Weight loss is often accompanied by health problems, hair loss and skin damage. But not in this case. The Mediterranean diet helps to lose weight, rejuvenate and improve general well-being.
The essence of the Mediterranean diet
It is the only UNESCO-approved diet that is truly recognized as a safe weight loss system. On the contrary, being able to improve the general condition of the body does not contradict the canons of proper nutrition, but it has its own approach to compiling a diet. The classic Mediterranean diet contains many foods that are banned by other weight loss systems.
The essence of the diet is the daily consumption of food in the diet of the people of the Mediterranean. Spaniards, Italians, Libyans, and Moroccans are rarely fat and obese. These countries have low mortality rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease. They lead in terms of the life expectancy of the local population.
What are the benefits of a Mediterranean diet?
This system was not invented by nutrition experts, it was not put together in laboratories, but it has evolved over the centuries in certain places. The menu of the Mediterranean diet does not contain artificial products, preservatives, semi-finished products, which will have a positive effect on human health.
The benefits of this diet are:
- It prevents diseases of the heart and blood vessels, lowers cholesterol levels, dissolves existing plaques, prevents blood clots and atherosclerosis.
- It maintains the purity of consciousness, positively affects the functioning of the brain. This diet can prevent Alzheimer's disease.
- Nutrition under this system prevents gastric, intestinal and breast cancer.
- It lowers blood sugar, prevents the development of diabetes, and prevents insulin resistance.
- It increases immunity, helps the body recover faster after serious illness, long-term medication.
It is based on products that give strength and positively influence the emotional background. It is believed that the Mediterranean miracle diet not only increases life expectancy but also affects quality. Only an energetic, cheerful, active person can live 100% of their day.
Principles of nutrition
It is worth immediately refuting the myth that food is expensive under this system. The Mediterranean cleansing diet is rich in a variety of products. You don’t just need to eat shrimp or delicious fish, you can always opt for budget analogues.
Principles:
- There is not enough fat intake, these are not fried sausages or pastries from a pan. This is a useful extra virgin olive oil. Feel free to water your salads and other foods without having to worry about the caloric content of your daily diet.
- Lots of vegetables and fruits. The Mediterranean diet allows even grapes and bananas, other systems forbid it. All meals should include plant foods.
- Dairy products. It is worth concentrating on natural yogurt, skim milk, fermented fried milk. It is not necessary to use fermented dairy products with sugar, dyes or flavors in the composition. You can always add berries or honey if you want.
- Fish and seafood. Like vegetables, this category is the basis of the diet. These products should be present in the daily menu.
- White meat. It does not need to be used often, 3-4 times a week is enough, less often. The chicken, rabbit meat, quail can sometimes focus on lamb.
- Cereals. Brown rice, durum wheat pasta, buckwheat may be present in the diet of the Mediterranean diet, pearl barley is allowed. Legumes are mandatory.
- Red wine. You can drink up to two glasses a day with lunch or dinner. It is important to choose natural wine without preservatives and excess sugar.
- Egg. Yes, but not more than once a day
- We welcome a wide variety of natural spices, all kinds of fresh and dried herbs. You can eat nuts and seeds.
- Bread and pastry made from wholemeal flour.
During the Mediterranean wellness diet, it is important to drink not only wine (although it is very pleasant) but also clean water. The daily minimum is 1, 5 liters. Green tea, natural fruit drink with fresh berries, lemon water. Just don’t change from a healthy drink to a source of carbs by adding sugar or honey. The taste buds need to be cleaned.
Pace and duration of weight loss
This system does not promise 15 kg in one month or 40 kg in six months. The weight of the Mediterranean (Mediterranean) diet gradually decreases without straining the body. With the right approach, a person will lose 3-4 kg per month, but it all depends on the initial data.
If you eat for a long time on the diet of the dieting Mediterranean diet, your old habits will soon be forgotten, other foods will take the place of your favorite foods, and the right diet will become a way of life. The Mediterranean diet is not limited in time, it can be observed at any time, as people in Morocco, Italy, Greece and Spain eat it.
List of prohibited products
The Mediterranean diet weight loss diet can be built on its own, below are only approximate menu options. The point is not to add prohibited products. This is especially true for refined sunflower oil, spices mixed with sugar, glutamate, and other preservatives.
What not to eat:
- sausages, hams, semi-finished products;
- pure sugar, limited honey;
- sweet drinks, confectionery, prepared desserts;
- pastry made from any white flour;
- lard, bacon, fatty meats and dairy products.
The easiest way to avoid food-related mistakes is to make your own food. In cafes and restaurants, cheap oils are most often used, not the freshest vegetables, poor quality meat and fish.
Mediterranean diet for weight loss: a menu for every day
Here is an example of how you can eat on this system. You can then adjust your diet to your work or study schedule and personal taste. Plus, you don’t have to eat different foods every day, you can cook something for more lunch or dinner.
