Mediterranean diet for weight loss. Menu of the day, of the week, recipes. Assessments and results

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

Essence and basic principles

The peculiarity of the diet lies in the fact that it is not a set of rules, principles and restrictions artificially created by nutritionists and which one always wants to break.

It is the result of observing the community of a certain region, comparing the morbidity statistics of its population with the rest of the population of the planet, identifying the reasons for its superiority andadaptation of the traditional diet of the region to other countries.

The term "Mediterranean diet" was first introduced in the middle of the 20th century by the American couple A. and M. Case, who, studying the dependence of cardiovascular diseases on diet, came to an unexpected conclusion.

It turned out that Italy, where nutritionists published their scientific works on heart disease, differs from its home country in that the local population, consuming quite fatty and high-calorie foods, does notis not obese and is less susceptible to diseases of the circulatory system. , hypertension and diabetes.

This provided the impetus for further research in Italy, and then confirmation of the idea in Japan, Germany, Finland and Yugoslavia.

Ansel and Margaret Case's sensational discovery prompted American scientists, concerned about the scale of the disease and the country's rapid "obesity", to use their research to create a "preventive medicine" program in the 1970sThese are, in essence, the systematized foundations of the traditional nature of the diet of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries.

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

It should become a way of life, making the one who adheres in matters of nutrition a resident of the Mediterranean region. Which is not difficult at all, taking into account the simple principles and the availability of the necessary products in all stores. The Mediterranean diet for weight loss involves following certain rules that quickly become a habit.

To do this you need:

• move 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 cooking, using it both for cooking and for dressing salads;
• eat legume-based dishes daily;
• minimize sugar consumption by replacing it with honey;
• drink only dry red wine, refusing any other alcohol;
• consume at least 6 tablespoons. clean water per day;
• lead an active and mobile life.

To better understand these simple rules, the "Mediterranean food pyramid" was developed. Closer to the base, which occupies the largest volume of the geometric figure, are foods that must be eaten several times a day.

This:

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

In addition, closer to the top of the pyramid, that is, occupying a significantly smaller volume, are food products, the consumption of which is limited to 1-6 times per week.

This:

• fish dishes;
• poultry meat;
• potato;
• chicken eggs;
• 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, there is no point in deviating from the generally accepted product, it is enough to choose lean cuts.

Thus, a visual distribution of priority products makes it possible to reduce the diet to the following daily ration:

Product Name	% of food consumed per day
Cereals and legumes	35
Vegetables, fruits, green vegetables	thirty
Fermented dairy products, cheeses, fish, meat	20
Olive oil	ten
Sweet desserts	5

An important point: when to eat listed products.

The distribution of power over time looks like this:

• cereals, cereals, 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 – snack;
• fish, vegetable stews, salads, seafood, cheeses, fruits - dinner.

So, looking at the list of permitted foods and the distribution of their intake throughout the day, we can conclude that you will not have to starve. In addition, good red wine is a daily asset in the Mediterranean diet. Even desserts are allowed - once a week (Italians and French are famous lovers of sweets, but in moderation).

However, in order to start the process of losing weight (this is precisely the goal of switching to a diet diet), you need to remember how much food you eat. The volume of food consumed in a single meal should not exceed 240 ml (visually this is 16 tbsp. L. or 1 tbsp).

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss does not produce immediate results. Using a balanced menu, hearty meals and minor restrictions in their lives, adherents of these principles usually continue to live, observing them more, and after a while they notice an improvement in their health, weight lossimportant and the need for renewal. body to move actively.

Contraindications for use

The success of the diet is due to three factors:

• low in animal fats and sugar;
• high content of dietary fiber, fiber;
• rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

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

This combination is unacceptable for some people:

• Very obese people will not be able to achieve the desired results by changing their diet. In this case, special and radical methods are required to adjust the weight.
• Such a high-fiber food can be harmful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• People with allergies who react to seafood or other major components of the Mediterranean diet will need to avoid them.

Main menu of the week

After a while, getting used to the Mediterranean diet and its features will help you create a balanced menu for the day, taking into account the rules, your own preferences and capabilities. In the meantime, you can use the recommendations of nutritionists.

