Basics
Proper nutrition is a diet based on foods that maintain health and prolong life. A person in his right mind chooses what is useful to him, but now it is difficult to understand what is useful and what is not: the present looks bland and faded against the backdrop of beautiful and bright packaging with chemistry.
Eat simpler . The art of cooking offers us masterpieces that will take our breath away, but an impressive part of the daily diet should consist of simple dishes in which you can determine the composition by eye.
An apple, a vegetable salad, light porridge with water and a small piece of meat. Here's a good example of simple nutrition.
Remove the sugar . Gastritis, stomach ulcers, kidney stones, anemia, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity - these are not genetic diseases, they do not arise out of nowhere and not due to poor ecology. These diseases are created by systematic eating harmful. Sugar is a real evil allowed by the food industry. It causes teeth to fall out, bones to crumble, and fatty tissue to accumulate.
Yes, it’s hard to give up sugar, and considering that even a can of canned peas contains sugar (!), it’s very difficult to switch to a healthy sugar-free diet. But it's worth it. If you have a sweet tooth, then don’t worry, you don’t need to ban yourself from desserts for the rest of your life. On the contrary, you will have plenty of them. Man's very first food is sweet. Breast milk is sweet, fruit is sweet. This is a mechanism of nature aimed at ensuring that we intuitively choose what is ripe, juicy, and smells delicious.
Sugar is a concentrated sweetness. There is fructose in the apple, and as long as you are nibbling on a fresh, strong apple, you have nothing to fear because fructose is supplied to your body along with fiber. But separate fructose from fiber and your blood sugar will jump instantly, and within a minute you will want to eat again. This is our problem - we eat concentrated sugar and it is in this form that it is dangerous.
When your body gets used to healthy, creative nutrition, fruits, honey, and dried fruits will replace all the confectionery sweets in the world. You can create excellent homemade sweets based on milk, dates, figs, and nuts. The whole world will open up before you and you definitely won’t have a shortage of sweets, but you won’t get better from it and you won’t get sick.
Choose unrefined . Everything that is purified is a priori devoid of nutritional value. Refined sunflower oil is devoid of vitamins, white rice is essentially gluten, and premium white flour has no nutrients left. Even a peeled apple is already refined, because everything nutritious and necessary was stored in the peel - where it was easier to get. I took a bite and replenished my supplies.
Use natural seasonings . There's nothing better than fresh black pepper, allspice, freshly picked cilantro, onions and a variety of aromatic herbs. It is better and more lively than any mayonnaise with tomato paste. Pay attention to seasonings when buying them at the store. Not all, but some contain monosodium glutamate and the same sugar.
Salt less . Where you can't afford to add salt, don't. You can lightly season the buckwheat porridge, but prepare a fresh vegetable salad without salt. With it the same way as with drinks. If you drink tea with sugar, then you definitely won't like unsweetened tea. But give yourself time to develop new habits and if someone slips you a sweetened drink, you won’t drink it. Same with salt - for a couple of weeks and it’s as if you’ve been eating salads without salt all your life. These are the tongue receptors getting used to new tastes.
Buy meat and dairy from farmers . There was a time when we trusted the state in all matters, but now corporations stuff animals with the processed meat of their own fellow creatures, GMO corn and antibiotics, not to mention hormones. This is not a myth. It's better not to try. If you can, get eggs, milk, cottage cheese, poultry, fish, and meat from small businesses or subsistence farmers.
Use this chart to help you develop healthy eating habits. It's not difficult and it's easy to get used to this order.
- Especially in the morning and be sure to drink a glass of water half an hour before meals. This way you will train yourself to drink enough without forgetting about it.
- After 15 minutes, eat the fruit. A piece of melon, 100 g of grapes, a small pear, etc. It’s a little unusual to eat something sweet before the main meal, but it’s better this way. Fruits are digested in 15 minutes, and meat in 40 minutes. If you eat protein first and then fruit, the latter will ferment in your stomach. This is why many people have such a dislike for fruits, because in this case, fruit dessert leads to constipation and bloating. There is no need to eat fruit for dinner; fructose as an energy supplier is required only in the morning.