The Mediterranean diet for weight loss contains minimally processed foods. Prolonged cooking, steaming and pickling reduces the amount of nutrients. And simple cereals, soups, and salads don’t take much time to cook.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | avocado toast with mozzarella, tomatoes and tea | cottage cheese casserole with banana and tea | eggs, mozzarella and pieces of 10 cherries | cereal bread, cheese slices, 2 cucumbers | brown rice with cheese and herbs | pasta with shrimp and cheese | Omelette with green beans and tomatoes |
| Snack | orange | A glass of tomato juice | fruit salad with yogurt | soft cottage cheese | solo | orange juice | a pineapple |
| Dinner | stewed vegetables with chicken, a large bunch of greens | cream soup with shrimp | stew with vegetables and tomato juice | soup with mussels and cheese | fresh tomato gazpacho, a piece of grilled fish | broccoli soup with fried shrimp | brown rice, squid in cream, vegetable juice |
| afternoon tea | apples, cottage cheese | smoothie with vegetables | glass of yogurt | vegetable salad with olives | fruit salad with nuts and yogurt | tuna toast, any juice | a slice of bread, salted fish, tea |
| Dinner | pasta with seafood and cheese with vegetables | brown rice pilaf with chicken and vegetables | fried fish with rice and vegetable salad | fried chicken, carrot and cheese salad | green bean pasta with mussels | fish stew with tomatoes and vegetables | pasta with shrimp, cherry tomatoes and cream |
Remember that all diet food is made with olive oil, it is also used to dress salads, we can add lemon juice, various spices. You can also make a glass of red wine for any meal.
According to the classic Mediterranean diet, the number of meals is unlimited, but it is important not to eat too much. Most menu options contain five. You can add an extra dinner or remove the second breakfast, which is also a snack.
Mediterranean diet for weight loss: a menu for every day
Many people say that the Mediterranean diet is very expensive and the quality of the frozen seafood leaves much to be desired. It is also difficult to find real olive oil. But in this case it can be replaced with other unrefined fats. Suitable for flaxseed, walnut, hemp oil, pumpkin seeds. You can use edible coconut oil for your diet.
Keep in mind that the Mediterranean diet (the menu for the week below) includes frugal cooking methods. The oil can be consumed in any quantity, but only for refueling. You can smear the product before grilling or in the oven. It should not be used for frying, it is better to cook diet food in a dry pan or lightly grease it with the thinnest layer.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | zucchini with fried garlic and sour cream sauce | raisins casserole | oatmeal with nuts | cheese sandwich, boiled egg, tea | pumpkin porridge with rice | with muesli yogurt | sandwich with fish |
| Snack | banana | grapefruit | Grenade | Apple | green salad | juice, eggs | pumpkin puree |
| Dinner | fish soup without potatoes from any fish, rye bread | stewed vegetables, toasts, a piece of cooked meat | vegetable soup, a piece of fish, a slice of bread | pasta with cheese and squid and vegetables | cream soup with chicken and vegetables, tortilla | cabbage soup with fish beans | steamed vegetables with beans, lightly salted herring |
| afternoon tea | yogurt | fruit and milk smoothie | cottage cheese with apples | fruit salad | cucumber and herb smoothie | cottage cheese with walnuts | tomato juice |
| Dinner | Greek salad with cheese and olives | fish cakes (steamed, fried), cabbage salad | macaroni and cheese with carrot salad and walnuts | fish stuffed with vegetables, cucumber salad with sour cream and dill | buckwheat with chicken and tomatoes | with chicken stew and cream and cabbage salad | grilled vegetables with a piece of pike |
With us, the Mediterranean diet menu has virtually no seafood, but if you want, you can sometimes incorporate it into your diet. For example, add shrimp to a salad or a snack with a sea cocktail.
Mediterranean diet: recipes from the weekly menu
Above the diet menu are many interesting dishes that can also be prepared easily and quickly. They are excellent for breakfast, afternoon and evening meals. Here are the most interesting recipes.
Cream soup with chicken and vegetables
During the Mediterranean diet, cream soups are often on the weekly menu. They are good for the stomach, they are well saturated and easy to prepare. Here is a basic recipe with vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 300 g chicken fillet;
- 300 g of broccoli (may also be cauliflower);
- 100 g of carrots;
- 100 g onions;
- 200 g zucchini or pumpkin;
- 150-200 ml of cream;
- spices to taste.
Cooking:
- Cut the chicken, dip in 800 ml of boiling water, then add the carrots and onions and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, another five minutes later the broccoli, add a little salt. Cover, simmer for 10 minutes.
- Grind the chicken breast with the vegetables, add spices to taste. Melt the soup with cream, bring it to a boil again and we can serve it!
In winter, a frozen vegetable mixture can be used for such a soup. In addition, it is not necessary to dilute the dish with cream, you can initially pour a little water.
Macaroni with cheese and squid
This dish in the menu above for weight loss in addition to the Mediterranean diet. Buying squid in a store is not a problem now, but it is made very easily and quickly.
Ingredients:
- 1 tintahal;
- 200 g of pasta;
- 150 ml cream 10%;
- 0. 5 choliva oils;
- 70 g cheese.
