Mediterranean diet for weight loss. Menu of the day, week, recipes. Reviews 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 to improve the health of the entire body, which ultimately leads to active longevity.

Essence and basic principles

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

This is the result of observing the community of a given region, comparing the morbidity statistics of its population with the rest of the planet's population, identifying the reasons for its superiority and adapting the region's traditional diet 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, when researching 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 their home country in that the local population, which consumes rather fatty and high-calorie foods, is not obese and is less susceptible to heart disease. circulatory. , hypertension and diabetes.

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

Ansel and Margaret Case's sensational discovery led American scientists, concerned about the country's level of disease and rapid "obesity, " to use their research to create a "preventative medicine" program in the 1970s. In essence, these are the systematized foundations of the traditional nature of the diet 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 gastronomy 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, transforming its nutritionist into a resident of the Mediterranean region. Which is not at all difficult, given the simple principles and the availability of the necessary products in all stores. The Mediterranean diet to lose weight means following certain rules that quickly become a habit.

To do this you need:

• go to 6 meals a day (3 main and 2 additional, called snacks);
• make seasonal (not hothouse) vegetables, fruits and berries the basis of the diet;
• focus on fish and seafood in your diet;
• use only olive oil in the kitchen, both for cooking and for dressing salads;
• eat dishes made with vegetables every day;
• minimize sugar consumption by replacing it with honey;
• drink only dry red wine, refusing other alcoholic drinks;
• consume at least 6 tablespoons. clean water per day;
• lead an active and mobile lifestyle.

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

That:

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

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

That:

• 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, just choose lean cuts.

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

Product's name	% of food consumed per day
Cereals and legumes	35
Vegetables, fruits, greens	thirty
Fermented dairy products, cheeses, fish, meat	20
Oil	10
Sweet desserts	5

An important point: when to eat the listed products.

The distribution of the diet over time looks like this:

• cereals, cereals, chicken eggs, vegetables, fruits - breakfast;
• fermented dairy products, fruits - 2nd breakfast;
• soups, pasta, rice, vegetable salads, meat, fish, fruit - lunch;
• fruit salads, fermented dairy products, cheeses – afternoon snack;
• fish, vegetable casseroles, salads, seafood, cheeses, fruits - dinner.

Therefore, looking at the list of permitted foods and the distribution of their intake throughout the day, we can conclude that you will not need to go hungry. Furthermore, a good red wine is a daily bonus in the Mediterranean diet. Even desserts are 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 a dietary diet), you need to remember the amount of food you eat. The volume of food consumed in one meal should not exceed 240 ml (visually it is 16 tablespoons. L. or 1 tablespoon).

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss does not produce immediate results. Using a balanced menu, hearty meals and small restrictions in their lives, adherents of these principles, as a rule, continue to live, observing them even more, and after some time they notice improvements in their health, significant weight loss and the need for a renewed body moves 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:

• Highly obese people will not be able to obtain the expected results by changing their diet. In this case, special and radical methods of weight adjustment are required.
• This set of foods with a high fiber content can be harmful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Allergy sufferers who react to seafood or other important components of the Mediterranean diet will have to avoid them.

Main menu of the week

After some time, getting used to the Mediterranean diet and its characteristics will help you create a balanced menu for the day, taking into account the rules, your preferences and capabilities. Until then, you can follow nutritionists' recommendations.

Days of the week		Main meals (excluding snacks)
	Breakfast	To have lunch	To have lunch
Monday	Oatmeal with water (or skimmed milk) with fruit; Rough bread with cheese; Green Tea	Baked fish (200g); Accompaniment to cooked vegetables; 100 ml of red wine	Cooked seafood; Vegetable salad
Tuesday	Muesli with yogurt (natural, without additives); Cereal bread with feta cheese; Tea (green or black)	Fish cooked with herbs; Mass category "A"	Boiled or roasted turkey (200 g); Boiled buckwheat; Vegetable tomato salad; 100 ml of red wine
Wednesday	Omelet with 2 eggs; Rough bread with cheese; Fruit (1 pc. )	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 – cooked bulgur; Vegetable salad
Friday	Cottage cheese casserole; Coffee	Cheese soup with shrimp; 2 slices of toasted bread; 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 wholemeal bread, cheese and avocado; Green Tea	Zucchini casserole, tomato, feta cheese; 100 ml of wine	Roasted or boiled chicken breast (150 g); Cooked lentils; Vegetable salad
Sunday	Cottage cheese casserole with dried fruits; Fruit (1 piece); Coffee	Seafood risotto; 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 selection 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;

• bread consumption is limited and must be grain, coarsely ground;
• food should be prepared without using store-bought sauces or canned products containing electronic additives;
• dairy and fermented milk products must be low in fat;
• in dietary nutrition, the consumption of any marine fish is encouraged - herring, mackerel, cod, hake, pike, perch; fish must be steamed, grilled, boiled or stewed, 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 good to replace it with lemon juice and seasonings; sugar is completely excluded, you can use a little honey;
• We must not forget about drinks - any teas, herbal teas, coffee are allowed; simple clean water is needed;
• wine should be red and dry, which helps reduce appetite, normalizes gastric acidity, participates in hematopoiesis and reduces cholesterol;
• Store-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 flavor, thanks to the combination of its ingredients.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

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

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

Step-by-step cooking process

The summer salad is prepared in 3 steps:

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

What can I add?