- After the fruit, eat a protein dish with complex carbohydrates. A classic example: baked chicken fillet with fresh cucumber, tomato and herb salad. Simple, affordable and understandable food. For dinner, the best food is boiled or baked fish with a light side dish of vegetables.
- Don't drink tea with food. Wait 20 minutes. Here we have a small dilemma: what to do with sweets? For example, you prepared cottage cheese muffins with dried apricots and cinnamon (without sugar). Eat them immediately after your main meal, without washing them down. Also a little unusual, but better than diluting it with tea. With traditional sweets, we seem to need tea so that it won’t be so cloying, but with natural homemade sweets this is not necessary. If possible, tea should be drunk weak.
Which menu should be considered correct?
The phrase “healthy eating” confuses many people. It is not always clear what food belongs to this category and what criteria should be followed when creating a menu for the week. The standards are as follows:
- Useful elements . The food you eat should supply the body with a full range of vital substances - proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as microelements and vitamins. This criterion does not include crackers, chips, carbonated water and other “harmful things” - they should be excluded immediately.
- Hunger . A feeling of fullness should come 15-20 minutes after eating. But be careful - it is recommended to get up from the table slightly hungry.
- Mode . It is important that the time interval between each meal is no more than three to four hours. If you take long breaks, this leads to overeating and the deposition of excess fat. Do not be afraid of fractional meals - the stomach quickly adapts to the new regime and better absorbs the incoming nutrients.
- Sweets . To satisfy the needs of the soul, it is allowed to include sweets in the diet, but not more than once or twice a week.
- Cooking rules . Priority should be given to food that is prepared by boiling or stewing. Smoked or fried foods are harmful to the body.
- Carbohydrates . A balanced menu for the whole family should include complex carbohydrates. Their advantage is the gradual breakdown and nutrition of the body with energy. Taking such carbohydrates eliminates a sharp jump in glucose and, as a result, a constant feeling of hunger. After eating the right food, you feel full faster.
The rules discussed above are of a general nature. It is also worth considering a number of principles that allow you to create a budget menu without errors:
- Breakfast . Before your first meal, it is recommended to drink 200-250 ml of liquid. Thanks to this simple action, it is possible to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for work. Then during the day the body should receive at least 1.5-2 liters of water.
- Second breakfast . It is advisable that the second breakfast include fermented milk “representatives”. This can be kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese and other products. Alternatively - vegetables, dried fruits, fresh fruits or nuts.
- Dinner . It is important that at lunchtime the body receives several types of proteins - plant and animal. In addition, complex carbohydrates should be added to the diet here.
- Afternoon snack . Many people overestimate the importance of afternoon tea. In fact, a couple of hours after lunch is enough to have a small snack.
- Dinner . In the evening, there should be dishes on the table with sufficient protein; carbohydrates and fats can be excluded. It is worth including foods such as cottage cheese, fish and meat (low-fat varieties). Remember that it is forbidden to have dinner late - food should enter the stomach no later than 1-2 hours before going to bed. At the same time, you should not lean on heavy dishes.
Healthy eating: menu for every day
Healthy eating is the key to good health and a slim body. If you follow its simple principles, you can lose excess weight, improve your health, and cleanse your body of toxins. To benefit from proper nutrition, it must be maintained throughout your life. First of all, you need to find out which foods should be present in your diet and which should be avoided. This way, you will be able to create a menu and not deviate from the correct diet. Healthy eating: menu for every day.
Does proper nutrition work without a regimen?
This question can be found very often on various forums. The dilemma is that many people believe that if they gave up bread and started eating oatmeal for breakfast, this is already the right diet. Alas, everything is not so simple. Proper nutrition is the main function of proper nutrition. This is its basis.
