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The main advantage of the Mediterranean diet is that it does not involve severe restrictions.1. Rather, it is a satiating, but at the same time extremely healthy diet, which includes a wide variety of products. At the same time, you should be prepared for the fact that the result will have to wait quite a long time. But no breakdowns and excruciating hunger.
Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
An important plus of the Mediterranean diet is the absence of contraindications. The menu is balanced, contains all the substances necessary for the body, suitable even for teenagers and pregnant and lactating women. You should not go on a diet only in case of allergies and individual food intolerance. And for people with acute and chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is better to consult a doctor beforehand.
Most of the diet consists of fruits, vegetables, vegetable fats and proteins. Sweets and fatty meats are excluded. The slow process of losing weight goes by itself, without hunger and stress, by consuming low-calorie, wholesome foods and eliminating harmful foods. In addition, vigorous exercise is recommended.
Cons of the Mediterranean diet
The main disadvantage of the Mediterranean diet is that the results of losing weight will have to wait a very long time. The main goal of the diet is to learn to eat healthy and improve your health. But the extra weight will go away slowly, so you have to be patient.
Lovers of sweets will have a hard time, as sweets, pastries and other harmful delicacies are limited to a minimum during the diet. Drinks with a lot of sugar are also banned. We advise you to reduce the daily dose of sugar little by little – then there will be no temptation to break loose, and the stress from reducing the amount of sweets in the diet will be less.
What You Can Eat on the Mediterranean Diet
The list of allowed products is quite extensive and allows you to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.2.
| Meat | Moderately. Preferably free range (free-range meat and poultry). Lean beef, chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, veal, rabbit. |
| Fish and Seafood | 4 times a week. Wild fish species are given priority over aquaculture-raised fish. Mussels, oysters, crab, octopus, squid, seaweed. |
| Bread | Whole grain, from bran. |
| Cereals and pasta | Durum wheat pasta, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, corn grits, oatmeal, whole oats, amaranth, pearl barley. |
| pulse | Chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, beans, mung beans, peas. |
| Vegetables | All types of cabbage, zucchini, eggplant, carrots, pumpkins, cucumbers, sweet peppers, green beans, tomatoes, all types of onions, olives, radishes, radishes, beets. All types of leafy greens. Limited potatoes. |
| Fruits and berries | Citrus, avocado, apple, pear, kiwi, cherry, raspberry, peach, apricot, fig, mango, sea buckthorn, currant, grape. Banana in moderation. |
| Dairy products, eggs | 4 times a week goat cheese and natural yogurt without additives, curdled milk, mozzarella, feta cheese, cheese, cottage cheese. 4 eggs per week. |
| Nuts and dried fruits | Moderately. Raisins, prunes, dried apricots, dates, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, macadamia, pecans, sesame seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds. |
| Condiments, spices | Homemade mayonnaise, mustard, honey, ginger, garlic, turmeric, dried herbs. |
| Vegetable oil | First cold pressed: olive, linseed, pumpkin, grape seed oil. |
| Confectionery | Moderately. Bitter chocolate. |
| Beverages | Tea, coffee, cocoa, pure water (up to 2 liters per day), red wine (2 glasses per week for women, 3-4 glasses for men). |
What Not to Eat on the Mediterranean Diet
The list of products that are banned is not as extensive as with other diets. However, to achieve the result, some products are still recommended to be excluded from the menu. It is also recommended to reduce the amount of salt in the diet, and use spices instead.
| Bread and pasta | White bread. Yeast bread, as well as sugar, baking powder and dyes. Soft wheat pasta. |
| Meat products | Sausages, frankfurters and smoked products of industrial production. |
| Refined sugar and industrial sweets | Sweets, ice cream, milk chocolate. |
| Sauces | All industrial sauces containing sugar and preservatives: mayonnaise, ketchup, cheese and mushroom additives. |
| Oil | All types of refined oil, as well as cottonseed, soybean, rapeseed. Margarine, palm oil. |
Menu for the week for the Mediterranean diet
The menu for the Mediterranean diet includes a large amount of lean fish and seafood, they can be consumed 4-6 times a week. Fish replaces the usual fried cutlets and pork, which are banned. Lean beef, chicken, turkey and rabbit can be eaten. The amount of dairy products without additives with a low percentage of fat content is also increasing. Fresh vegetables and fruits can be eaten every day.
Berries, fruits, nuts, and white yogurt are great snacks throughout the day.3.
Day 1
Breakfast: oatmeal with fruits, boiled egg, whole grain toast with soft cheese coffee with milk
Lunch: fish soup, cucumber and tomato salad with olive oil
Dinner: baked fish, salad of fresh cabbage, carrots and herbs with linseed oil.
Day 2
Breakfast: toast with avocado and egg, tea with lemon.
Lunch: bean soup, bran bread, eggplant stew with garlic and herbs.
Dinner: baked pike perch, salad with fresh cucumber, radish, olives and mixed leafy greens.
Bean soup recipe:
- Beans – 300 g;
- Carrots – 1 pc.;
- Beets – 1 pc.;
- Onions – 1 pc.;
- Pasternak – 50 g;
- Dill – 1 bunch;
- Parsley – 1 bunch;
- Allspice – to taste;
- Cloves – to taste;
- Olive oil – 50 ml;
- Salt – to taste.
Cooking:
- Rinse beans and soak in water (preferably overnight). To speed up the process, you can pour boiling water for several hours.
- Boil beans until tender.
- Wash and clean all necessary vegetables. Grind with a grater.
- Fry prepared vegetables in a frying pan, add the necessary seasonings.