The salad will remain tasty, healthy and consistent 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 prepare in any season by purchasing some imported peaches or oranges. It is good to have 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 cereal salads, in which you can combine poultry, fish or vegetables with grains to obtain dishes that are varied in flavor, yet satisfying and healthy.

One of these salads is below.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• basmati rice – 1 tablespoon;
• feta cheese – 60 g;
• sun-dried tomatoes – 2 pcs. ;
• peanuts - 2 tbsp. I. ;
• mint;
• 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 must be washed and then soaked for 15 minutes. in warm water, which will help the grains to more fully reveal their flavor and aromatic properties.
2. Then you must continue cooking in the same water, after boiling, reduce the heating temperature. After boiling the cereal for 20 minutes, set the pan aside and let the grains sit in the hot pan for another 15 minutes. Only after this can the rice be stirred with a fork.
3. At this time, sun-dried tomatoes should be poured with hot water and kept in it for 10 minutes, then dried with a paper towel and cut.
4. Roast the walnuts and chop them together with the feta cheese.
5. Add tomatoes, cheese and nuts to the cooled rice - this is the base of the salad.
6. Add the 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 Cream Cheese Soup

The Mediterranean diet allows the consumption of large amounts of fatty foods, such as 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 – 150g;
• mussel meat – 100 g;
• cream (20%) – 200 ml;
• chicken egg (yolk) – 1 unit. ;
• carrots – 1 pc. ;
• onion – 1 pc. ;
• wheat flour – 1 tablespoon. I. ;
• wine vinegar - 1 tbsp. I. ;
• olive oil – 1 tablespoon. I.

Step-by-step cooking process

Cream cheese soup is prepared in 5 steps:

1. To prepare the broth, you need to boil the prawns and mussels, peel them, filter 200 ml of the liquid and pour it into a pan to prepare the soup.
2. The peeled and chopped onion must be fried in a little olive oil until it becomes transparent and, adding pieces of carrot, it must be heated a little longer.
3. Place the cream with the broth in a pan, bring to the boil and, over low heat, add the grated cheese. The broth must be stirred constantly until the cheeses have completely melted.
4. The next step is to collect the scrambled yolk, overcooked vegetables and flour diluted in a little water in a pan. While stirring the soup, bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes.
5. It is necessary to "pierce" the contents of the pan with a blender, reaching the desired consistency with the remaining broth.

What can I add?

To enhance the flavor, you can use the broth left over from cooking the cooked 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 healthy dish that takes little time in the kitchen.

One option is Zucchini with Feta Cheese.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• zucchini (small) – 4 pcs. ;
• feta cheese – 200 g;
• garlic – 1 clove;
• olive oil – 1 tablespoon. I. ;
• mint;
• spices;
• pine nuts.

Step-by-step cooking process

Zucchini with cheese is prepared in 4 steps:

1. To prepare the zucchini for roasting, you need to wash it; Peel the old fruits, leave the young ones with the skin; cut lengthwise into two parts and remove the pulp.
2. Next, fry the chopped pulp in olive oil with the garlic, passed through a garlic press.
3. Add the remaining 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 alone or accompanied by cooked brown rice. Or you can use it yourself as cooked vegetables for chicken or turkey breast. The zucchini will be beautiful with parsley.

Baked fish with cheese

Fish is a food frequently consumed in the Mediterranean diet. During the weight loss period, it should be consumed cooked 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 tablespoon. I. ;
• lemon juice – 1 tablespoon. I. ;
• dill.

Step-by-step cooking process

Fish with cheese is prepared in 4 steps:

1. The baking dish must be greased with oil and pieces of fish placed on it.
2. The sauce is prepared like this: you need to combine kefir, juice, herbs and mix everything. The mixture must be carefully poured onto the fish portions.
3. Grated cheese should be sprinkled on top of 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 peppers to the mixture or place a tomato slice on top of the fish.

How to serve a dish

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

Pasta with Peas

The Mediterranean diet includes pasta (macaroni) among the foods allowed for consumption, which is preferred 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.

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

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

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

Step-by-step cooking process

Pea pasta is prepared in 3 steps:

1. The pasta must be boiled until al dente, the cooking time is always indicated on the packaging.
2. Then boil the peas until half cooked and fry them in olive oil with chopped peppers.
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?

Cooked pasta can be combined with different foods and sauces, resulting in dishes with different flavors and satiety.

How to serve a dish

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

Oatmeal muffins with almonds

Sometimes you can treat yourself to homemade desserts.

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

Composition of ingredients

Compound:

• oats – 4 tablespoons. I. ;
• chicken egg – 2 pcs. ;
• powdered milk – 4 tablespoons. I. ;
• baking powder – 20 g;
• almonds – 10 g.

Step-by-step cooking process

Oat 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 must be beaten and carefully combined with the "dry" mixture.
3. The resulting mass must be placed in silicone molds, which do not need to be greased with oil.
4. The muffins must be placed in a preheated oven at 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 mint leaves or fresh fruit. For more pleasure, you can prepare tea or herbal infusion.

When to expect an effect

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

Becoming fans of tasty and healthy food, people stop focusing on kilos, and after 2-3 years 10-15 kg disappear unnoticed. Having reached the ideal weight, the body independently comes to a state of balance.

The Mediterranean diet is not a diet change for rapid weight loss with extremely rapid weight restoration after completing the course. This is a change in lifestyle, in attitude towards the world around you, towards yourself, towards your body and your body, giving them the attention they deserve.