Today, healthy eating is a very common and popular topic. The Internet is simply full of advice and recommendations, however, mindlessly following them is unreasonable and simply unhealthy.
Therefore, when compiling a proper nutrition menu, you need to consult a dietitian. And in general, it will not be superfluous to study the special literature on this topic. The main thing is to use reliable sources. For example, the World Health Organization regularly addresses the topic of adequate nutrition in its methodological materials.
For this reason, the organization's specialists presented 10 principles that will make any diet more useful:
- A varied diet allows the body to receive the full variety of nutrients;
- Whole grains favorably affect the intestinal microflora, improving its work;
- Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are the best snack options;
- A teaspoon of salt per day is the daily norm for an adult, so it is better to put salt below than above;
- It is necessary to monitor the level 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 preference to fish or poultry, limiting the consumption of red meat;
- Ready meals are a rich cocktail of trans fats, salt, sugar, and a wide variety of artificial additives;
- Fried foods will never be healthy;
- Alcohol in any quantity is harmful to health.
Of course, the tips in this manual do not contain details, therefore, based on them, a proper nutrition menu cannot be compiled. But to use it as a guide for further work, you can quite successfully.
Also, the best option when choosing a new diet is to consult a nutritionist. A doctor with such training will give a professional opinion and come up with 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 lessons and workshops where they share their secrets and teach others.
How to make a proper nutrition menu?
The first step towards a healthy diet is the menu. After all, it is the list of "allowed" products that will determine the variety of dishes, the snack system.
Nutritionists in compiling a proper nutrition menu are guided by several key principles:
- Meat in the diet should be combined with vegetables and fruits;
- For proper function, you should consume approximately 100-150 grams of protein per day;
- If desired, sweets can be included in the diet. But it is important to remember that its use should be calculated strictly 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 foods under the strictest prohibition;
- The Food Pyramid is a great way to organize your meals to guide you.
Also, when drawing up the menu, it is important to focus on the time intervals between meals. Depending on its duration, the saturation of the dishes with certain elements is determined. But there are also quite general rules. For example, breakfast is best half an hour after waking up and dinner is about three hours before bedtime.
Characteristics of a meal plan for weight loss
It is important to understand that the nutrition plan also depends on the goals being pursued. Thus, we can distinguish a nutrition plan for children, a nutrition plan for various diseases, an athlete's nutrition plan before competitions and, of course, a diet plan to lose weight.
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. Thus, we return to the principles of the WHO: a variety of foods provides the entire range of useful elements for the human body. This rule must be taken into account when compiling the menu.
Also, if you want to lose weight with the right diet, you need to follow a few more rules:
- You need to eat at certain time intervals, then the body will develop a regimen;
- Meals should be divided, the most optimal option is 5 times a day;
- When planning meals, you can't go against your lifestyle. Rather, on the contrary, the menu should be adapted to it.
Thus, we have two options for a diet designed for early risers and early risers:
| Diet for "Larks" | Eating mode for "Owls" | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. 00 | Breakfast | 10. 00 | Breakfast |
| 10. 00 | first snack | 13. 00 | first snack |
| 13. 00 | Dinner | 15. 00 | Dinner |
| 16. 00 | second snack | 17. 00 | second snack |
| 19. 00 | Dinner | 20. 00 | Dinner |
Another feature in compiling a weight loss menu plan is calorie counting. To do this, you need to keep a record of all the food consumed during the day. And today it is quite simple to do this, because there are a huge number of special applications for such purposes.
How to plan meals for every day?
Proper nutrition planning is a time-consuming process, the preparation of which should take into account the following:
- The proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates: it can be different depending on the objectives pursued. For example, during the so-called "drying" it is recommended to increase the percentage of protein consumed;
- General calculation of caloric content: while the required daily dose of calories, which varies according to age and lifestyle, should be distributed evenly;
- A variety of products that correspond in terms of nutrient content and caloric content - only proper and balanced nutrition can give the result. Refusing to eat will only harm your health.
It is also necessary to take into account that "unscheduled" 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, while on a diet, it is better not to experiment with new combinations of flavors, since they can also negatively affect the regimen.
