Buckwheat diet: features, recipes, contraindications. What types of buckwheat diet are most effective

Features and principles of buckwheat diet

Buckwheat diet is based, as it is not difficult to guess, on buckwheat, cereal rich in useful substances – it contains vitamins of group B and P, which take part in the process of metabolism and assimilation of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, phosphorus, iodine. For this (and not only!), A buckwheat diet is considered acceptable and acceptable even by the most “cautious” nutritionists (as a rule, ardent opponents of any mono-diets). 

Most often, this technique is used as a mono-diet, but in some cases, slight indulgences are also allowed: for example, you can add a little low-fat kefir or fresh herbs to the diet. 

We must be prepared for the fact that weight loss will not begin immediately, since buckwheat is rich in carbohydrates. How quickly the kilograms begin to go away if you adhere to the buckwheat diet depends on the initial weight indicator. The larger it is, the more noticeable the loss in kilograms in the first days of the diet. Buckwheat week can provide a loss of up to 10 extra pounds (subject to water balance and sufficient physical activity).

Buckwheat diet: what is possible, what is not

There are several more advantages of the buckwheat diet – due to the richness of vitamins and minerals, your hair, nails and skin will not suffer during the diet. Also, the amount of buckwheat eaten per day with a mono-diet is not limited. So, theoretically, there is every chance of avoiding the occurrence of hunger.

The main prohibitions and assumptions are as follows:

• you can not eat 5 hours before bedtime;

• be sure to drink plenty of water (at the rate of 30 ml per 1 kg of body weight plus another 1 liter for weight loss);

• in case of severe hunger or in the event of constipation, an hour before bedtime, you can drink 1 glass of low-fat kefir;

• it is better not to cook buckwheat, but to steam it without adding salt, spices, milk, butter and sauces;

• In addition to water, you can drink unsweetened green leaf tea.

If you feel unwell, headaches, or lethargy during the buckwheat diet, then you can prepare and drink the following broth –200 g of water mixed with 1/2 tsp. honey. This “lemonade” will ensure the flow of glucose into the body, but will not slow down the process of losing weight.

Do not forget to strictly monitor the amount of water you drink per day – this is very important on any strict diet.

An approximate meal plan for the day might look like this:

• in the morning: a decoction of water and honey and two lemon wedges;

• after 30 minutes: a portion of buckwheat porridge, unsweetened tea;

• after 3 – 3,5 hours: a portion of buckwheat porridge, not sweet tea or water (and so every 3 – 3,5 hours until the evening);

• 5 hours before bedtime: a portion of buckwheat porridge, unsweetened tea, water.

Recipes: how to cook buckwheat correctly?

According to the buckwheat diet, cereals should be infused in hot water, and not boiled, so all the nutrients are better preserved. To do this, in the evening, pour 200 g of cereals with 0,5 liters of boiling water and leave overnight under the lid. In the morning, the dish is ready. If the cereal has not absorbed all the water, then drain the rest. According to the buckwheat diet, you need to eat such porridge without salt, sugar, spices and sauces. This is a classic version of the buckwheat diet, but there are also milder options:

• Buckwheat porridge plus kefir – per day you eat 200g of buckwheat and you can drink kefir, no more than half a liter, eat buckwheat in the main meals, and drink kefir between them and an hour before bedtime;

• Buckwheat porridge with dried fruits. It is allowed to eat 200-300 g of buckwheat per day, pre-infused to the consistency of porridge with the addition of 150 g of dried fruits. This porridge should be divided evenly for all meals. And again – do not eat 5 hours before bedtime.

How to exit after buckwheat diet

When the buckwheat diet has come to an end, you need to return to your usual diet smoothly. New foods should be added gradually, in the first week it is advisable to eat lean foods rich in proteins and cook the dishes by steaming or in the oven. Fried, salty and spicy dishes are unacceptable in the first week after exiting the buckwheat diet, since during the mono-diet the body did not receive salt, and you need to add it to food little by little, gradually increasing to the usual level of salinity. Also, you do not need to lean on flour products and sweets, let’s only allow dark chocolate in small quantities.

Make up your diet for the next two weeks after the buckwheat diet from dietary meals rich in proteins, add a little carbohydrates, in the form of vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products and cheeses are also allowed. At the end of the second week, you can add some fatty foods to your diet (butter, nuts, avocados, fatty fish, etc.). But if you do not want the weight to return, then the diet must be radically revised and made more healthy. 

Obviously “harmful” products for the figure (fast food, sweet soda, mayonnaise, sweets and industrial semi-finished products, etc.) should never be returned to your diet. Otherwise, very soon there will be a need for a buckwheat diet again.

Caution, there are contraindications!

Since the buckwheat diet is completely excluded from sugar and salt, headaches or changes in blood pressure may occur. And a sharp glucose deficiency can lead to a decrease in the performance of the brain. Therefore, you may feel unwell, notice that you have become distracted and inattentive.

The buckwheat diet is categorically contraindicated for people with diseases such as diabetes, stomach or intestinal ulcers, and hypertension. It is also not suitable for adolescents, women who are breastfeeding, or pregnant women. And also for people with chronic diseases.

Before starting a buckwheat diet, it will definitely not be superfluous to consult a doctor.