Without well-established body processes, losing weight or gaining muscle mass will be impossible. Proper nutrition and daily routine must be carefully planned. Of course, giving up unhealthy foods and switching to eating organic and clean food is the first and main step towards a healthy lifestyle. But alas, proper nutrition requires a proper daily routine.
Basic rules of healthy eating
- Avoid fast food, smoked foods, sweets, flour, and refined white rice.
- Eat as many seasonal fruits and vegetables as possible.
- Replace bread made with wheat flour with one made from whole grain flour.
- Try using honey instead of sugar.
- Maintain drinking regime. You need to drink at least 2-2.5 liters of clean water per day.
- Limit your consumption of strong coffee and sugar.
- Strictly avoid sugary carbonated drinks.
- Try to enrich your diet with foods that are sources of animal and vegetable protein.
- Steam, boil and bake dishes. Eat vegetables raw as often as possible.
- Replace regular salt with sea or Himalayan salt.
- Be careful with alcoholic drinks, because they are quite high in calories and stimulate the appetite.
Recipes for proper nutrition (video)
In this video you will see recipes for healthy meals for another 3 days.
Eating right is not so difficult if you prepare the menu and necessary ingredients in advance. A balanced regimen involves patience and awareness. It will help you remain a healthy and beautiful girl, get your figure in order and enjoy good health. Don't forget to pay attention to your lifestyle - give up bad habits and increase physical activity. Proper nutrition combined with activity will bring not only benefits, but also pleasure!
What foods should you avoid on PP?
Proper nutrition means avoiding foods that lead to fat deposition, clogging the body and slowing down metabolism.
- Chips, crackers, salted nuts.
- Semi-finished products in the form of instant noodles, pancakes, dumplings, dumplings.
- Bakery products based on yeast and wheat flour.
- Fried and smoked dishes.
- Store-bought sauces, ketchups, mayonnaise.
- Fast food, sausages, sausages.
- Store-bought juices and sweet carbonated drinks.
What is proper nutrition
People turn to the principles of proper nutrition to not only lose weight, but also to keep fit and look attractive. This lifestyle implies having a healthy and balanced diet that will give the body energy for the whole day and enrich it with vitamins and minerals.
Nutrients will be completely spent on the functioning of the body and will not be able to be deposited in the form of extra pounds. Losing weight is 80% dependent on nutrition and only 20% is physical activity. The weight will come off, but not quickly. It is not the volume that is important, but the person’s well-being. Eating healthy foods improves the condition of your skin and hair.
How to create a healthy food menu for the week
Selecting a menu should not be particularly difficult; the main thing is to know the basic principles of proper nutrition. It is necessary to make a separate list of products and distribute them by day. Keep in mind that you should never skip breakfast. Moreover, it should be balanced and satisfying. To prepare dinner, you need to give preference to protein foods and fresh vegetables. A healthy diet does not prohibit snacking. Fruits, dried fruits, and nuts are ideal for this. Drink as much clean water as possible, replace black tea with green tea, and don’t forget about fresh juices.
Every day menu for the whole family with recipes
Monday
- Breakfast: omelet of 2 whites and 1 yolk, a slice of whole grain bread with cheese, fresh juice or green tea.
- Snack : fruit (apple, banana, pear), yogurt.
- Lunch: vegetable soup with a slice of whole grain bread, buckwheat or pearl barley porridge with butter, baked fish with vegetables.
- Second snack: baked apple, low-fat cottage cheese with honey.
- Dinner : chicken fillet with bell peppers and onions, a glass of low-fat kefir.
Nutrition menu for those who want to gain muscle mass.
Breakfast
- Buckwheat porridge – 100 gr. in dry form.
- Omelette made from 1 egg and 2 whites.
- Milk (1.5%) – 50 ml.
- Whole grain toast.
- Hard cheese – 30 gr.
