Today, a healthy diet is a very common and popular topic. The internet is just full of tips and tricks, but recklessly following them is unwise and just unhealthy.
Therefore, you should consult a nutritionist when creating a proper diet menu. And in general, there will be no need to study special literature on the subject. The key is to use reliable sources. For example, the World Health Organization regularly addresses the issue of proper nutrition in its methodological material.
Thus, the organization's specialists presented 10 principles that will make any diet more useful:
- A varied diet allows the body to get all the different nutrients;
- Whole grains have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora, improving its performance;
- Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are the best snacks;
- One teaspoon of salt a day is the daily rate for an adult, so it is better to salt than to salt;
- It is necessary to monitor the amount of sugar consumed, as well as to pay attention to the so-called hidden sugar;
- Moderate consumption of fatty foods;
- In the daily menu, it is better to give preference to fish or poultry, limiting the consumption of red meat;
- Prepared meals are a rich cocktail of trans fats, salt, sugar and various artificial additives;
- Fried food will never be healthy;
- Any alcohol is harmful to health.
Of course, the advice in this guide is not specific, so it is not possible to make a proper diet menu based on it. But use it as a guide for further work - you can be quite successful.
In addition, the best choice when choosing a new diet is to consult a nutritionist. A doctor with such an education will provide a professional opinion and create a menu that will be not only healthy but also nutritious and delicious. And today it is not necessary to visit clinics for that. Many nutritionists hold open lessons and workshops to share their secrets and teach others.
How to create a proper diet menu?
The first step towards a healthy diet is a menu. After all, it is the list of "permitted" products that will determine the variety of dishes, the system of snacks.
Nutritionists follow a few basic principles when creating a proper diet menu:
- Meat in the diet should be combined with vegetables and fruits;
- In order to function properly, you need to consume about 100-150 grams of protein per day;
- If desired, sweets can be included in the diet. However, it is important to remember that their consumption should be strictly calculated on the basis of sugar content and not desserts in the afternoon;
- Preserved and semi-finished products, sauces of all kinds, as well as fast food agents, which are subject to the strictest ban;
- The food pyramid is a great way to organize your food so you can be guided.
In addition, it is important to focus on the time intervals between meals when compiling a menu. Depending on their duration, the saturation of dishes with certain elements is determined. However, there are also fairly common rules. For example, breakfast is best taken half an hour after waking up and dinner about three hours before bedtime.
Features of a weight loss diet plan
It is important to understand that a diet plan also depends on what goals are being pursued. So, we can distinguish between a children’s diet plan, a diet plan for various ailments, an athlete’s pre-competition diet plan and, of course, a diet plan for slimming.
First of all, we note that weight loss is not possible without a proper and balanced diet, and the latter has never meant existence on water and vegetables. So back to the WHO principles, a variety of foods provide a range of elements that are good for the human body. This rule must be observed when compiling the menu.
Also, if you want to lose weight with a proper diet, you should follow a few more rules:
- Eating should be done at certain intervals, then the body will develop a regimen;
- Meals should be partial, the optimal option is 5 times a day;
- When planning a meal, you can’t interfere with your lifestyle. Rather, the menu should be tailored to it.
So, we get two diet options for those who get up early and late:
| Lyrks eating mode | Owl eating mode | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 a. m. | Breakfast | 10 a. m. | Breakfast |
| 10 a. m. | The first snack | 13: 00 | The first snack |
| 13: 00 | Dinner | 3: 00 p. m. | Dinner |
| 4: 00 p. m. | Second snack | 5: 00 p. m. | Second snack |
| 19: 00 | Dinner | 8pm | Dinner |
Another feature of creating a weight loss menu plan is the counting of calories. To do this, you must record all the foods you eat during the day. And today it is quite easy to do so, as there are many special programs for such purposes.
How to plan meals for each day?
Proper nutrition planning is a time-consuming process that requires consideration of:
- Protein, fat, and carbohydrate ratios can vary depending on your goals. For example, during the so-called "drying" it is recommended to increase the percentage of protein consumed;
- Total caloric intake - meanwhile, the required daily caloric intake, which varies with age and lifestyle, must be distributed evenly;
- A variety of nutrient and calorie products - only a proper and balanced diet can work. Refusing to eat will only harm your health.
It should also be borne 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 novel foods. they can also adversely affect the regime.
You can learn more about the rules of nutrition and the principles of forming a smart diet in nutrition courses.
