When watching your figure, it is important to adjust your diet and think about your daily menu. Diet lunch requires special attention. If you have a goal of losing weight, you should reduce the caloric content of food consumed. So, each dish should be light and easily digestible so that the body does not have to digest it for a long time.
The right time for lunch
For a dietary lunch to truly be dietary, you need to choose the right time for it. The body lives according to a biological clock, and for normal functioning it is important for it to receive nutrition on time. Previously, lunch traditionally began at 12 noon, which is no coincidence. From this time until the 15th day, the body actively secretes special enzymes that are responsible for the breakdown of incoming food.
It is during this time period that you should refresh yourself.
A metabolism at its peak will not allow you to gain extra pounds. Provided that the dish is not oversaturated with fats. The content of the main elements of food consumed must be in balance. In addition, vitamins are needed to continue the day to keep the body feeling full and healthy.
How to combine proteins, fats and carbohydrates?
A balanced diet can be called one that includes approximately 40% carbohydrates, and 30% each goes to fats and carbohydrates. You can't completely eliminate healthy fats. This disrupts many body functions: the absorption of vitamins, general well-being worsens, and women’s health suffers. However, this does not give you the right to consume everything - you should pay attention to healthy fats:
- almond;
- peanut;
- cashew nuts;
- avocado;
- soft cheese;
- chocolate (70%);
- yoghurts;
- Walnut.
Carbohydrates are also an important component of a normal diet. They provide the body with the necessary energy and allow you to continue the day as productively as before lunch for weight loss. We are not talking about simple carbohydrates, which are rich in baked goods, sugar or honey. It is important to eat complex foods, they are found in the following foods:
- cereals (rice, buckwheat);
- pasta (it is advisable to choose durum varieties);
- bread;
- legumes;
- potato.
Carbohydrates ensure the proper functioning of the entire digestive system. Protein is the building material for the body. You can get it by eating dairy products, meat, poultry and legumes. By the way, lentils contain much more protein than beef steak, but the body accepts it better from animals.
What to eat for lunch while dieting
According to nutritionists, the most wrong thing to do if you want to lose weight quickly is to starve yourself. The key to a slim waist is a balanced and healthy diet, and if you eat erratically or incorrectly (for example, fast food), you may not only fail to lose extra pounds, but also cause damage to your health, which is why it is so important to force yourself to start preparing a daily diet lunch for weight loss and the result will not take long to arrive.
Dietitians assure: although the calorie content of foods is very important when preparing a diet, a dietary lunch will be more useful if it is prepared and even eaten according to certain rules. The brain must receive a special signal of saturation, and all food taken must be absorbed by the body. Only then will a person stop eating randomly and not be oversaturated with unnecessary energy throughout the day. A few important rules:
- After lunch, you need to allow the body to calmly “receive” the nutrients (sit quietly for 10-20 minutes) – and no sweet desserts.
- It is advisable to have lunch leisurely (spend at least 20 minutes for this process).
- You need to chew each portion thoroughly (at least 10-15 chewing movements).
It’s easy to create a daily menu for weight loss - use lunch from any known diet as a basis:
- Dukan: baked meat or fish, light salads, seafood;
- protein: cottage cheese, milk, fermented baked milk or black tea;
- “minus 60” diet: porridge with poultry or fish, or even sushi (excluding cream cheese);
- liquid: soups, kefir, etc.
The list of diets is very long, but you need to know that the daily meal is the main one, so it must contain all the necessary components: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Boiled potatoes, a piece of bread, and any cereals will not interfere with weight loss if consumed in reasonable doses, but some foods should still be excluded from the diet, for example, sugar, flour, fried foods (pork chops), etc.
The highest position in the ranking of low-calorie foods is occupied by vegetables and fruits. 100 grams of broccoli contain only 33 kcal, lemons, cranberries - 26 kcal, celery, asparagus - 20 kcal, cucumber - 15 kcal, lettuce - about 12 kcal, and sea kale - 5 kcal. Poultry or fish meat can also be dietary - salmon contains 210 kcal per 100 g, turkey - 195 kcal, and boiled chicken - only 170 kcal.
There are many recipes based on different products, thanks to which you can prepare a complete nutritious lunch without harming your figure. These can be either simple dishes (for example, rice, boiled breast, vegetable salad) or complex (spinach and corn soup with rice noodles). Lunch for those losing weight should consist of a balanced amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
All fans of healthy eating will find several healthy recipes for weight loss. How to prepare a healthy lunch for weight loss? It’s very simple: select the required ingredients and follow all the steps in the recipe. Let's take as a basis the method of preparing salad with chicken breasts.
- chicken breast – 0.5 kg;
- lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
- cabbage leaves – 2 pcs.;
- pine nuts – 80-100 g;
- garlic - a pair of cloves;
- basil – 100 g;
- spices, salt - to taste.
- Prepare salad dressing (pesto) - basil, lemon juice and zest, spices, garlic, mix in a blender.
- Fry the nuts in a frying pan for a few minutes.
- Add half the pine nuts to the pesto and set aside the other half for decoration.
- Rinse the chicken fillet with water, dry, sprinkle with spices, salt, place on foil and place in a preheated oven (200 degrees) for half an hour.
- Cut the finished meat into cubes, mix with dressing and nuts.
- Place the salad on washed cabbage leaves and serve lunch.
Your daily meal should include foods high in protein. In this case, fish is perfect for lunch. If you are tired of standard dishes in the form of fillets or cutlets, prepare incredibly tasty curd rolls with tuna. The end result is a nutritious protein lunch for weight loss. This very easy-to-prepare dish is suitable for a daytime meal for any diet or diet.
