Today, a healthy diet is a very common and popular topic. The internet is simply full of tips and advice, but following them thoughtlessly is unreasonable and simply unhealthy.
Therefore, when compiling the right nutrition menu, you should consult a nutritionist. And in general, it will not be unnecessary to study specific literature on this subject. The point is to use reliable sources. For example, the World Health Organization regularly discusses proper nutrition in its methodological content.
So, the agency's experts introduced 10 principles that will make any diet more useful:
- A varied diet allows the body to get all the various nutrients;
- Whole grains have a beneficial effect on the microflora in the gut and improve its function;
- Fruits, vegetables and nuts are the best snack options;
- One teaspoon of salt a day is a daily norm for adults, so it is better to under-salt than over-salt;
- It is necessary to monitor the amount of sugar consumed, also pay attention to the so-called hidden sugar;
- Moderate consumption of fatty foods;
- In the daily menu it is better to give fish or poultry a choice, limit the consumption of red meat;
- Prepared dishes are a rich cocktail of trans fat, salt, sugar and a variety of ready-made additives;
- Fried food will never be healthy;
- Alcohol in any quantity is harmful to health.
Of course, the tips from this guide do not contain any information, so it is not possible to put together a proper nutrition menu based on them. But to use it as a guide for further work - you can quite successfully.
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 draw up 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 hold open classes and workshops where they share their secrets and teach others.
How to create the right nutrition menu?
The first step towards a healthy diet is the menu. After all, it is the list of "permitted" products that will determine the variety of dishes, the snack system.
Nutritionists have several principles in mind when putting together the right nutrition menu:
- Meat in the diet should be combined with vegetables and fruits;
- To function properly, you need to consume approximately 100-150 grams of protein per day;
- If desired, sweets are 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 representatives of fast food under the strictest ban;
- The Food Pyramid is a great way to plan your meals to guide you.
In addition, it is important to emphasize the period between meals when compiling the menu. Depending on their length, the saturation of dishes with certain factors is determined. But there are also rather 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 nutrition plan also depends on what the goals are. So we can differentiate between a nutritional plan for children, a nutritional plan for various diseases, an athletic plan for athletes for competitions and of course a diet plan for weight loss.
To begin with, we note that weight loss is impossible without proper and balanced nutrition, and the latter has never meant the existence of water and vegetables. This is how we return to the principles of the WHO - a variety of foods provide the human body with all sorts of useful elements. This rule must be taken into account when compiling the menu.
In addition, if you want to lose weight with the right diet, you should follow a few more rules:
- You should eat at regular intervals, then your body will develop a treatment;
- Meals should be broken, the best option is 5 times a day;
- When planning meals, you can not go against your lifestyle. On the contrary, the menu should be tailored to it.
Here are two options for a diet that is designed for those who get up early and late:
| Diet for "Larks" | Food setting for "Owls" | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. 00 | breakfast | 10. 00 | breakfast |
| 10. 00 | First snack | 13. 00 | First snack |
| 13. 00 | Dinner | 15. 00 | Dinner |
| 16. 00 | Another snack | 17. 00 | Another snack |
| 19. 00 | Dinner | 20. 00 | Dinner |
Another feature of putting together a weight loss diet plan is calorie counting. To do this, you need to keep a record of all the food eaten during the day. And today it is rather simple to do this, because there are a large number of special programs for such purposes.
How to plan meals every day?
Proper nutrition planning is a time consuming process, as its preparation must take into account the following:
- The ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates - it can vary depending on the goals. For example, during so-called "drying", it is recommended to increase the proportion of protein consumed;
- General caloric intake - but the required daily dose of calories, which varies by age and lifestyle, should be evenly distributed;
- Various products that match in terms of nutrient content and calorie content - only proper and healthy nutrition can give the result. Refusing to eat will only harm your health.
It is also necessary to keep in mind that "untimely" snacks should not be taken as a tragedy, but it makes sense to analyze them and change the frequency or composition of subsequent meals. Another stumbling block may be new foods for the diet. For example, during dieting, it is best not to experiment with new flavor combinations, as they can also adversely affect the treatment regimen.
You can learn more about nutritional principles, principles of developing a healthy diet in nutrition courses.