Snack
The first snack can be light, consisting of fiber and simple carbohydrates. The latter promote weight gain.
- Apple – 1 pc.
- Dried apricots - 100 grams.
Dinner
Lunch is the main meal for any person, so we recommend that you eat well, especially if you have a strength training session ahead of you in the evening.
- Wheat porridge – 100 grams in dry form.
- Turkey fillet 200 grams.
- Vinaigrette – 100 grams.
- Cereal bread (1 piece).
Second snack
If your second snack coincides with the end of your workout, be sure to eat protein. Also use special sports nutrition. We described in detail how to choose it in the previous article (link).
- Wheat porridge – 100 gr.
- Turkey fillet – 200 gr.
- Vegetable salad – 100 gr.
Dinner
The last meal of people who are gaining weight should be more filling than those of people who are losing weight. Complex carbohydrates and proteins must be on your plate. Also, do not deny yourself fiber-containing foods.
- Hake – 200 gr.
- Green beans – 100 grams.
- Vegetable salad with sour cream – 150 grams.
Last meal before bed
This snack is simply necessary for those who want to increase their muscle size. However, you can only eat slow proteins.
- Low-fat cottage cheese – 150 gr.
In addition to your diet, you need to monitor your drinking regimen.
Healthy nutrition menu options
For women
Metabolism in women is not as fast as in men, which is due to lower muscle mass. This means that calorie needs are reduced by 15%. However, a woman’s body has a special need for certain vitamins (A, E, C). Their lack can cause various health problems, in particular, suppression of reproductive function. This is why most diets can negatively affect the female body. PN for women should be based on the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein foods. Special attention should be paid to sources of omega3 fatty acids.
To dress salads you need to use olive and flaxseed oil. Breakfast should be hearty (porridge, omelette, yogurt). For lunch, it is advisable to eat meat or fish, fresh vegetables. Dinner should be light.
You can read about the healthiest vegetable oil in our article.
For men
Proper nutrition for men is an important factor on which their health and overall well-being depend. For each representative of the stronger sex, PP is also a source of energy. A balanced menu will allow you to stay fit without compromising your health. You can make adjustments to the menu - it all depends on how active the man is. Age plays a significant role. The basis of the diet should be proteins, fats and carbohydrates. For the normal functioning of the body, vitamins and minerals are necessary, so the menu should include vegetables, fruits, cereals, meat, fish, and nuts.
For teenagers
The nutrition of a teenager is not very different from a healthy menu that is intended for adults. At this age, a child needs to eat a balanced diet. The diet should be dominated by foods rich in vitamins and microelements. If a child tends to be overweight, high-calorie foods will have to be eliminated from the menu. Breakfast should be given special attention. It can consist of milk porridge, omelet, cottage cheese with fruit. For lunch, you must definitely eat first courses, side dishes with meat and vegetables. The main emphasis should be on protein foods. It is also important to find an alternative to store-bought sweets. You can replace them with honey, dried fruits, homemade marmalade, and marshmallows. Dark chocolate, natural jams, jellies, and puddings are welcome. Dates, dried apricots, walnuts, raisins, bananas, and apples are ideal as snacks.
Meal times with proper nutrition
After you have mastered all the rules and purchased the necessary products, you will need to create a schedule where you can schedule proper nutrition hourly:
- Remember that healthy carbohydrates will enter the intestines after 4-6 hours. Therefore, it is better to eat dishes such as cereals, pasta and bread for breakfast so as not to feel hungry longer. Be sure to make your proper breakfast tastier; add fruits, berries, and honey to regular cereals.
- It is advisable to have lunch around 12 o'clock, and the diet should include all types of foods: proteins, fats, carbohydrates. In the middle of the day, be sure to eat the first course and a small lean side dish. Avoid fast food packages, crackers, chips and fast food.
- It is better to have dinner around 5-6 pm with protein foods. It will be digested in the stomach in just 2-3 hours, so it will not disturb your sleep. Prepare lean fish or meat, eat a piece of chicken or a cup of cottage cheese.