- tuna – 200 g;
- cucumber – 2 pcs.;
- cottage cheese (low-fat) or cream cheese – 100 g;
- nori (sheet) – 1 pc.;
- Wash the cucumber, peel and cut into strips.
- Divide the nori sheet into 2 equal parts.
- Spread the inside of the nori with cottage cheese or cheese so that one cm remains on one edge.
- Remove the tuna from the can, mash it with your hands or a fork, and place it in one horizontal strip along the middle.
- Place a few cucumber straws on top.
- Place the nori on a bamboo mat (if you have one) and use it to wrap the roll tightly.
- Cut each roll into 7-8 servings - cooking lunch for weight loss is complete!
Another dietary product is turkey, which is perfect as a main daily dish. The best solution would be to cook the bird in a slow cooker, which is increasingly appearing in the kitchens of many housewives. The result is a delicious, low-calorie lunch for weight loss, which you can take with you to work and not torment your body with fast food.
- turkey (preferably fillet) – 250 g;
- carrots, onions - 1 pc.;
- champignons – 40 g;
- cream – 60 ml;
- spices/salt - to taste;
- vegetable oil – 1-2 tbsp. l.
- Rinse the turkey meat, divide into small pieces, and dry.
- Pour oil (vegetable) into the bottom of the multicooker bowl and place the meat.
- Finely chop the champignons, chop the onion, grate the carrots on a coarse grater.
- Mix everything in a bowl, add salt/pepper, and close the multicooker lid.
- Set the timer for 15 minutes, select the “Frying” or “Baking” mode.
- After the time has passed, pour the cream into the container with the meat, stir, set the “Stew” mode, and leave to cook for half an hour.
- The turkey stew is ready.
Due to the busy modern rhythm of life, not all women and men who want to lose weight manage to find free time to cook. In this case, you can resort to the help of services that provide a choice of ready-made meals. There are more and more such services every day; you just need to open a website or dial a number and within an hour delicious food will arrive directly to your office. However, there is one drawback - the cost of lunches including delivery can be quite high. Several options for what you can order:
- No. 1 – vegetable cream soup, chicken with beans, dried fruit compote.
- No. 2 – chum salmon fillet with rice, cucumber, green tea.
- No. 3 – buckwheat with meatballs (chicken-turkey), kefir.
If you want to have a tasty, satisfying meal without gaining excess weight, you should choose a suitable diet lunch recipe. For home cooking, something simple and protein-rich, such as cottage cheese casserole with fruit, is perfect.
Based on materials from sovets.net
A proper lunch is an important component in the fight against excess weight or maintaining good physical shape. It should be light and healthy, at the same time tasty and energizing. Also, the task of a nutritious lunch is to prevent our nightly overeating. Let's look at what lunch should be like when eating properly for weight loss.
Experts believe that a healthy lunch for weight loss should include all groups of nutritional components: proteins, fats (only healthy ones) and carbohydrates. Much depends on their proportion. In the afternoon, it is recommended to consume slow carbohydrates with proteins. This combination will help saturate the body with energy and better survive all the restrictions that weight loss involves.
But it is better not to eat foods that include sugar, that is, simple carbohydrates, for lunch. Surely you are familiar with the feeling of drowsiness and weakness after lunch. It is a consequence of a sharp jump in blood glucose. If you really want to add dessert to your lunch, use something healthy - dark chocolate, dried fruits, honey. It’s better to wait a little and then treat yourself to a delicious afternoon snack.
A proper lunch for weight loss should be about 350-450 kcal . If you don't plan to accurately count calories, you can determine your serving size using another method. The size of the protein dish should not exceed the size of your palm; add a couple of tablespoons of dry cereal and a large portion of vegetables - this will approximately be the required number of calories. Nutritionists define the ideal lunch for weight loss as a plate filled a quarter with porridge, a quarter with meat and half with vegetables. Lunch may also include a light vegetable soup. Remember that an excessive amount of even the healthiest food can be dangerous for your figure.
So, here is the menu , which can consist of a lunch for weight loss:
- Light vegetable soup or broth – 150-200 ml.
- 150-200 grams of meat or fish dish. It is better to stew, bake, boil, or steam meat and fish. If you are losing weight, it is better to avoid fried foods.
- From flour, choose rye or bran bread in quantities of no more than 30 grams.
- As a side dish, use stewed vegetables or salad, without using mayonnaise or sour cream. Quantity – 100-150 grams.
- You can drink a glass of freshly squeezed juice or compote without sugar, green tea or coffee.
In many ways, the right diet lunch for weight loss will depend on what kind of diet you follow:
- On the Dukan diet you can eat any baked meat, fish and seafood; in the second and third phases you can also eat salad.
- On a minus 60 diet, sushi and rolls without cream cheese are allowed, almost any dish of fish, meat and poultry with the addition of cereals, soup without potatoes.
- On the Mediterranean diet, you can eat a piece of grilled fish (ideally it should be salmon and trout, but cod is also acceptable, just not fried), as well as any salad, plus a side dish of porridge.
- If you adhere to a protein diet , and you do not have time to have a full lunch, a protein lunch for weight loss can consist of a pack of cottage cheese, kefir or fermented baked milk and tea without sugar.
- If you need to stick to calorie counting , what to eat for lunch when losing weight can be anything from the list of healthy foods, it is only important to keep within the required number.
We looked at an approximate version of what you can eat for lunch while losing weight. And now we offer several specific menu variations that can be used every day.
- Option 1. Includes 200 ml of vegetable soup without potatoes, immediately or a minced chicken cutlet for the main course (100 grams), a couple of thin slices of rye or cereal bread, a salad with olives and cheese like Greek cheese (100 grams), and a glass citrus fresh juice. The juice should be diluted by half with water. Total volume – 200 ml.