By summarizing all of 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 products;
- Fruit;
- Vegetables;
- Greens;
- Nuts;
- seeds;
- natural spices;
- spices;
- Whole grain products;
- legumes;
- Olive oil, flaxseed, corn, sesame oil.
It is necessary to exclude from the diet:
- Hot dogs;
- Smoked products;
- Canned food;
- Snacks in vacuum packing;
- Half products;
- Sauces;
- Prepared meals for heating in the microwave;
- Fast food;
- Carbonated drinks;
- Juice in packages.
It is especially important to keep in mind that salted nuts do not belong to proper nutrition, like all products that contain increased amounts of spices, additives and flavors. In the case of confectionery products, they should be minimized and the composition of such products should also be handled responsibly. For example, you might have oatmeal muffins for breakfast.
weekly nutrition plan
In general, a healthy diet can be quite varied, so it is quite possible to develop a menu where new dishes appear every day. We present an example of a weekly menu in accordance with all the previously given 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 fillets with baked 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 beans. |
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| Sunday |
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It should be noted that when a small snack is included in the diet, fruits and nuts need to 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 in reverse and add a snack to the main meals - breakfast and lunch.
It is also important to remember that doses are calculated separately, based on age, health, lifestyle and daily calorie intake. Therefore, the dose for men and women will vary.
Recipes for proper nutrition
We offer some simple, but tasty and healthy dishes for every day.
- Smoothies - 67-70 kcal / 100 gr.
Raw material:
- Banana - 1 pc.
- oatmeal - 30 gr.
- Yogurt (or kefir) - 100-150 gr.
- Vanilla - to taste.
Mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. If desired, you can also add peach or pear, but not without the abuse of sweet fruits.
- Oat-apple pancakes - 152 kcal / 100 gr.
Raw material:
- oatmeal - 80 gr.
- Medium-sized apple - 1 pc.
- Chicken eggs - 1 pc.
- honey - 30 gr.
Grind oatmeal in a blender. Dry the apple, mix with the resulting powder and the egg. Fry the pancakes for about 3 minutes on each side. The dish can be served with honey.
- Lecho salad - 50 kcal / 100 gr.
Raw material:
- Bulgarian pepper - 4 pcs.
- Eggplant - 1 pc.
- Tomatoes - 3 pcs.
- Vinegar - to taste.
- Vegetables - to taste.
- Salt - to taste.
- Vegetable oil - Art. spoon.
Bake vegetables for 15 minutes in the oven, then remove the skin and cut. Add chopped herbs, oil, vinegar, salt to the resulting salad, mix together.
- Mushroom soup - 30 kcal / 100 gr.
Raw material:
- Mushroom mushrooms - 700 gr.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Carrot - 1 pc.
- Milk - 250 ml.
- Vegetables - to taste.
Mushrooms must be poured with boiling water, let it brew. Cut the onion and carrot, cook for 15 minutes with the mushrooms. Boil milk. Transfer the soup to a blender, add milk, then whisk until puree, garnish with herbs if desired.
- Boiled beef - 80 kcal / 100 gr.
Raw material:
- Beef - 100 gr.
- Buckwheat groats - 150 gr.
- Carrot - 1 pc.
- Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Lemon juice - to taste.
- Vegetables - to taste.
Marinate meat with onion and lemon juice for an hour. Fry carrots, tomatoes, onions and beef in a pan. When ready, add the greens. As a side dish - buckwheat (cook without salt).
- Amazing sweet sausage - 269, 98 kcal / 100 gr.
Raw material:
- Dates - 125 gr.
- Prunes - 125 gr.
- Nuts - 100 gr.
- Sesame - 2 tbsp. spoons.
- Orange - 1 pc.
- Cinnamon - a teaspoon.
Prunes and dates need to be washed and stoned, then chopped with a blender. In the resulting mixture, add orange peel and 1 tbsp. spoon of orange juice, mix together. Roast the nuts in a pan a little before (without adding oil). Mix all the ingredients until smooth. Put the mixture on cling film, shape into a roll, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Put the sweet sausage in the fridge 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 create a diet by a dietitian. He will take into account the individual characteristics of the body and make a nutrition plan that will help you achieve your goals.