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

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

Core and basic principles

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

This 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 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. Case, who, researching the dependence of cardiovascular diseases on diet, drew an unexpected conclusion.

It turned out that Italy, where nutritionists published their scientific papers on heart disease, differs from their country in that the local population, which consumes high-fat and high-calorie foods, is not obese and is less susceptible to heart disease. circulatory system. , hypertension and diabetes.

This served as an impetus for new research work in Italy, and then for the confirmation of the idea in Japan, Germany, Finland and Yugoslavia.

Ansel and Margaret Case's sensational discovery prompted American scientists, concerned about the nation's rate of disease and rapid "obesity, " to use their research to create a program of "preventive medicine" in the 1970s. In essence, theseare the systematic bases of the traditional nature of the nutrition 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 the UNESCO organization has recognized the cuisine of 12 Mediterranean countries as national cultural heritage. Unlike other diets, the Mediterranean diet has no time limits.

It should become a way of life, turning its worshiper in matters of nutrition into a resident of the Mediterranean region. Which is not difficult at all, given the simple principles and the availability of the necessary products in all stores. The Mediterranean diet for weight loss means following some 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, using it both for cooking and for salads;
• eat dishes 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 so-called "pyramid of the Mediterranean diet" has been developed. Closer to the base, which occupies 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, whole grain bread;
• vegetables and fruits;
• fermented milk products, cheeses;
• nuts, dried fruits.

Further, closer to the top of the pyramid, that is, occupying a significantly smaller volume, there are food products with a consumption limit of 1 to 6 times a week.

This:

• fish dishes;
• poultry meat;
• potatoes;
• chicken eggs;
• sweet treats.

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 makes no sense to deviate from the generally accepted product, you just need to choose lean cuts.

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

Product name	% of food consumed per day
Cereals and legumes	35
Vegetables, fruits, greens	thirty
Fermented milk 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, cereals, chicken eggs, vegetables, fruits - breakfast;
• fermented milk products, fruit - second breakfast;
• soup, pasta, rice, vegetable salad, meat, fish, fruit - lunch;
• fruit salad, fermented milk products, cheeses - afternoon snack;
• fish, vegetable casserole, salad, seafood, cheese, fruit - dinner.

Thus, looking at the list of permitted foods and the distribution of their intake during the day, we can conclude that you will not have to starve. Moreover, good red wine is a daily bonus in the Mediterranean diet. Sweets are also 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 purpose of switching to diet food), you need to remember the amount of food you eat. The volume of food consumed in one meal should not exceed 240 ml (visually this is 16 tablespoons L. or 1 tablespoon).

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss does not give immediate results. Using a balanced menu, hearty foods and small restrictions in their lives, the followers of these principles, as a rule, continue to live, respecting them further and after some time notice an improvement in health, significant loss inweight and the need for renovation. the body to move actively.

Contraindications for use

The success of the diet is due to three factors:

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

Although the Mediterranean fasting diet is a balanced method of nutrition, it has contraindications.

This combination is unacceptable for some people:

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

The main menu for 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 rules, preferences and abilities. Until then, you can use the recommendations of nutritionists.

Days of the week		Main meals (excluding snacks)
	BREAKFAST	dinner	dinner
Monday	Oatmeal with water (or low-fat milk) with fruit; Crusty bread with cheese; Green tea	Baked fish (200 g); Side dish with boiled vegetables; 100 ml of red wine	Boiled seafood; Vegetable salad
Tuesday	Muesli with yogurt (natural, without additives); Whole grain bread with feta cheese; Tea (green or black)	Fish boiled with herbs; Pasta category "A"	Boiled or roasted turkey (200 g); boiled buckwheat; Tomato salad with vegetables; 100 ml of red wine
Wednesday	Omelet them 2 eggs; Crusty 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	Pasta with seafood and tomatoes; 100 ml of wine	Steamed fish (200 g); Garnish - boiled bulgur; Vegetable salad
Friday	Cottage cheese casserole; Coffee	Shrimp cheese soup; 2 slices of bread croutons; 100 ml of wine	Fish cutlets; Stew with vegetables; 2 slices of hard or semi-hard cheese
Saturday	Muesli with yogurt and dried fruits; Sandwich made of wheat bread, cheese and avocado; Green tea	Zucchini, tomato, feta cheese casserole; 100 ml of wine	Baked or boiled chicken breast (150 g); Boiled lentils; Vegetable salad
Sunday	Curd Casserole with Dried Fruits; Fruit (1 piece); Coffee	Risotto with seafood; Vegetable salad	Boiled or steamed fish (preferably boiled meat (150-200 g); Stew with vegetables; 100 ml of wine

Mediterranean diet recipes

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

It is important to remember that:

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

• bread consumption is limited and must be grain, coarsely ground;
• food must be prepared without the use of store-bought sauces or canned goods containing E additives;
• milk and fermented milk products should be low in fat;
• in dietary food, the consumption of any sea fish is encouraged - herring, mackerel, cod, cod, perch, perch; fish should be steamed, grilled, boiled or boiled, 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 with lemon juice and spices; sugar is completely excluded, you can use a little honey;
• We must not forget the drinks - any tea, herbal tea, coffee is allowed; plain clean water is required;
• wine should be red and dry, which helps reduce appetite, normalizes stomach acidity, participates in hematopoiesis and lowers cholesterol;
• Shop-bought sweets with a high content of 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, thanks to the combination of its ingredients.

The composition of the ingredients

Composition:

• boiled chicken breast - 150 g;
• fresh peaches - 2-3 pieces;
• canned pineapple - 50 g;
• celery stalk - 2-3 pieces;
• each lettuce leaf - 150 g.