Cooking:
- Cook the dough as instructed, but cook for a minute shorter. Filter into a filter vessel.
- Heat a pan and lightly grease with oil.
- The squid is cleaned, the backbone is removed and cut into strips. Pour over and fry for literally for a minute, be sure to stir with a spatula.
- Pour the cream over the squid, bring to a boil, add half of the grated cheese, allow to dissolve and salt.
- Put the dough on it, mix it quickly, bring to a boil and then turn it off. Leave it under the lid for ten minutes.
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese when serving.
In the same way, you can cook sauce from shrimp or other seafood for your diet. The only point is that you need to use low-fat cream so as not to increase the caloric content of the food.
Greek salad with cheese and olives
This salad is an excellent substitute for dietary lunch and dinner, especially in summer. Fully meets the requirements of the diet.
Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers;
- 2 tomatoes;
- 0, 5 onions;
- 1 pepper;
- 15 ml lemon juice;
- 1 pinch of pepper;
- 100 g of feta cheese;
- 2 tablespoons oil (olive);
- 10-12 olives.
Cooking:
- Dice the cucumber. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and chop them as well. Cut the onion into very thin half rings. Pour into a salad bowl.
- Cut the peppers into thin strips, dice the feta and olive quarters and add to the other products.
- Mix the lemon juice with the oil, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad. Stir when serving.
You can add any greens, use cherry tomatoes instead of traditional tomatoes, or substitute olive oil with Greek yogurt. It also makes a great sauce.
Mediterranean diet for the elderly
It has been said above that the Mediterranean diet helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease. It has a positive effect on the brain, it will save you from senile dementia. In addition, eating according to this system has a great effect on other internal organs, but in old age it is recommended to give up wine and change the composition of some foods. Here’s a sample menu of the elderly’s Mediterranean diet for a week. It meets all the requirements of an aging body.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | oatmeal with raisins | cheesecake from the oven, fruit puree | steamy omelette with green beans | millet porridge with pumpkin | Fried pumpkin with sour cream | omelette with fish fillet | Fruit curd |
| Snack | pumpkin puree | orange | Apple juice | portion of soft cottage cheese | green salad | Peking cabbage salad with olives, lemon and herbs | salad with carrots and walnuts |
| Dinner | steamed vegetables, minced fish slices | vegetable soup with a piece of fish | buckwheat soup without potatoes | chicken soup puree on black bread | soup with rice and tomatoes, compote | Casserole with cauliflower and cheese | cauliflower soup, bread |
| afternoon tea | cottage cheese | a glass of kefir | banana and yogurt smoothie | tomato juice | cottage cheese | vegetable smoothie with leafy greens | any fruit |
| Dinner | buckwheat with fish slices and tomato sauce | stewed fish with vegetables | vegetable salad with chicken slices | fried fish with vegetable puree | stewed chicken with pasta | fish spices, 10 olives, 1 tomato | chicken slices, brown rice, tomato juice |
Mediterranean Diet Reviews
First review, woman, 34 years old
I’ve been eating this diet for two years now, I’m used to it, I don’t want red meat, I rejected animal fats, but I put chia seeds in the main diet, I use quinoa instead of rice. My weight dropped from 82 to 57 kg all the time. It happened gradually, not all at once. I noticed that the clothes would be looser, the stomach was much smaller, plus I liked the scales.
Second rating, woman, 25 years old
It all started strangely for me, I first saw a menu from a friend with diet recipes for a Mediterranean diet, only then did I start to delve into what kind of system it was. I immediately liked that everything is simple, I don’t have to cook anything complicated, just me. We usually sat down with a friend, he was supported, but he was the first to leave the race. I continued in the fifth month of the diet, my health noticeably improved, I felt lively, I started to sleep well, I lost 9 kg. But the initial weight was small (67 kg at 164 cm).
Third evaluation, woman, 47 years old
I have never had a weight problem, but menopause came very early. From the age of 44, I started gaining weight fast, resulting in +20 kg in one year. The endocrinologist told me about the diet, I already liked the idea of such a diet, but I turned it around a bit, for example, I rejected wine. I can not drink, the body is badly worn, constant heartburn. But I can afford the pomegranate juice.
Fourth review, woman, 38 years old
I heard about the Mediterranean "miracle" diet from a doctor, decided to study this diet and switched to it smoothly. I had no Mondays or schedules. I only gradually switched from regular meals to systemic meals. My goal was to improve my health, manyand there is an inherited risk. We lost 11kg in parallel.
Diet contraindications
Despite high scores, awards and a lot of positive feedback, the Mediterranean system has contraindications.
Who should not diet:
- in patients with gastrointestinal diseases, an abundance of fiber can cause pain;
- people who have had serious illnesses or surgeries.
Also, do not follow this diet if you are intolerant of fish or seafood. Everyone needs to assess in advance how tight their diet is to be able to follow such a diet in the menu of the Mediterranean diet in order to lose weight.