- Option 2 . Another low-calorie lunch for weight loss might include 200 ml of chicken broth, 100 grams of chicken meat, a couple of rye toasts, 100 grams of fresh vegetable salad (you can use cucumber, tomato, bell pepper and vegetable oil with lemon juice as a dressing). You can supplement the menu with green or ginger tea.
- Option 3. Includes 200 ml of vegetable soup without meat, 100 grams of boiled poultry without skin and 100 grams of white cabbage salad. You can also eat up to 30 grams of rye bread and dried fruit compote.
- Option 4 . Another answer to the question of what to eat for lunch to lose weight is a fish first course, for example, 200 ml of fish soup, a piece of boiled fish from the broth, about 100 grams, 30 grams of bran, rye or cereal bread, 100 grams of beet salad and seaweed. You can also drink a glass of slightly salted tomato juice.
- Option 5. This variation allows you to eat a cold entrée for lunch while on a diet (beetroot soup, green borscht, okroshka without sausage and potatoes) in the amount of 200 ml, one chicken cutlet and 30 grams of rye bread or rye crackers. As a side dish, you can use stewed eggplant or zucchini, or fresh cucumber. You can complement the menu with fresh apple compote.
- Option 6. In this option, you need to eat vegetable soup, for example “Bonn” (it is better to use celery and tomatoes) in an amount of 200 ml. Also include 100 grams of boiled beans or pea porridge in the menu. They can be replaced with stewed mushrooms. You can have some rye bread and tea or coffee.
- Option 7 . For the first course - 200 ml of pea soup. On the second course - 100 grams of stuffed river fish. You can eat a couple of slices of rye bread, 100 grams of fresh salad and drink a cup of green tea.
These weight loss lunches can be alternated to keep the menu varied. They are designed for 350-400 kcal.
When you have already figured out what is best to eat for lunch when losing weight, study several examples of tasty and healthy recipes that can be used for a diet menu and proper nutrition. If you have the opportunity to dine at home, you can pay attention to the following dish options.
Meat and fish cooked in pots is a simple method to make dietary food both tasty and nutritious. Cut the fish, place the pieces in a pot and cover with several layers of vegetables, for example, it could be onions, carrots, zucchini and cauliflower. Sprinkle each layer with any seasoning without salt. After this, pour low-fat kefir into the pot so that it does not reach 1-1.5 cm from the edge. You need to bake the dish for an hour at a temperature of 180 degrees.
Many people love creamy puree soups, but when losing weight they are forced to deny themselves them. But this is not at all necessary, because you can prepare dietary versions of soups. Take any vegetables and stew them in a small amount of oil. Chop the low-fat processed cheese and add it to the vegetable broth, heat until the cheese is completely dissolved. Then place the vegetables in the container.
Stir in a pack of low-fat cottage cheese, one egg, a couple of tablespoons of whole wheat flour and a pinch of salt. Form balls from the resulting mixture. Boil it in boiling water. You can serve these dumplings with kefir or natural yogurt. Boiled or stewed vegetables can be an addition.
You need to boil 200 grams of cauliflower (this is about half a medium-sized head of cabbage) in slightly salted water. Mix two raw egg whites, a couple of tablespoons of semolina and seasoning to taste. Place the vegetable in a mold and cover with the egg mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.
These recipes can be used both at home and at work. To save time, you can prepare healthy lunches on the weekend and freeze them, then reheat them and eat them at work.
But what about those who do not have the opportunity to heat up food or put it in the refrigerator at work or school? Initially, you can pay attention to tasty and healthy salads . You can pay attention to the following combinations for them:
- Pieces of boiled chicken fillet, lettuce, grapes, a small amount of walnuts.
- Boiled beets, shrimp, cucumber and carrots.
- Boiled breast, egg white, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, a little grated Parmesan.
- Boiled lentils, grainy cottage cheese, cucumber and tomato.
- Canned tuna, green beans, egg whites, red pepper.
These salads will not lose their freshness, even if you do not store them in the refrigerator until lunch. As a dressing, you can use soy sauce, lemon juice, natural yogurt or low-fat sour cream, vinegar, and ground pepper. To keep the dish fresh, it is better to season it immediately before eating.
And a few more recipes :
Mix a pack of low-fat cottage cheese, one egg, a couple of tablespoons of oatmeal and a tablespoon of milk. Line the pan with parchment. Place the fruits and fill them with cottage cheese. Bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.
You can make healthy pancakes from grated carrots, beets or zucchini. To give them shape, use egg and semolina. Fry in a dry frying pan or bake in the oven. Another great source of protein for lunch is canned beans, which you can take with you to work.
Thin sheets of pita bread should be stuffed with a mixture of low-fat cottage cheese, lettuce, chopped celery, tomatoes and herbs. Make rolls. You can vary the filling, for example, use canned tuna or boiled chicken.
There are many options for delicious and healthy diet lunches that can be used on a healthy diet. You can safely experiment with dishes, their contents and combinations, creating for yourself the most suitable diet for weight loss.
Based on materials from www.fitnessera.ru
In the morning, a low-calorie breakfast, during working hours, coffee with a waffle or cookies, after which a small snack instead of a full lunch, and in the evening a large appetite begins to develop, and during dinner we eat whatever we want, as a result we gain extra pounds. So how should you eat to avoid storing fat?
It should be noted that at lunchtime the body actively produces enzymes that break down food. From approximately twelve to fifteen o'clock these processes become most active. It is at this time that the body needs energy replenishment in the form of a balanced lunch. This is why lunch is the most important of all meals.
How to cook for lunch to lose weight
What method of preparing food for lunch should you use? In general, any, with the exception of frying, the maximum is sautéing.