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Menu for weight loss
Monday
- Breakfast : oatmeal on water with raisins and apple, green tea or coffee.
- Snack : a slice of cheese and a handful of nuts.
- Lunch : vegetable soup, steamed chicken fillet, salad of cabbage, carrots, herbs and olive oil.
- Second snack: cottage cheese casserole, fresh juice.
- Dinner : seafood or lightly salted fish, two-egg omelette, kefir.
Tuesday
- Breakfast : buckwheat porridge with a piece of butter, a slice of cheese with rye bread and tomato, tea or coffee. Snack: dried fruits, apple.
- Lunch : bean soup, steamed cutlets, wild rice with olive oil.
- Second snack: casserole, yogurt.
- Dinner: salad of daikon radish, carrots, boiled egg and herbs, shrimp.
Balanced vegetarian menu for the week
For people who eat a plant-based diet, it is important to monitor the amount of protein, essential amino acids, and some microelements.
- The menu should regularly include legumes, brown rice or quinoa, broccoli, spinach, and sesame seeds. If you allow eggs and dairy products, they can also serve as additional sources of protein and calcium.
- You can add flaxseed oil to your diet, some pharmaceutical preparations - iron, zinc, omega-saturated fatty acids.
- For breakfast, vegetarians can choose porridge with fruit; you can add coconut or soy milk to it. Breakfast option - bread with tofu cheese, avocado, and herbs. There are recipes for making pancakes, pancakes, baked goods without eggs and dairy products - they taste just as good as the classic ones.
- For lunch, prepare vegetable soup, borscht; soups with peas, beans, and lentils will be a good nutritious first course. For the second course you can serve cereals, pasta or the same legumes with vegetables, or fresh salad. It is good to supplement it with sesame seeds, season with healthy olive, mustard or corn oil.
- Fruits or berries will serve as an afternoon snack , for lacto-vegetarians - with cottage cheese or unsweetened yogurt.
- The best dinner is a light vegetable stew , you can cook something from lentils - they are best digested from legumes and will not leave you feeling heavy overnight.
How to calculate the calorie content of ready-made dishes
Healthy food menu for every day. During heat treatment, products are fried or evaporated. Cereals, meat and vegetables change volume, but their calorie content remains unchanged. For example, if you want to cook a chicken breast (200 g), after you boil it, its weight will decrease to 150 g, but the calorie content will be the same. After you count the food and prepare the dish, you need to weigh it and count it again.
List of budget foods for a healthy diet
Proper nutrition is simple and accessible. To feel good and maintain weight, you can cook simple but healthy meals.
- Cereals (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat, pearl barley).
- Legumes (beans, peas, lentils).
- Whole grain bread or crispbread.
- Vegetables (beets, carrots, onions, radishes, cabbage).
- Fresh herbs (dill, parsley, lettuce, basil).
- Lean meats (chicken fillet), fish (hake, pollock).
- Eggs.
- Dairy products (cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, homemade yogurt).
- Seasonal fruits (apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, kiwis).
- Seasonal berries (strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries, blackberries).
The benefits of proper nutrition
Most people know that eating well and being physically active can help maintain a healthy weight. But the benefits of good nutrition go beyond weight, there are many more. Proper nutrition helps:
- Reduce your risk of certain diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, some cancers, and osteoporosis.
- Reduce high blood pressure.
- Lower cholesterol levels.
- Improve your well-being.
- Improve your ability to fight illnesses and colds.
- Improve your ability to recover from illness or injury.
- Increase energy level.
Recipes: PP for weight loss
We offer several simple recipes for healthy dishes that can be included in the menu.
Cottage cheese casserole
- cottage cheese with a minimum fat content – 250 g;
- low-fat milk – 0.5 tbsp;
- chicken eggs – 2 pcs.;
- vanilla sugar;
- whole grain flour - 3 tbsp. l.
