Today, healthy eating is a very common and popular topic. The internet is just full of tips and tricks, however, their careless monitoring is irrational and just unhealthy.
Therefore, when preparing a proper diet menu, you should consult a dietitian. And in general, it will not be unnecessary to study the special literature on this subject. The main thing is to use reliable sources. For example, the World Health Organization regularly deals with the issue of proper nutrition in its methodological materials.
Thus, the experts of the organization presented 10 principles that will make any diet more useful:
- A varied diet allows the body to receive the full variety of nutrients.
- Whole grains have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora, improving its function.
- Fruits, vegetables and nuts are the best snack choices.
- One teaspoon of salt a day is the daily rule for an adult, so it is better to have less salt than salt.
- It is necessary to monitor the level of sugar consumed, as well as pay attention to the so-called hidden sugar.
- Moderate consumption of fatty foods.
- In the daily menu, it is better to prefer fish or poultry, limiting the consumption of red meat.
- Ready meals are a rich cocktail of trans fats, salt, sugar and a wide variety of artificial additives.
- Fried foods will never be healthy.
- Alcohol in any quantity is harmful to health.
Of course, the tips in this manual do not contain specific details, so a proper diet menu cannot be based on them. But to use it as a guideline for further work - you can with great success.
In addition, the best option when choosing a new diet is to consult a nutritionist. A doctor with such training will give a professional opinion and will compile a menu that will be not only healthy, but also nutritious and tasty. And today it is not necessary to visit clinics for this. Many nutritionists conduct open classes and workshops where they share their secrets and teach others.
How to make a proper diet menu?
The first step to a healthy diet is the menu. After all, it is the list of "allowed" products that will determine the variety of dishes, the system of snacks.
Nutritionists are guided by many basic principles when writing a proper diet menu:
- Meat in the diet should be combined with vegetables and fruits.
- For proper functioning, you should consume about 100-150 grams of protein per day.
- If you want, sweets can be included in the diet. But it is important to remember that their use should be strictly calculated according to the amount of sugar and you should not eat desserts in the afternoon.
- Canned and semi-finished products, all kinds of sauces, as well as fast food representatives under the strictest ban.
- The Food Pyramid is a great way to organize your meals to guide you.
In addition, when compiling the menu, it is important to focus on the time intervals between meals. Depending on their duration, the saturation of the dishes is determined by certain elements. But there are some fairly general rules. For example, breakfast is best half an hour after waking up and dinner is about three hours before bedtime.
Features of a diet plan for weight loss
It is important to understand that the diet plan also depends on the goals pursued. Thus, we can distinguish a diet program for children, a diet program for various diseases, the diet program of an athlete before competitions and, of course, a diet program for weight loss.
First, we note that weight loss is impossible without a proper and balanced diet and the latter never meant existence with water and vegetables. Thus, we return to the principles of the WHO - a variety of foods provide the full range of useful elements in the human body. This rule must be taken into account when compiling the menu.
In addition, if you want to lose weight with the right diet, you need to follow a few more rules:
- You need to eat at certain intervals, then the body will develop a shape.
- Meals should be fractional, the optimal choice is 5 times a day.
- When you plan meals, you can not go against your lifestyle. Rather, the menu should be customized to it.
So, we have two options for a diet designed for those who wake up early and late:
| Nutritional scheme for "Larks" | Food function for "owls" | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. 00 | breakfast | 10. 00 | breakfast |
| 10. 00 | First snack | 13. 00 | First snack |
| 13. 00 | Dinner | 15. 00 | Dinner |
| 16. 00 | Second snack | 17. 00 | Second snack |
| 19. 00 | Dinner | 20. 00 | Dinner |
Another feature in writing a menu for weight loss is calorie counting. To do this, you need to keep a record of all the food consumed during the day. And today it is very simple to do this, because there are a large number of special applications for such purposes.
How to plan meals for each day?
Proper nutrition planning is a time consuming process, the preparation of which must take into account the following:
- The ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates - may vary depending on the intended goals. For example, during the so-called "drying" it is recommended to increase the percentage of protein consumed.
- General calculation of calorie content - while the required daily calorie intake, which varies with age and lifestyle, should be evenly distributed.
- A variety of products that correspond to nutrients and calorie content - only a proper and balanced diet can give the result. Refusing to eat will only harm your health.
It is also important to keep in mind that "unplanned" snacks should not be considered a tragedy, but it makes sense to analyze them and change the frequency or composition of subsequent meals. Another obstacle may be new foods to the diet. For example, while dieting, it is best not to experiment with new flavor combinations, as they can also adversely affect shape.
It is possible to learn more about the rules of nutrition, the principles of shaping a rational diet in diet courses.