Summarizing all the above, we can conclude that the following product categories should form the basis of a proper diet menu:
- Chicken;
- Turkey;
- Fish;
- Seafood;
- Eggs;
- Dairy Products;
- Fruits;
- Vegetables;
- Greens;
- Nuts;
- seeds;
- natural spices;
- spices;
- whole grain products;
- legumes;
- Olive, linseed, corn, sesame oil.
It is necessary to remove from the diet:
- Sausages;
- Smoked products;
- Canned food;
- Snack foods in vacuum packaging;
- Semi-finished products;
- Sauces;
- Prepared meals for microwave heating;
- Fast food;
- Carbonated drinks;
- Juice in packs.
It is worth mentioning separately that salted nuts do not belong to a proper diet, like any product with an increased content of spices, additives and flavors. As far as confectionery is 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 bun for breakfast.
weekly nutrition program
In general, a balanced healthy diet can be quite diverse, making it entirely possible to create a menu with new dishes every day. Here's an example of a weekly menu based on all of the recommendations above:
| Week day | Breakfast | Dinner | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday |
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Fried fish, vegetable salad as a garnish. |
| Tuesday |
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| on wednesday |
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Chicken fillet with fried vegetables. |
| Thursday |
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Pita with lean beef, salad, dressing - natural yogurt, garlic and dill. |
| Friday |
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| saturday |
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Couscous with carrots, onions, corn, green 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 will need to be removed from the main menu. In other words, the apple is transferred from breakfast to an afternoon snack. A similar system can be used in reverse, adding snacks to the main dishes - breakfast and lunch.
It is also important to remember that portions are calculated individually based on age, health status, lifestyle, and daily caloric intake. Therefore, the portion size will be different for men and women.
Recipes for proper nutrition
We offer some simple but delicious and healthy dishes for every day.
- Smoothies - 67-70 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Bananas - 1 pc.
- Oatmeal - 30 gr.
- Yogurt (or kefir) - 100-150 gr.
- Vanilla - to taste.
Grind all ingredients with a grinder until smooth. If you want, you can also add peaches or pears, but not without the abuse of sweet fruit.
- Oatmeal-apple pancakes - 152 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Oatmeal - 80 gr.
- Medium size apple - 1 pc.
- Chicken egg - 1 pc.
- Honey - 30 gr.
Grind the oatmeal with a blender. Clean the apple, mix with the resulting powder and egg. Bake the pancakes for about 3 minutes on each side. The dish can be served with honey.
- Lecho salad - 50 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Bulgarian pepper - 4 pcs.
- Eggplants - 1 pc.
- Tomato - 3 pcs.
- Vinegar - to taste.
- Greens - to taste.
- Salt - to taste.
- Vegetable oil - Art. spoon.
Bake the vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the peel and cut. Add chopped herbs, oil, vinegar, salt to the resulting salad, stir.
- Mushroom puree soup - 30 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Mushrooms - 700 gr.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Milk - 250 ml.
- Greens - to taste.
Mushrooms should be poured boiling water, bring to a boil. Cut the onion and carrot, cook for 15 minutes with the mushrooms. Bring the milk to a boil. Transfer the soup to a grater, add the milk, then beat until puree, garnish with herbs if desired.
- Stewed beef - 80 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Beef - 100 gr.
- Buckwheat groats - 150 gr.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Lemon juice - to taste.
- Greens - to taste.
Marinate the meat for an hour with onions and lemon juice. Simmer carrots, tomatoes, onions and beef in a pan. When ready, add the greens. As a garnish - buckwheat (cooked without salt).
- Lean sweet sausage - 269, 98 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Dates - 125 gr.
- Plums - 125 gr.
- Nuts - 100 gr.
- Sesame - 2 tbsp. spoons.
- Orange - 1 pc.
- Cinnamon - a teaspoon.
Plums and dates need to be washed, pitted, then chopped with a grater. Add orange peel and 1 tbsp to the resulting mixture. spoon of orange juice, stir. Before this, lightly fry the nuts in a pan (without adding oil). Mix all ingredients until smooth. Place the mixture on a cling film, form a roll, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Put the sweet sausage in the refrigerator for half an hour.
If you want to create a menu for a specific purpose, such as losing weight, the most effective option is for a nutritionist to formulate a diet. It will take into account the individual characteristics of your body and develop a nutrition plan to help you achieve your goals.