It is possible to learn more about the rules of nutrition, the principles of forming a reasonable diet in dietetics courses.
Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that the following categories of products should be the basis of a proper nutritional menu:
- Chicken;
- Turkey;
- Fish;
- Seafood;
- Eggs;
- Dairy products;
- Fruit;
- Vegetables;
- Vegetables;
- Walnuts;
- seeds;
- natural spices;
- spices;
- Integral products;
- legumes;
- Olive, flaxseed, corn, sesame oils.
It is necessary to exclude from the diet:
- sausages;
- smoked products;
- Canned food;
- vacuum packed snacks;
- semi-finished products;
- sauces;
- Prepared dishes for heating in the microwave;
- Fast food;
- Carbonated drinks;
- Juices in packages.
Separately, it is worth noting that salted nuts do not belong to proper nutrition, like any product that contains an increased level of spices, additives and flavors. As for confectionery products, they must be reduced to a minimum and the composition of such products must also be treated responsibly. For example, maybe you have an oatmeal muffin for breakfast.
weekly nutrition program
In general, a healthy and balanced diet can be quite varied, so it is quite possible to develop a menu in which there are new dishes every day. We present an example of a menu for a week in accordance with all the above recommendations:
| Weekday | 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 fillet with baked vegetables. |
| Thursday |
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Pita with lean meat, lettuce, 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 have to be removed from the main menu. In other words, an apple from breakfast carries over to snack. A similar system can be used in reverse, adding snacks to the main meals: breakfast and lunch.
It is also important to remember that servings are calculated individually, based on age, health status, lifestyle and daily caloric intake. Therefore, the serving size for men and women will be different.
Recipes for proper nutrition.
We offer several simple, but tasty and healthy dishes for every day.
- Smoothies - 67-70 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Banana - 1 pc.
- Oatmeal - 30 gr.
- yogurt (or kefir) - 100-150 gr.
- Vanilla to taste.
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. If you want, you can also add a peach or a pear, but not without abusing the sweet fruits.
- Oatmeal and apple pancakes - 152 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Oatmeal - 80 gr.
- Medium apple - 1 pc.
- Chicken egg - 1 pc.
- Honey - 30 gr.
Grind oatmeal in a blender. Clean the apple, mix with the resulting powder and egg. Fry 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 pieces
- Eggplant - 1 pc.
- Tomato - 3 pieces
- Vinegar - to taste.
- Greens - to taste.
- Salt to taste.
- Vegetable oil - Art. a spoon.
Bake the vegetables for 15 minutes in the oven, then remove the skin and cut them. Add chopped herbs, oil, vinegar, salt to the resulting salad, mix.
- Mushroom puree soup - 30 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Mushroom mushrooms - 700 gr.
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Carrot - 1 piece
- milk - 250 ml.
- Greens - to taste.
Mushrooms need to be poured with boiling water, let it brew. Cut the onion and carrot, cook for 15 minutes with the mushrooms. Boil the milk. Transfer soup to a blender, add milk, then blend until pureed, garnish with herbs if desired.
- Beef stew - 80 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Veal - 100 gr.
- Buckwheat groats - 150 gr.
- Carrot - 1 piece
- Tomatoes - 2 pieces
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Lemon juice - to taste.
- Greens - to taste.
Marinate the meat with onion and lemon juice for an hour. Stew of carrots, tomatoes, onions and beef in a pan. When ready, add the vegetables. As a side dish - buckwheat (cook without salt).
- Lean sweet sausage - 269, 98 kcal / 100 gr.
Ingredients:
- Dates - 125 gr.
- Prunes - 125 gr.
- Walnuts - 100 gr.
- Sesame - 2 tablespoons. spoons
- Orange - 1 pc.
- Cinnamon - teaspoon.
Prunes and dates must be washed and pitted, then chopped with a blender. In the resulting mixture, add orange zest and 1 tbsp. a tablespoon of orange juice, mix. Toast the walnuts in a pan a little before (without adding oil). Blend all ingredients until smooth. Put the mixture on 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, for example, to lose weight, then the most effective option is dieting by a dietician. He will take into account the individual characteristics of your body and draw up an eating plan that will help you achieve your goals.