Frying is a process in which food products are heat-treated and cooked through direct contact with fat or oil at a temperature that ensures that a characteristic crust appears on their surface. Just don’t confuse the crust that forms during the frying process with the crust that forms during baking in the oven or during the sauteing process, since these are two different things.
When sauteing, you need to pour one teaspoon of tea oil into a frying pan, place garden fruits or some other products, fry a little, add water and bring to readiness.
Lunch should contain complex carbohydrates: durum wheat pasta, porridge, baked or boiled potatoes, black bread with whole grains, bran and other healthy additives. Such a lunch will fill you up well and supply your body with vitamins.
Proteins are an essential part of a complete lunch. For example, a small piece of lean meat, a piece of fish or poultry that has been boiled or baked, eggs or cottage cheese with the addition of raisins or dried apricots; you can add one teaspoon of sour cream to the cottage cheese, which will saturate your body well. Protein foods can be eaten before and after training.
Legumes can be used as a side dish. Peas, lentils, beans, rice and a variety of cereals are recommended. The final part of your lunch is fresh greens, boiled or raw garden fruits and fruits. If your work is mental, then for lunch it is preferable to use boiled sea fish with green beans, which contain zinc and help maintain good memory. Dried fruits fortified with iron, lean meat and any greens improve memory and increase concentration. But citrus fruits enriched with vitamin C, cabbage and fresh tomatoes will help you cope with stressful situations.
It is recommended to prepare lunch at home in advance and warm it up at work. It is permissible to eat a variety of casseroles made from cottage cheese with the addition of fresh and dried fruits, meat, vegetable and casseroles made from semolina; in addition, various salads from cabbage, apples, carrots, boiled beets, cucumbers, and steamed cutlets are allowed. At lunchtime, you are allowed to eat almost anything, but in moderation and with the exception of sandwiches! Fast food is the strongest enemy of your figure and health!
If you are prone to being overweight, then you need to think carefully about your own lunch; preference should be given to dishes that are steamed or baked in foil. As a side dish, you can eat a small piece of lean meat and garden fruits! It is necessary to ensure that a portion of lunch fits into a glass with a capacity of 200 grams, but in no case more!
We recommend you a list of products that you can use when creating your lunch menu:
Seasonings, spices and herbs that are allowed to be used
- Mayonnaise, preferably sour cream, or any vegetable oil can be consumed before 14-00 in small quantities (approximately one teaspoon);
- soy sauce, coconut milk, adjika, ketchup, horseradish, etc. without time limit, only in small quantities;
- You can use any herbs, garlic, or spices you like. Seasonings and spices with chemical additives (for example, cubes of Galina Blanca, Maggi, etc.) are strictly prohibited;
- You can eat any greens! (parsley, cilantro, dill, etc.)
What food combinations are allowed?
Almost everything is allowed, except:
- potatoes and sweet potatoes with meat products;
- pasta with meat products;
- couscous with meat products;
- corn with meat products;
- legumes with meat products.
- If you are making soup, then it should not contain potatoes, pasta, legumes, or sweet potatoes. If it does not contain food products incompatible with meat, then it is permissible to cook with meat broth. However, it should be noted that soups do not fill you for a long time, which is why it is not recommended to consume them too often. Also, you should not cook soup in meat broth with the addition of potatoes, and then remove them from there.
- Both the first and second courses are allowed, as well as salad, and in one meal.
- Sushi is allowed in any form. Rolls are also allowed, but not hot.
- Of the soy products, only soy cheese Tofu is allowed.
- Only rye crackers or wholemeal bread are allowed.
Allowed dried fruits, fruits, berries and nuts
- Citrus.
- Apples (a couple of pieces throughout the day).
- Plums (small quantities).
- Watermelon (two slices throughout the day).
- Kiwi.
- Prunes (in small quantities, approximately four to seven pieces).
- Avocado.
- A pineapple.
Allowed garden fruits and legumes
- Corn and peas are allowed to be consumed frozen, but not canned. Corn on the cob is also allowed.
- Garden fruits are allowed in salted and pickled form, but in small quantities, this also applies to a variety of Korean salads, sea cabbage, sauerkraut, black olives, olives and all pickled and pickled foods, including mushrooms.
- It must be remembered that sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes and legumes are prohibited from being combined with permitted fish and meat products, with the exception of eggs.
- It is not recommended to get carried away with combining meat with mushrooms (that is, in principle it is allowed, but only sometimes).
- Green beans are a vegetable that is not related to legumes.
- Legumes are peas, lentils, beans, etc.
Other vegetables that are not on this list are allowed to be consumed. You can also eat vegetables at night, preferably 1.5-2 hours before.
Allowed fish and meat foods:
- Boiled sausage products.
- Cutlets, just not fried.
- You can use any meat products (chicken, rabbit, horse meat, beef, pork, etc.), or by-products. You can't just eat the skin and fat.
- Aspic.
- Fish (in small quantities).
- Marine products.
- Crab sticks, crab meat (in rare cases).
- Shish kebab, but not very fatty and not heavily marinated. It is preferable to marinate in lemon juice, kefir, or pomegranate juice. If it was prepared using vinegar and marinated for a long time, it is better not to use it.
- Eggs.
- Canned fish in its own juice. Other canned food is prohibited from consumption.
- Rice. It is preferable to eat brown, steamed and other varieties of rice. But polished white rice can be consumed only in rare cases.
- Pasta is made exclusively from durum wheat (remember that it is prohibited to combine it with permitted fish and meat products, with the exception of eggs). Just don’t think that eating dough for lunch is allowed.
- Buckwheat.
- Rice noodles.
- Corn grits and couscous - maximum once in a seven-day period and do not combine with products from the meat group!
- All types of cereals that are allowed for lunch are not recommended to be cooked with the addition of milk, since any cereals boiled with milk can contribute to weight gain.