Days of the week		Main meals (excluding snacks)
	Breakfast	Dinner	Dinner
Monday	Oatmeal with water (or skim milk) with fruit; Raw bread with cheese; Green tea	Baked fish (200 g); Accompaniment of cooked vegetables; 100 ml of red wine	Boiled seafood; Vegetable salad
Tuesday	Yogurt muesli (natural, without additives); Cereal bread with feta cheese; Tea (green or black)	Boiled fish with herbs; Pasta category "A"	Boiled or baked turkey (200 g); Boiled buckwheat; Tomato salad with vegetables; 100 ml of red wine
Wednesday	Omelette them 2 eggs; Raw bread with cheese; Fruit (1 piece)	Chicken soup; Vegetable salad	Seafood salad with avocado; 100 ml of wine
THURSDAY	Buckwheat milk porridge; Green tea; Fruit	Seafood and tomato pasta; 100 ml of wine	Steamed fish (200 g); Topping – boiled bulgur; Vegetable salad
Friday	Cottage cheese casserole; Coffee	Shrimp Cheese Soup; 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; Sandwich made from cereal bread, cheese and avocado; Green tea	Zucchini, tomato, feta casserole; 100 ml of wine	Baked or boiled chicken breast (150 g); Boiled lentils; Vegetable salad
Sunday	Curd casserole with dried fruits; Fruits (1 piece); Coffee	Seafood Rizotto; Vegetable salad	Boiled or steamed fish (possibly 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 choice of dishes for creating 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 with another vegetable oil;

• the consumption of bread is limited, and it must be grain, coarsely ground;
• foods should be prepared without using commercial sauces or canned products containing e-additives;
• dairy and fermented milk products should be low in fat;
• in dietary food, the consumption of any sea fish is encouraged - herring, mackerel, cod, hake, pike perch, perch; fish should be steamed, grilled, boiled or simmered, avoiding frying;
• 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 must also be boiled or stewed;
• salt is used in small quantities, it is well replaced by lemon juice and spices; sugar is completely excluded, you can use a little honey;
• We must not forget the drinks - all teas, herbal teas, coffees are allowed; Simple, clean water is necessary;
• the wine should be red and dry, which helps to reduce appetite, normalizes gastric acidity, participates in hematopoiesis and lowers cholesterol;
• Commercial sweets with a high content of sugar, fat and palm oil are excluded from the diet.

Summer salad (with chicken)

A hearty and easy-to-digest salad has an unusual, spicy and fruity taste, thanks to the combination of its ingredients.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• boiled chicken breast – 150 g;
• fresh peaches – 2-3 pieces;
• canned pineapple – 50 g;
• celery stalks – 2-3 pieces;
• lettuce leaves – 150 g.

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

Step-by-step cooking process

Summer salad is prepared in 3 steps:

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

What can I add?

The salad will remain tasty, healthy and complies 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 dish.

How to serve a dish

Summer salad is easy to make in any season by purchasing imported peaches or oranges. It's good for dinner with a glass of dry red wine. The dish can be decorated with lettuce leaves and pieces of fruit left aside.

Basmati rice salad

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss is known for its grain salads, in which you can combine poultry, fish or vegetables with grains to obtain dishes with a varied taste, but satisfying and healthy.

One such salad is below.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• basmati rice – 1 tablespoon;
• feta cheese – 60 g;
• sun-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 steps:

1. Basmati rice should be washed and then soaked for 15 minutes. in warm water, which will help the grains better reveal their taste and aromatic properties.
2. Then you need to continue cooking in the same water, after boiling, reduce the heating temperature. After boiling the grains for 20 minutes, set the pot aside and let the grains sit in the hot pan for another 15 minutes. Only after that can the rice be stirred with a fork.
3. At this point, the dried tomatoes should be poured with hot water and kept for 10 minutes, then dried with a paper towel and cut.
4. Roast the nuts and chop them along with the feta.
5. Add tomatoes, cheese and nuts to the cooled rice - this is the base of the salad.
6. Add chopped mint, spices and season with olive oil.

What can I add?

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

How to serve a dish

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

Seafood cheese soup

The Mediterranean diet allows you to consume large quantities of fatty foods like cheese.