- Combine cottage cheese, milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat with a blender.
- Add flour to the curd mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Fill the baking dish with the mixture and place in the oven for half an hour.
Baked fish with lemon
- lean fish (hake, pollock).
- onion – 1 pc.;
- lemon – 1 pc.;
- olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
- fresh herbs;
- salt, spices.
- Clean the fish.
- Divide the lemon into two parts. Squeeze the juice out of one half and chop the other half.
- Chop the greens, mix with oil and lemon juice.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the fish carcass on a baking sheet, place lemon and onion slices on top of it. Drizzle with sauce. Bake for about 30 minutes.
You can learn about the healthiest fish from our article.
Rice with vegetables and mushrooms
- rice - 1 tbsp.;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- bell pepper - 1 pc.;
- champignons – 300 g;
- spices and salt to taste.
- Boil the rice. Chop the onion, pepper and champignons, simmer them in a frying pan with olive oil.
- Combine rice with vegetables, season with spices.
Daily menu option for athletes
- Athletes' nutrition should be calculated based on the percentage of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- You need to eat at least 5 times a day.
- Products need to be steamed, boiled or baked.
- PP for people who play sports should be based on cereals, lean meats and fish, nuts, vegetables and fruits.
- Products that act as a source of carbohydrates should be consumed in the first half of the day; after lunch, the emphasis should be on protein.
If you have decided to switch to a healthy diet, you should not push yourself into strict limits. It is not at all difficult to adhere to the basic principles of PP; the main thing is to realize that this should become a way of life. Over time, the habit of eating healthy and nutritious foods will become unchanged, and you will notice how much your health and appearance have improved. And your family will probably support you in this useful habit: taking care of your health.
Source
Organize your diet correctly
Your diet should be varied, balanced and interesting. Don't treat food as "fuel" - for food to be beneficial, it must first inspire and delight.
How to properly assemble your diet?
Let's start with the side dish
Side dish is the main source of complex carbohydrates, which give a feeling of fullness and are the basis of proper nutrition.
Products suitable for a side dish include: potatoes, pasta, rice, oatmeal, millet and others. But remember, if you follow the principles of a healthy diet, you shouldn’t overload on potatoes. It is better to choose pasta from whole grain flour, rice - wild or brown, and oatmeal - from whole grains that need to be boiled.
Don’t forget about such healthy grains as bulgur, amaranth or quinoa - you can treat yourself to such a side dish a couple of times a week, because sooner or later buckwheat and oatmeal will become boring.
Vegetables
Vegetables are another important part of the diet.
Cooked vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, green beans, carrots and others are a great addition to a main dish or a light dinner.
Fresh vegetables and herbs are an ideal complement to protein dishes - this way meat or fish will be better digested.
Prepare a fragrant salad and season it with healthy vegetable oil - olive, flaxseed or pumpkin. After all, healthy fats should also be present in the diet!
Hot
Hot dishes give us a feeling of fullness for a long time, but it is still very important to properly supplement them with cereals or plant products.
Steamed chicken breasts, beef cutlets, turkey breasts or salmon may be suitable as a dietary hot option.
If you adhere to a vegetarian diet, then pay attention to chickpeas, lentils or tofu.
These dishes are our main source of protein for the whole day.
Snacks
Snacking is something we tend to forget about when planning our diet. However, it is precisely on them that we can “puncture ourselves” by eating something harmful or not finding anything suitable in the refrigerator at all. To prevent this from happening, it is advisable to take care of snacks in advance. What could it be?
Apples or other fruits, berries, a handful of nuts or chopped avocado. If you have time, you can make dried fruit and nut bars or buy pre-made ones, which is also something to keep in mind when making your weekly shopping list.
A snack before bed can be low-fat cottage cheese, cottage cheese casserole, or a glass of kefir. Cottage cheese is a source of slow protein that will allow you to recover overnight, especially if you exercise.