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

Step by step cooking process

The summer salad is prepared in 3 stages:

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

What can I add?

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

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

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

How to serve a dish

Summer salad is easily prepared in any season by buying some imported peaches or oranges. It is good for dinner with a glass of dry red wine. The dish can be decorated with lettuce leaves and pieces of fruit set 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 get different dishes in taste, but satisfying and healthy.

One of these salads is below.

The composition of the ingredients

Composition:

• basmati rice - 1 tablespoon;
• feta cheese - 60 g;
• sun-dried tomatoes - 2 pieces;
• peanuts - 2 tablespoons. 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 lukewarm water, which will help the grains to more fully reveal their flavor and aromatic properties.
2. Then you should continue cooking in the same water, after it boils, lower the heating temperature. After boiling the grains for 20 minutes, set the pan aside and let the grains sit in the hot pan for another 15 minutes. Only after that can the rice be mixed with a fork.
3. At this time, the dried tomatoes should be poured with hot water and kept in it for 10 minutes, then dried with a paper towel and cut.
4. We roast the walnuts and cut them and feta cheese.
5. Add tomatoes, cheese and nuts to cooled rice - this is the basis of the salad.
6. Add the chopped mint, spices and season with olive oil.

What can I add?

You can also use other nuts in this dish - pine nuts or walnuts, which is 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.

Cream cheese soup with seafood

The Mediterranean diet allows for the consumption of large amounts of fatty foods such as cheeses.

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

The composition of the ingredients

Composition:

• hard or semi-hard cheese - 200 g;
• processed cheese - 100 g;
• shrimp - 150 g;
• Mussel meat - 100 g;
• cream (20%) – 200 ml;
• chicken egg (yellow) - 1 piece;
• carrots - 1 piece;
• onion - 1 piece;
• wheat flour - 1 tablespoon. l. ;
• wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon. l. ;
• olive oil - 1 tablespoon. l.

Step by step cooking process

Cream cheese soup is prepared in 5 steps:

1. To prepare the broth, you need to boil the shrimps and mussels, peel them, filter 200 ml of juice and put them in a pot for preparing the soup.
2. The peeled and chopped onion should be fried in a small amount of olive oil until it is transparent and, adding the pieces of carrots, it should be kept on fire a little longer.
3. We put the cream in a pot with meat broth, let it boil and, putting it on low heat, add the grated cheeses. The liquid must be constantly stirred until the cheeses are completely melted.
4. The next step is to collect the beaten egg yolk, roasted vegetables and flour diluted in a small amount of water in a pot. Stirring the soup, bring it to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes.
5. The contents of the pan should be "grinded" with a blender, achieving the desired consistency using the remaining liquid.

What can I add?

To improve the taste, you can use the liquid left after cooking boiled fish.

How to serve a dish

Soup is served during lunch. The contents of the dish are sprinkled with herbs.

Zucchini with feta cheese

Vegetables cooked in the oven are a great option for a dish that is healthy and requires little time in the kitchen.

One option is zucchini with feta cheese.

The composition of the ingredients

Composition:

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

Step by step cooking process

Zucchini with cheese is prepared in 4 steps:

1. To prepare zucchini for baking, you need to wash them; Peel the old fruits from the skin, leave the young ones with the skin; cut lengthwise into two pieces and remove pulp.
2. Then fry the minced pulp in olive oil with garlic, passed through a garlic press.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to this mixture: feta cheese and chopped mint, nuts and spices. Mix everything carefully.
4. Fill the pumpkin "boats" with the prepared filling and place 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 dish

The dish goes well either on its own or with a side dish of steamed brown rice. Or you can use it on its own as a vegetable stew for chicken breast or turkey. Zucchini will look beautiful 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 eaten boiled or boiled.

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

The composition of the ingredients

Composition:

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

Step by step cooking process

Fish with cheese is prepared in 4 steps:

1. The baking pan should be greased with oil and pieces of fish should be placed.
2. The dressing is prepared like this: you need to combine kefir, juice, herbs and mix everything. The mixture should be carefully poured over the portions of fish.
3. Sprinkle grated cheese over each piece.
4. The products must 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 place a slice of tomato on top of the fish.

How to serve a dish

The fish can be garnished with herbs and thin lemon leaves.

Pasta with peas

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

There is no certainty that by eating them you can achieve significant weight loss, but nutritionists believe that category "A" pasta, made from durum wheat, does not lead to weight gain.

The composition of the ingredients

Composition:

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

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

Step by step cooking process

Pasta with peas is prepared in 3 steps:

1. Pasta should be cooked until al dente; 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. You should 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 and rich flavors.

How to serve a dish

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

Almond Oat Muffins

Sometimes you can treat yourself to homemade sweets.

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.

The composition of the ingredients

Composition:

• oatmeal - 4 tablespoons. l. ;
• chicken eggs - 2 pieces;
• powdered milk - 4 tablespoons. 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: 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, which do not need to be oiled.
4. The muffins should be placed in a preheated oven at 200°C and baked for 15 minutes.

What can I add?

Any chopped nuts, dried fruit or fresh fruit are suitable as an addition to the oat-milk mixture.

How to serve a dish

The dessert can be served garnished with a mint leaf or fresh berries. For more pleasure, you can make tea or herbal infusion.

When to expect an effect

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

Becoming lovers of delicious and healthy food, people stop focusing on their kilograms and after 2-3 years 10-15 kg disappear unnoticed. Having reached the optimal weight, the body independently comes to a state of equilibrium.

The Mediterranean diet is not a change in the diet for rapid weight loss with lightning-fast weight restoration after 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.