cook for a minute less. Drain into a colander.
2. Heat a frying pan, lightly grease it with oil.
3. Squid clean, remove the ridge, cut into strips. Pour and fry for literally a minute, be sure to stir with a spatula.
4. Pour the cream on the squid, let it boil, put half of the grated cheese, let it melt and add salt.
5. Lay the pasta, stir quickly, let the dish boil and turn off. Leave for ten minutes under the lid.
6. Sprinkle with remaining cheese when serving.

In the same way, you can cook a sauce with shrimp or other seafood for the diet. The only thing is that you have to use a 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 a diet, especially in summer. Fully meets the requirements of the diet.

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 0, 5 red onion;
• 1 paprika;
• 15 ml of lemon juice;
• 1 pinch of pepper;
• 100 g feta cheese;
• 2 tablespoons olive oil;
• 10-12 olives.

cooking:

1. Slice the cucumbers. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and chop them as well. Cut the red onion into very thin half rings. Pour into a salad bowl.
2. Cut the peppers into thin strips and feta, quarters of olives, add to other products.
3. Mix lemon juice with oil, add salt and pepper. Pour over salad. Stir when serving.

You can add any greens, use cherry tomatoes instead of plain tomatoes or replace olive oil with Greek yogurt. It also makes a great sauce.

Mediterranean diet for the elderly

It has already been mentioned above that the Mediterranean diet helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease. It has a positive effect on the brain, it will save you from senile dementia. Also, the diet 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 of a menu for Mediterranean Diet Week for the Elderly. Meets all the requirements of the aging organism.

> zxtable border = "1" cellpadding = "0" > Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Breakfast oatmeal with raisins cheesecakes from the oven, fruit puree steamed omelet with beans millet porridge with pumpkin pumpkin fritters, sour cream omelette with fish fillet Fruit fresh cheese Snack pumpkin puree Orange Apple juice portion of soft cottage cheese vegetable salad Peking cabbage salad with olives, lemon, herbs salad with carrots, walnuts Dinner stewed vegetables, minced fish cutlet vegetable soup, a piece of fish buckwheat soup without potatoes chicken soup puree, black bread soup with rice and tomato, compote Casserole with cauliflower and cheese cauliflower soup, bread afternoon tea cottage cheese a glass of kefir banana and yogurt smoothie tomato juice cottage cheese vegetable smoothies with leafy greens any fruit Dinner buckwheat with fish chops and tomato sauce vegetable stew with fish vegetable salad, chicken cutlet roasted fish, mashed vegetables stewed chicken with pasta fish aspic, 10 olives, 1 tomato chicken cutlet, brown rice, tomato juice

Mediterranean Diet Reviews

First review, female, 34 years old

I have been eating on this diet for the second year, I got used to it, I don't want red meat, I refused animal fats, but I added chia seeds to my main diet, I use quinoa instead of rice. During all this time my weight decreased from 82 to 57 kg. It was gradual, not all at once. I noticed that the clothes are more relaxed, the stomach is much smaller, besides, I liked the shell.

Second review, female, 25 years old

For me, everything started strange, first I saw a menu from a friend for a week with recipes for weight loss on the Mediterranean diet, only then I began to get into what kind of system it is. I immediately liked that everything is simple, you don't have 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 switched to the fifth month of the diet, my health improved significantly, liveliness appeared, I started sleeping well, I lost 9 kg. But the initial weight was small (67 kg at 164 cm).

Third review, female, 47 years old

I have never had a problem with weight, but menopause came very early. From the age of 44, I started to gain weight quickly, as a result, +20 kg in a year. The endocrinologist told me about the diet, I liked the very idea of such a diet, but I adapted it a little to myself, for example, I refused wine. I can't drink it, my body can't stand it well, it constantly has 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 smoothly switched to it. I had no Mondays, no schedules. I just gradually changed my usual food to systemic meals. My goal was to improve health because there are many chronicdiseases and hereditary risks. I lost 11 kg in parallel.

Contraindications to diet

Despite high marks, awards and a lot of positive feedback, the Mediterranean system has contraindications.

Who should not be on a diet:

• people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, an abundance of fiber can cause attacks of pain;
• people who have suffered severe illnesses, surgical operations.

Also, do not follow this diet if you do not tolerate fish or seafood. Each person should assess in advance how close the diet is, whether it is possible to adhere to such a diet for a long time on the menu of the Mediterranean diet for weight loss.