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

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• 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;
• carrots – 1 piece;
• onions – 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 steps:

1. To prepare the broth, boil the shrimp and mussels, peel them, filter 200 ml of liquid and pour into a saucepan to prepare the soup.
2. The peeled and chopped onion should be fried in a small amount of olive oil until transparent and, adding pieces of carrots, should be kept on fire a little more.
3. Put the cream in a saucepan with the broth, bring to the boil and, putting on a low heat, add the grated cheeses. The broth should be stirred constantly until the cheeses are completely melted.
4. The next step is to collect the stirred egg yolk, overcooked vegetables and flour diluted in a little water in a saucepan. While stirring the soup, bring it to a boil and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
5. It is necessary to "punch" the contents of the pan with a blender to obtain the desired consistency using the remaining broth.

What can I add?

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

How to serve a dish

The soup is served during lunch. The contents of the plate are sprinkled with herbs.

Zucchini with feta cheese

Baked vegetables are a great option for a healthy dish that takes little time in the kitchen.

One option is zucchini with feta cheese.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• 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 can be prepared in 4 steps:

1. To prepare the zucchini for cooking, you need to wash them; Peel the old fruit from the skin, leave the young ones with the skin; cut in half lengthwise and remove the pulp.
2. Then brown the chopped pulp in olive oil with the garlic, passed through a garlic press.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to this mixture: chopped feta cheese and mint, nuts and spices. Mix everything carefully.
4. Fill the zucchini "boats" with the prepared filling and bake 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.

How to serve a dish

The dish goes well on its own or with a side of boiled brown rice. Or you can use it yourself as a vegetable compote for chicken breast or turkey. The zucchini will be magnificent with parsley.

Baked fish with cheese

Fish is a frequently consumed food in the Mediterranean diet. During the period of weight loss, it should be consumed boiled or stewed.

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

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

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

Step-by-step cooking process

Fish with cheese is prepared in 4 steps:

1. The baking sheet should be greased with oil and pieces of fish placed on it.
2. The dressing is prepared like this: you need to mix kefir, juice, herbs and mix everything. The mixture should be carefully poured over the fish portions.
3. Grated cheese should be sprinkled on each piece.
4. The products must be kept in an oven preheated to 180°C for 15 minutes.

What can I add?

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

How to serve a dish

Fish can be decorated with herbs and thin lemon leaves.

Pea pasta

The Mediterranean diet includes among the foods allowed for consumption pasta (pasta), a favorite not only in Italy.

It is not certain that by eating them you can lose weight significantly, but nutritionists believe that category "A" pasta, made from durum wheat, does not cause weight gain.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

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

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

Step-by-step cooking process

Pea pasta is prepared in 3 steps:

1. Pasta should be boiled al dente, the cooking time is always indicated on the package.
2. Next, boil green peas until half cooked and fry in olive oil with finely chopped pepper.
3. You need to 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 foods and sauces, resulting in dishes with different tastes and satiety.

How to serve a dish

Before serving, you can add arugula leaves to the dish.

Oat Almond Muffins

Sometimes we can treat ourselves to homemade desserts.

In this case, the composition of the ingredients will certainly be known and there will be confidence in the absence of preservatives and harmful additives.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• oatmeal – 4 tbsp. L. ;
• chicken egg – 2 pieces;
• powdered milk – 4 tbsp. L. ;
• baking powder – 20 g;
• almonds – 10 g.

Step-by-step cooking process

Oatmeal muffins are prepared in 4 steps:

1. To prepare the dough, you need to mix the "dry" ingredients: cereals, milk, baking powder, chopped nuts.
2. Eggs should be beaten and thoroughly mixed into the "dry" mixture.
3. The resulting dough should be placed in silicone molds that do not need to be greased with oil.
4. The 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 as an additive to the oat-milk mixture.

How to serve a dish

Dessert can be served garnished with a mint leaf or fresh berries. For more pleasure, you can prepare tea or an herbal infusion.

When to expect an effect

People who switch to the Mediterranean diet find that, without much effort or discomfort, they begin to notice positive changes in their health and figure after about 3 to 4 months. Gradual weight loss, at first almost imperceptible, reaching an average of 3 kg at six months.

Having become fans of tasty and healthy food, people stop focusing on their kilograms, and after 2-3 years, 10-15 kg disappear unnoticed. After reaching the optimal weight, the body independently achieves a state of balance.

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