Fermented milk and dairy products:
- It is allowed to consume any product with a low fat content.
- Cheese of any fat content is allowed.
- You should definitely consider the composition so that it does not contain prohibited sugar, butter, etc.
Drinks allowed at lunchtime:
- Any kind of tea.
- Coffee.
- Dry red wine.
- Natural freshly squeezed juice.
- Fermented milk and milk drinks.
- Purified water, preferably mineral. Sugary drinks containing gas should not be consumed.
Drinks allowed before and after lunch:
- Coffee.
- Any kind of tea.
- Dry red wine
- Purified water, preferably mineral.
So, in order for your lunch to be healthy, you need to adhere to the following rules: avoid consuming excess fats, which interfere with proper blood supply to the brain and make the body feel drowsy and lethargic; do not drink drinks with sugar, it is preferable to drink mineral water, which contains lemon juice, a glass of kefir or green tea with one teaspoon of natural honey. Lunch should not be supplemented with a variety of fatty cheeses and sauces; if you want to use sauce or gravy, then low-fat and vegetable is best.
It’s quite easy to create a full menu for your lunch; the main thing is to listen carefully to your body and adhere to the rules of a nutritious healthy diet, and in this case, excess kilograms will be eliminated without any problems and unnoticed!
Based on materials from slimim.diet
Proper nutrition is not only a beautiful and healthy appearance, but also the full functioning of the whole body. In the modern world, the main problem with nutrition is the acute lack of time.
Due to the rush to work, a person’s diet consists of fast food (fast food, convenience foods, baked goods). The result manifests itself immediately in the form of: excess weight, dysfunction of the digestive system, atherosclerosis.
The main task of a balanced diet is to saturate the body with useful substances in the right quantities. Proper nutrition is beneficial for the whole body as a whole, and can also contribute to weight loss.
The minimum daily requirement is:
How to eat properly to ensure that the lack of required substances in the body is compensated?
Let's look at the general rules:
- Before breakfast, drink 200 ml of clean water to start metabolic processes in the body and for the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Meals should be small and frequent. Portion size is small. If you eat small amounts every 3 hours, then fat will not accumulate (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner).
- Chew thoroughly, take your time.
- Replace plain black tea with herbal tea. The latter type of drink contains many nutrients and vitamins that normalize the functioning of the stomach and have a choleretic and diuretic effect.
- A person's daily need for water is 2 liters. Pure liquid removes toxic compounds from the body.
- Control the caloric content of the food you eat , do not overeat.
- Exclude from your diet foods that are not beneficial , canned foods, sausages, sweets, cubed sugar, snacks, etc.
- Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables.
- Carbohydrate foods should not be eaten after 18:00. By nightfall, the body will not have time to digest it, therefore, it will be deposited in the form of fat reserves.
- Include fish and lean meats in your diet. 1-2 times a week will be enough.
- Fresh greens and aromatic herbs must be present in the diet. They are rich in vitamins, microelements, and some of them prevent the development of parasites.
- Replace rock table salt with sea salt , as it contains much less sodium and more vitamins and minerals.
Overweight people believe that they eat a lot of food. Thin people are sure that they eat too much and do not gain excess weight due to genetic predisposition. Experts say that these opinions are wrong. In the first case, a person consumes more calories than he expends. In the second, everything is the other way around.
Therefore, it is important to know and be able to prepare proper meals for the day; below we will consider basic nutrition tips:
- Keep count of calories. Take carbohydrates at lunchtime, but not in the evening. The calorie content of food is distributed as follows: breakfast - 25%, lunch - 50%, dinner - 25% of the daily value.
- The daily composition of food is no less important. Protein foods (20%) - dairy products, nuts, fresh fish, lean meats, legumes. Vegetable and animal fats no more than 30%. Carbohydrate foods (50%) - fruits and vegetables, flour products.
- Take clean water half an hour before meals. The approximate volume of liquid is 2.5 liters per day.
- For cooking, use boiling, baking, stewing.
- Exclude mayonnaise and other sauces and seasonings from your diet. Use unrefined olive oil, cold-pressed sunflower oil. Choose dairy products with the least amount of fat.
- Baked goods and other confectionery products are allowed to be consumed from 12:00 to 14:00. The rest of the time, food will be poorly digested.
- Limit yourself to a glass of water after 18:00.
- Eat at the same time every day. This is necessary so that the body stops demanding snacks.
The drug is developed on the basis of natural, natural ingredients. The main substance is propolis. I recommend this product as an additional aid in the fight against excess weight.
Elixir normalizes metabolism and speeds up metabolism. Helps you gain slimness, effortlessly, and has a positive effect on all organs.
A proper lunch is a full meal without snacks.
To benefit from food intake, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Be sure to add soup to your diet, thereby reducing your calorie intake by 1/3.
- You need to wash down your lunch with hot drinks, but not cold ones. Otherwise, the digestive process may be disrupted.
- If lunch was high in calories, then dinner should be made dietary, compensating for overeating.
It is strictly forbidden to exclude lunch from the daily routine, otherwise a deterioration in your health is guaranteed.
At least 2-3 hours should pass between second breakfast and lunch. For working people, this type of meal is considered problematic because there is always not enough time for it.
Options for proper lunch at work:
- Muesli with milk. Before purchasing the first ready-made ingredient, it is recommended to study the composition in detail. It is important that the product does not contain sugars, preservatives, flavor enhancers, or additives.
- Vegetable salad (selected according to season).
- Fermented milk drinks.
- Boiled potatoes in their jackets.
- Boiled poultry flesh in pita bread with herbs.