Summarizing all the above, we can conclude that the following product categories should be the basis of a proper nutrition menu:
- Chicken;
- Turkey;
- Fish;
- Seafood;
- Eggs;
- Dairy;
- Fruit;
- Vegetables;
- Greens;
- NUTS;
- seeds;
- natural spices;
- spices;
- Whole grain products.
- legumes;
- Olive oils, flaxseed, corn, sesame oil.
It is necessary to exclude from the diet:
- Sausages?
- Smoked products?
- Canned food?
- Snacks in a vacuum package.
- Semi-finished products;
- Sauces?
- Prepared meals for heating in the microwave.
- Fast food;
- Fizzy drinks;
- Juices in packages.
Separately, it is worth noting that salted nuts do not belong to the right diet, like any product that contains an increased level of spices, additives and flavors. As far as confectionery products are concerned, they should be kept to a minimum and the composition of such products should also be treated responsibly. For example, you might have an oatmeal muffin for breakfast.
weekly diet plan
In general, a balanced healthy diet can be quite varied, so it is very likely to develop a menu where there will be new dishes every day. Here is an example menu for a week according to all the previous recommendations:
| Day of the week | breakfast | Dinner | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday |
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Baked fish, vegetable salad as a side dish. |
| Tuesday |
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| Wednesday |
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Chicken fillet with grilled vegetables. |
| Thursday |
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Pie with lean beef, lettuce, dressing - natural yogurt, garlic and dill. |
| Friday |
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| Saturday |
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Couscous with carrots, onions, corn, peas. |
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| Sunday |
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It should be noted that when small snacks are included in the diet, fruits and nuts should be removed from the main menu. In other words, an apple from breakfast is transferred to an afternoon snack. A similar system can be used and vice versa, adding snacks to the main meals - breakfast and lunch.
It is also important to remember that portions are calculated individually, based on age, health status, lifestyle and daily calorie intake. Therefore, the portion size for men and women will be different.
Recipes for proper nutrition
We offer many simple but delicious and healthy dishes for every day.
- Smoothies - 67-70 kcal / 100 gr.
Components:
- Banana - 1 pc.
- Oatmeal - 30 gr.
- Yogurt (or kefir) - 100-150 gr.
- Vanilla - to taste.
Mix all the ingredients in the blender until smooth. If you want, you can also add peach or pear, but not without the abuse of sweet fruit.
- Oat-apple pancakes - 152 kcal / 100 gr.
Components:
- Oatmeal - 80 gr.
- Medium-sized apple - 1 pc.
- Chicken egg - 1 pc.
- Honey - 30 gr.
Grind the oatmeal in the blender. Wipe the apple, mix with the powder and the resulting egg. Fry the pancakes for about 3 minutes on each side. The dish can be served with honey.
- Lecho salad - 50 kcal / 100 gr.
Components:
- Bulgarian pepper - 4 pcs.
- Eggplant - 1 pc.
- Tomato - 3 pcs.
- Vinegar - to taste.
- Green - to taste.
- Salt - to taste.
- Vegetable oil - Art. a spoon.
Bake the vegetables for 15 minutes in the oven, remove the skin and cut them. Add chopped herbs, oil, vinegar, salt to the resulting salad, mix.
- Mushroom puree soup - 30 kcal / 100 gr.
Components:
- Champignon mushrooms - 700 gr.
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Carrot - 1 pc.
- Milk - 250 ml.
- Green - to taste.
Mushrooms should be poured with boiling water, let them cook. Chop the onion and carrot, cook for 15 minutes with the mushrooms. Boil the milk. Transfer the soup to a blender, add the milk, then beat until pureed, garnish with herbs if desired.
- Beef stew - 80 kcal / 100 gr.
Components:
- Beef - 100 gr.
- Buckwheat groats - 150 gr.
- Carrot - 1 pc.
- Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Lemon juice - to taste.
- Green - to taste.
Marinate the meat with onion and lemon juice for an hour. Boil the carrots, tomatoes, onions and beef in a pan. When ready, add greens. As an accompaniment - buckwheat (cook without salt).
- Lean sweet sausage - 269, 98 kcal / 100 gr.
Components:
- Dates - 125 gr.
- plums - 125 gr.
- Nuts - 100 gr.
- Sesame - 2 tablespoons. spoonful.
- Orange - 1 pc.
- Cinnamon - teaspoon.
Plums and dates should be washed and the stones removed and then chopped with a blender. To the resulting mixture add orange zest and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of orange juice, stir. Toast the nuts in a pan just before (without adding oil). Mix all ingredients until smooth. Put the mixture on a film, form a roll, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place the sweet sausage in the refrigerator for half an hour.
If you want to create a menu for a specific purpose, for example, to lose weight, then the most effective option is to make a diet from a dietitian. It will take into account the individual characteristics of your body and will draw up a diet plan that will help you achieve your goals.