- When the beans are half-cooked, add the vegetable mixture and bring the soup to a boil.
- At the very end, add salt and chopped herbs.
Day 3
Breakfast: bruschetta with salted trout, green tea with lemon
Lunch: mushroom soup, baked veal chop, grated carrot or beetroot salad with olive oil.
Dinner: zucchini spaghetti with seafood, sliced fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet peppers.
Day 4
Breakfast: millet casserole with raisins and natural yogurt, coffee with milk.
Lunch: chicken soup with homemade noodles, toast with chicken liver pate, tomatoes and lettuce.
Dinner: brown rice, squid and mussel salad with lettuce dressed with olive oil and pumpkin seeds.
Recipe for millet casserole with raisins:
- Millet – 1,5 cups;
- Vegetable milk without sugar – 3,5 cups;
- Vegetable oil – 1,5 tbsp. l .;
- Vanillin – to taste;
- Cinnamon – to taste;
- Raisins – 150 gr.
Cooking:
- Rinse the millet until clear water and transfer to a saucepan with a thick bottom.
- Pour vegetable milk over millet and bring to a boil. Reduce gas power and cook until done.
- Steam raisins with hot water.
- Allow the finished porridge to cool. Add oil, seasonings and raisins to it.
- Grease a baking dish with a little oil and put the cooled porridge on it.
- Bake the millet casserole in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.
Day 5
Breakfast: fried eggs from 6 quail eggs with bell pepper, broccoli and green beans, tea.
Lunch: vegetables (cauliflower, pumpkin, carrots) baked with rosemary and garlic, stewed rabbit.
Dinner: baked pink salmon, grilled/boiled asparagus, drizzled with hemp oil, seasoned with fresh herbs, sunflower seeds and chopped almonds.
Day 6
Breakfast: : rice bread, goat cheese, chicory drink.
Lunch: durum wheat spaghetti, chicken meatballs in tomato sauce, a mix of fresh herbs and vegetable cuts.
Dinner: lentil pizza with vegetables.
Recipe for Lentil Pizza with Vegetables:
- Red lentils – 150 g;
- Tomato – 1 pcs.;
- Red onion – 1 pc.;
- Olives – 30 g;
- Canned corn – 30 g;
- Baked turkey fillet -100 g;
- Dried herbs – to taste;
- Salt, pepper – to taste;
- Tomato paste – for the sauce;
- Sour cream – for the sauce.
Cooking:
- Pour lentils with warm water for several hours, but better at night.
- Rinse the lentils, drain off excess water and puree with a blender. Add salt and spices to taste.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the lentil puree.
- Bake the base in an oven preheated to 190 degrees for 5-10 minutes.
- Lubricate the lentil base with tomato paste and sour cream sauce, lay out the filling.
- Bake in the oven until cooked.
Day 7
Breakfast: zucchini waffles with poached egg and avocado, coffee with cream.
Lunch: boiled lentils, steamed turkey, lettuce with olive oil.
Dinner: red fish baked with broccoli, toast with soft cheese, herbs and fresh cucumber.
The results
Thanks to the Mediterranean diet, weight is reduced smoothly, without the slightest harm to the body. Due to the fact that the body did not experience stress, the lost kilograms will not return immediately after the end of the diet.
But you can’t count on serious weight loss, since the diet does not limit the diet, but is the basis for a healthy and balanced diet. You can lose up to 3 kg in a month
Dietitian Reviews
He shared his opinion on the Mediterranean diet with us doctor of ultrasound diagnostics, nutritionist, nutritionist, preventive medicine doctor Igoshina Natalia.
The Mediterranean diet is one of the most commonly recommended diets. Very effective for general wellness, easy to follow and gives noticeable good results. Here are some interesting facts that speak for themselves:
- in 2013, this diet was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of mankind;
- according to WHO, is one of the best longevity diets;
- the ability of the diet to prevent the development of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular and bronchopulmonary diseases has been scientifically proven.
Doctors and nutritionists recommend not just dieting, but also adhering to the “Mediterranean” lifestyle. It is based on a calm attitude to life, physical activity and healthy quality food.
Popular questions and answers
Do I need to take breaks in the Mediterranean diet, how quickly you can achieve weight loss and other popular questions are answered by a nutritionist, nutritionist, preventive medicine doctor Igoshina Natalia.
Can You Lose Weight Fast on the Mediterranean Diet?
Can the Mediterranean diet be a preventive measure for many diseases?
Is it possible to follow the principles of the Mediterranean diet on an ongoing basis, or should I take breaks?
Sources:
- Akasheva D. U. Drapkina O. M. Mediterranean diet: history, main components, evidence of benefits and the possibility of application in Russian reality // Rational pharmacotherapy in cardiology, 2020. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sredizemnomorskaya-dieta -istoriya-osnovnye-komponenty-dokazatelstva-polzy-i-vozmozhnost-primeneniya-v-rossiyskoy-realnosti/viewer
- Ulyanova O.V. Russian variant of the Mediterranean diet and the use of vitamin D in the complex treatment of multiple sclerosis.// Bulletin of Physiotherapy and Balneology, 2018. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/russkiy-variant-sredizemnomorskoy-diety-i-use-vitamina-dv -kompleksnom-lechenii-rasseyannogo-skleroza-rs/viewer
- Belyaeva L.E. Can regular consumption of “Functional Food” slow down the rate of atherogenesis? // Bulletin of Vitebsk State Medical University, 2012. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sposobno-li-regulyarnoe-potreblenie-funktsionalnoy-pischi-zamedlit-skorost- aterogeneza/viewer