In your free time from work, you can prepare dishes such as:
- chicken broth soup with buckwheat, pearl barley, rice;
- borscht with lean pork (beef), mushroom, bean soup;
- pilaf with pieces of white poultry pulp (chicken, turkey);
- mashed potatoes;
- stewed potatoes with meat;
- fish baked in foil;
- casseroles;
- boiled pasta;
- poultry flesh without skin, grilled;
- beans with fresh tomatoes baked in the oven.
As a dessert you are allowed to use:
Lunch is a meal that should be filling and healthy. When eating properly, it is important to pay special attention to it.
Based on materials from myfitnesblog.com
The right lunch for weight loss
Even a dietary lunch can be complex, including first and second meals. It differs from a regular lunch in the ingredients used and the method of preparation. Portions also play an important role - on a diet you will have to eat less than usual. Nutritionists highlight some rules that should be followed if you want to lose weight:
- To lose weight, the lunch menu should include a hot dish. Soups in Russia are an important part of the culture, so this is not a problem for losing weight in Russia. Hot dishes contribute to the proper functioning of the digestive tract, the prevention of colds, and they saturate the body for a long time.
- The forty percent rule. This is how much lunch dishes should take up in total from the daily diet. By gaining lower levels, a person losing weight deprives his body of all the substances it needs. And overeating provokes fat deposition in problem areas.
- Products must be different. So that the diet does not get boring early, and the body does not get used to just the same food, nutritionists advise diversifying the diet. Nowadays, there are plenty of diet foods available, so you can introduce something new every day.
- Small portions. The amount of food will definitely have to be reduced. For convenience, you can take a larger plate, since psychologically the body becomes full faster at the sight of a full dish. Portions should be weighed, but if you don’t have scales at hand, you can use the size of your palm as a guide - that’s what the body needs.
Food is best cooked in the oven, steamed or boiled. You can also fry, but then it is not recommended to use a lot of oil. Smoked is excluded. You should choose whole grain bread; it is rich in fiber, which cleanses the body like a sponge. Dessert takes place in the form of fruits, dried fruits or freshly squeezed juice.
How to eat right to lose weight
It’s possible to lose excess weight by following a balanced diet; the main thing is to take into account the body’s need for calories and your daily activity.
The basics of proper nutrition for weight loss are to replace high-calorie, fatty and fried foods with healthy foods rich in vitamins and minerals, and eliminate on-the-go snacking. If you follow all the recommendations and calculate calories, PP helps you lose weight by an average of 5-7 kg per month, depending on the characteristics of your body. The following advice from experienced nutritionists will help you understand the essence of the diet and master the principles of its construction:
- The energy value of meals per day should correspond to the body's expenses. For obese people, the total calorie content of meals should not exceed 900-1000 kcal. The standard energy value for people with moderate activity is 1200 kcal, for athletes – 1600-1900 kcal.
- The chemical composition of products must fully satisfy the body's needs. Try to eat a variety of foods with magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and other essential macro- or microelements.
- Learn to follow a diet. You should eat small portions, but often, at regular intervals
Rules
Proper nutrition when losing weight is not a diet, in the classical sense of the word. This is a way of life, so the rules will have to be followed regularly. They are not burdensome; to master them, you only need the desire to succeed:
- Drink enough water. You can calculate the required volume of liquid using a special application on your phone or use standards. The norm is 1.5-2 liters of fluid per day, including tea, compote, water or other drinks.
- Follow the regimen strictly. Don't allow yourself to snack on the go, even if you feel a little hungry. Over time, the body will get used to receiving the right food at the right time.
- Choose your products wisely. Not all of them go well together. Find, print and hang a compatibility table on the refrigerator.
- When purchasing food, carefully study the ingredients. The less everything is listed there, the healthier and more natural the product will be.
- Bake, not fry – this is the main rule of PP. When frying, you use a lot of vegetable oil or animal fat, which is invariably deposited in the body. If you want to lose weight, steam, bake, or eat fresh foods.
- Dress salads not with mayonnaise, but with a spoon of olive, linseed or sesame oil mixed with lemon juice.
- You should eat in small portions, from small plates. The maximum break between meals (not including sleep) is 4 hours.
- Chew your food thoroughly and don't get distracted by reading a newspaper, surfing the web on your smartphone, or watching TV.
In order for the body to regularly receive the vitamins and microelements necessary for work, you need to eat frequently - 5-6 times a day. The regimen should be scheduled so that each meal occurs at approximately equal intervals of time:
- Start your breakfast at 7-9 am. This is the time to eat carbohydrates. They are digested by the body longer than other components. Eat oatmeal with fruit or an omelet with vegetables for breakfast, and drink freshly squeezed juice. If you play sports, go for a workout before eating.
- Have lunch no later than 12 noon. A good time to eat some first courses. Light vegetarian soups, borscht without frying, cabbage soup, and cream of mushroom soup are suitable.
- Have lunch from 1 to 3 p.m. At this time, the body can still digest complex foods, so eating pasta, cereal, whole grain bread or potatoes for lunch is acceptable. If you prefer to exercise in the afternoon, then the consumption of complex carbohydrates should be minimized and the emphasis should be on protein foods.
- Before dinner, you can have a snack between 16 and 17 hours. If you had a heavy lunch, then you can skip the afternoon snack. Otherwise, eat an apple, pear or other fruit, drink a glass of juice or kefir.
- The ideal time to finish your meal is 18.00-20.00. Protein food is ideal for dinner - fish or lean meat with vegetables, as an alternative - fruit salad, cottage cheese casserole or egg white omelette. If you want to lose weight, be sure to have dinner no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Nutritionists always advise drinking at least two liters of liquid per day. This can speed up metabolism and prevent overeating and dehydration. In addition to the fact that you need to drink water, it is important to understand how to do it correctly. There is a certain scheme:
- Be sure to drink two glasses of water before breakfast. The liquid will fill part of the total volume of the stomach, helping to fill up faster. You can start eating in 15-20 minutes. If it is difficult to drink plain water in such quantities, add half a teaspoon of honey or a few drops of lemon juice to it.
- Drink two glasses of water closer to 12-14 hours, after 20 minutes have lunch. After lunch, you cannot drink anything for 2 hours; it is strictly forbidden to consume any liquid with meals.
- Before dinner you need to drink 1 glass of water. It is forbidden to drink food. To avoid swelling, you should not drink tea, kefir or other liquid drinks 2 hours before bedtime.
It is a well-known fact that the rate of weight gain and loss depends on a person’s metabolism. So, some can literally gain weight from water, while others eat cakes without the risk of gaining weight. Scientists have found that there are drinks that can affect the speed of metabolic processes:
- Green or Monastery tea. It not only affects the metabolic rate, but also has a diuretic effect, promoting rapid weight loss.
- Ginger decoction. Ginger root contains capsacin, a substance that gives the drink a “spiciness”, improves digestion, and has a slight antibacterial effect.
- Juice. Natural, freshly squeezed juices (especially orange, grapefruit, celery) have been proven to improve metabolism. It is better to consume them on an empty stomach, for example, in the morning, replacing 1 glass of water with juice.
- Sage tea. The drink not only promotes better digestion, but will also help prevent colds.
- Liquid chestnut. The medicinal drink energizes and cleanses the body of waste and toxins.
To decide what to eat for lunch to lose weight, you need to remember that your meal must correspond to a certain number of calories. The required amount of calories is determined depending on the person's weight and activity. Most people lose weight by consuming between 1,000 and 1,600 calories per day. For example, 400 calorie meals and two 100 calorie snacks.
You can get 400 kcal for lunch with the following menu:
- salmon steak (150 kcal), 1 cup steamed broccoli (55 kcal), 0.5 cup boiled brown rice (105 kcal);
- chicken steak, leafy greens, carrots, 0.5 cups quinoa;
- 100 gr. tofu, Brussels sprouts, whole grain pasta.
Chicken steak with vegetables
What products are suitable for a diet lunch?
The diet implies some restrictions on food, and not only in its quantity. Conventionally, products can be divided into 3 groups: dietary, neutral, non-dietary. The third group is immediately sent into exile, the second can be excluded gradually. You can eat the following foods at lunch to lose weight.
- Apples in any form. They can be dried, baked or consumed raw, their benefits remain the same. You can complete your daily fiber intake by consuming apples, as they make up 10%. The calorie content remains minimal: 100 g of fruit contains only 45 units. Apples are the richest product in vitamins. The body receives antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C from them, which speeds up metabolic processes.
- Apple vinegar. A small amount of it will be an excellent substitute for butter or mayonnaise in salads. The calorie content of the product is minimal.
- Asparagus. Its benefits depend on the method of preparation. So, steamed asparagus will contain a minimum of harmful calories. And vitamins and minerals remain intact, helping in the fight against cholesterol and excess weight.
- Banana. An option for those who have too little time for a full diet lunch. If time is running out and your stomach reminds you of hunger, then instead of fast food you can eat a banana. It is not a low-calorie product, but it will help delay a little time before a full meal.
- Broccoli. A hearty and incredibly healthy vegetable. Its 100 g contains only 34 calories. Easy to prepare, broccoli keeps you full for hours.
- Chicken. You should choose white meat with a minimum of fat. Protein is essential throughout the day, and poultry is an irreplaceable source of it.
- Fish. The protein contained in it is absorbed two times faster than that in meat. The main condition required for lunch when eating properly for weight loss is not to fry the fish in oil. It can be baked, boiled, steamed, there are a lot of options.
For a successful diet, you must exclude all foods that are dangerous to your figure. Often they do not provide any practical benefit: the body does not become saturated, fat is deposited, and metabolism slows down. The body will say “thank you” if it receives healthy nutritional products with a balanced combination of dietary supplements.
What should you exclude from your diet when losing weight?
Today, an ordinary modern lunch presents a very sad sight, namely: a lot of fat + little protein + a lot of starch and sugar + low amount of fiber and complex carbohydrates. This situation needs to be corrected by eliminating the following products:
- Sugar (significantly slows down the fat burning process).
- Fried (the main harm of fried food is in the fat that is used during cooking).
- Fatty meat and fish (very high-calorie foods that are best not consumed in large quantities).
- Potatoes (contain a large amount of starch, which, due to its rapid digestibility, instantly increases blood sugar levels, which can cause fat deposition).
- Pasta and flour (both are ground and heat-treated wheat. The more a carbohydrate is subjected to such manipulations, the faster it increases blood glucose levels, and this makes it difficult to lose weight).
- Milk (adults often cannot digest it due to lactose, which can have a bad effect on their well-being).
- Sausages (represent fatty processed meat with various additives).
More on the topic >> Losing weight correctly: is it possible to eat vinaigrette while losing weight?
By excluding this food from the dinner table, you can significantly improve your well-being. After all, lunch is the most high-calorie meal of the day; it is from it that most of the microelements, vitamins and calories come. Refusal of junk food at least at lunch significantly limits the harm from everything else that was or will be eaten during the day.
But you shouldn’t push yourself into strict limits; sometimes you can eat junk food and it won’t greatly affect your slimness. Many professional athletes eat fast food on the weekends and then follow a strict diet all week and almost everyone loses weight well.
A few videos on the topic:
What to drink for lunch?
Drinking is an important part of the diet and paying little attention to it is a real crime. Sweet sodas, store-bought juices with a high sugar content, strong coffee and alcohol are prohibited. These drinks retain water in the body and contribute to the active deposition of excess weight.
Nutritionists recommend drinking a glass of clean water 30 minutes before meals. Thus, the metabolism will start with renewed vigor and it will become much easier for the body to digest lunch. What else can you drink at lunchtime:
- green tea without sugar;
- pure water;
- freshly squeezed fruit juice without sugar;
- weak coffee without sugar.
These drinks will not harm your figure, but you should not drink them during a diet lunch. It is better to wait a little for the food to digest (about 30 minutes) and only then start eating them.
Why shouldn't you skip lunch?
In the frantic pace of life, there is not enough time for anything. Work takes away precious hours of sleep, and with them minutes for proper meals. Increasingly, instead of lunch, people snack on fast food on the run, filling their stomachs in an attempt to eliminate the feeling of hunger. But is it possible to do this to your own body, and what can this lead to?
The body constantly needs nutrition, as its work never stops. According to the rules, a person must eat 4 times a day so that the body functions normally and does not need anything. But as soon as one meal is missed, changes begin in the body.
A person can endure up to 6 hours of fasting without noticing. At this time, glucose is actively broken down inside. After this time, irritability appears. This is a signal from the brain that you need to find food, and the functioning of the mechanism deteriorates. Skipping lunch on a regular basis can lead to the following consequences:
- problems with hormones;
- digestive problems, since regular disruptions occur in the metabolism - it does not have time to recover properly;
- accumulation of fat, it is associated with the body’s fear of hunger, fear forces it to create “reserves” for a rainy day;
- general weakness, it occurs due to interruptions in metabolism, which cause fatigue and reluctance to activity;
- overeating occurs after a short fast, after which a person pounces on food.
Interruptions in the operation of any mechanisms are destructive, let alone a person. Nutritionists strongly recommend eating fully, without skipping a single meal.
Diet lunch recipes
To make it easier to imagine in practice the combination of the right foods, below are examples of proper nutrition for weight loss for lunch.
French cream soup
A very tender soup that any girl who is losing weight will like. The creamy texture has a beneficial effect on the stomach without leaving a feeling of heaviness.
What products are needed:
- poultry fillet - 200 g;
- onion - 2 pcs;
- tomato - 2 small;
- butter - 25 g.
How to cook:
- Throw the chopped fillet into boiling water and wait for it to boil again.
- Remove the resulting foam using a spoon.
- Place the peeled onion in chicken broth and cook for 30 minutes.
- Another onion must be finely chopped and simmered with tomatoes in melted butter for 10 minutes.
- Add the resulting vegetable mixture to the broth and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- The finished soup should be processed in a blender until the consistency of puree is obtained.
- The soup is eaten warm and can be garnished with a sprig of dill.
The low calorie content of the soup will allow the body to be satisfied and not gain anything “extra”.
Recommendations for a proper diet
Carbohydrates
Everyone should know that lunch, especially when losing weight, should include a large amount of carbohydrates from various sources. Fruits and vegetables come first in value. These can be cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, apples, etc. Vegetables and fruits are the main source of vitamin C, vitamin B9, flavonoids, fiber, iron and other minerals and vitamins. A small vegetable salad and a couple of apples will add a lot of benefits to your lunch.
Cereals take second place as a source of carbohydrates. Their main advantage is their low glycemic index, which means that they slowly raise blood sugar levels (1.5-2 hours), unlike sugar itself, which is absorbed in a matter of minutes. In addition, it is an excellent source of quality calories in the form of complex carbohydrates.
Buckwheat or rice are best; oatmeal will be a little worse for weight loss. And pasta, dumplings, bread and other “goodies” are completely unsuitable as a source of carbohydrates, because they contain crushed flour, which, if consumed constantly, has a negative effect on your health. figure. For convenience, you can remember the simple rule of “quality carbohydrate”: the more dietary fiber in a carbohydrate (not peeled or crushed), the more valuable the carbohydrate!
Well, it’s worth mentioning that carbohydrates should be consumed either raw or boiled, because in this form they will retain the greatest amount of nutrients.
Protein
When losing weight for lunch, you need to eat something that will keep your muscles intact and safe, because it is known that with a calorie deficit, the body first gets rid of muscles, as if it were unnecessary ballast. And animal protein acts as a protector. To be specific:
More on the topic >> How to achieve quick results when losing weight with ginger
- Meat (preferably lean, not fatty).
- Fish (an excellent source of animal protein, on the one hand, and Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other).
- Poultry (you should only eat chicken breasts, because the thighs and wings contain a considerable amount of fat and interfere with weight loss).
- Milk (despite its disadvantages, it has a high-quality amino acid composition, but should be drunk with caution).
- Eggs (contrary to the myth, eggs can be eaten in large quantities (up to 20 pieces).
A few words about meat. It is better to eat beef, lamb and pork last; these cattle are present on farms as the main source of income, and it is possible that the cow is injected with hormones and fed with huge portions of food, so that in the end they gain more weight due to fat. For the most part, this meat is very fatty and is not suitable for weight loss, so you need to select leaner cuts in the display case.
If a person prefers not to eat fish, then pollock or cod fillet is perfect for him because of its “dryness”. Salmon will be worse, but it contains a large amount of fish oil, which is so important for the health of the cardiovascular system.
A few videos on the topic:
Dairy
As mentioned above, dairy products are poorly digested by a large number of people due to an insufficient amount of lactase, the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of milk sugar. The main signs of problems with absorption are heaviness in the stomach and problems with stool. If this happens, then milk should be abandoned.
From what you can eat for lunch when losing weight, cottage cheese, low-fat kefir and low-fat varieties of cheeses (Ricotta, Mozzarella, Suluguni) are excellent.