Diet lunch for weight loss

All nutritionists in the world agree that the basis of the daily meal is lunch. At this time, the body replenishes its supply of vitamins and energy. A properly prepared diet lunch for weight loss will help you maintain a slim and beautiful figure.

A healthy lunch helps you replenish the required amount of nutrients, produce enzymes for processing food, and even have dinner without the threat of gaining weight. Nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and enzymes are the basis of human life. They are involved in digestion, energy production, and the functioning of all body systems. Therefore, nutritionists have long developed a huge number of weight loss systems, which are based, first of all, on maintaining the health of the body.

How to choose the right lunch menu

The quickest way to determine your diet lunch menu is by sticking to one diet. This could be the popular diet of Pierre Dukan. He described it in his book “I Can’t Lose Weight.” You can find many recipes for weight loss dishes that are used by dieters around the world. The peculiarity of this diet is its duration - Monsieur Dukan recommends sticking to his diet for the rest of his life.

You can also base your daily diet and meal preparation on the number of calories (the eponymous “Calorie-Based Diet”) that are contained in each dietary dish on your menu. The main thing here is not to exceed the lunch limit - 450 kilocalories. If you don’t have the opportunity to accurately count the number of calories, then grandma’s method will help: fold your palms into a handful - the food on your plate should not exceed this volume.

Whatever diet you choose, there is a key rule on which each of them is based - balance.

Try to replenish your supply of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates throughout the day.
Drink more water, treat yourself to fruits and vegetables.
Always be on the move and learn something new every day.
Give up bad habits and play sports.

Balance in food, as in life, will allow you to achieve what you want faster. In our case, a beautiful, slender figure.

Proper lunch: what is it like?

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.

When dining, don't rush. Chew your food slowly and thoroughly to help you feel fuller with less food. It is better to drink 30 minutes before lunch and an hour after. Avoid mixing food and liquid as it reduces the concentration of stomach acid, which slows digestion. After finishing lunch, sit quietly for at least ten minutes to allow your body to better absorb the nutrients.

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.

Basic rules of dietary nutrition

When preparing a healthy dietary dish, you need to remember the importance of carbohydrates. Many people who are losing weight underestimate the impact of these nutrients on the weight loss process. And even more people overestimate the extent of the negative impact of carbohydrates. It is important to always remember that for optimal functioning, your body needs all nutritional components (BJU). Thus, the necessary carbohydrates for a healthy lunch can be in the form of porridge, durum pasta, baked or boiled potatoes.
Following Pierre Dukan's rules for losing weight, drink 2 liters of water daily (drink the liquid 20-30 minutes after meals) and walk for 30-40 minutes in the fresh air (for example, in a city park).
Try to eat lunch mindfully (only when you feel hungry) and as slowly as possible, chewing each bite thoroughly. Eliminate eating in front of the TV or while reading a book from your diet. It has been proven that when the brain is focused only on the process of eating (and digestion), the feeling of fullness comes much faster.
Eat at the same time every day.
Create a menu based on your lifestyle. The more active your life, the more nutritious your lunch should be. Don't forget about variety: your diet should include foods from all food groups.
Follow the rule: the simpler the food, the easier it is to lose weight.
Don't forget that your daily meal is more important than your dinner. A hearty lunch is protection against evening overeating.

General points

Indications

First, clearly define why you need a dietary lunch. For a person of normal weight, not predisposed to obesity, actively involved in sports, and leading a healthy lifestyle, this is hardly necessary. This choice should be made only by those who really need it.

Proper nutrition

A person who masters the basics of proper nutrition will never allow himself to overeat. He also clearly controls the consumption and intake of calories, so he is forced to ensure that lunch is low in calories. Although not as much as when losing weight, this indicator still limits it.

Low calorie diet

Low-calorie lunches automatically become low-calorie if you cut your daily calorie intake to lose weight. If you are overweight, you will have to figure out what you can eat during the day and what is strictly prohibited.

Therapeutic diet

Some treatment tables are characterized by a reduced daily calorie intake, so that lunch also automatically becomes low-calorie. The NKD category includes Pevzner diets No. 8, 8a, 8o, 9a, 10c.

Description

Diet lunch should be:

35-45% of daily calories;
filling (to last until afternoon snack or dinner);
tasty;
energy (supply the body with energy for the rest of the day);
varied (include complex carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, fats);
balanced: BJU for proper nutrition - 25/50/25, for weight loss - 65/15/20.

How to determine calorie content

Calculate the total daily calorie intake (formulas with examples).
For three meals a day, calculate 45% of the resulting norm, for five meals a day - 35%.
The upper limit for the average person with moderate physical activity should not exceed 900 kcal for 3 meals a day and 700 kcal for 5 meals a day.
For those on a diet, it is recommended not to go below 540 kcal with 3 meals a day and 420 kcal with 5 meals. These are the minimum standards.

Only after mastering all these nuances can you begin to select products.

Cooking at home: healthy lunch

In the modern rhythm of a big city, it is not always possible to have lunch, and most importantly, have a healthy meal. Many people are shocked by the thought that they will have to have lunch (and with the modern rhythm of life, perhaps even dinner) at work or in a fast food restaurant. In this case, experts offer a simple solution: prepare a diet lunch at home and take the food with you. You can choose a menu based only on your taste and preferences. Isn't this a holiday?

In addition, this approach has a number of advantages:

You know what your lunch is made of.
It will definitely be fresh, tasty and healthy.
You can try something new every day.
You don't have to rush to decide where and what to eat.

Preparing a nutritionally healthy lunch is based on the daily needs of the body. They directly depend on lifestyle and energy expenditure during the day. That is, the more active your life is, the more saturated your daily meal should be.

Menu options

Traditionally, dietary meals for lunch include 4 components: first course, second course, salad, low-calorie dessert.

Examples of first courses to choose from:

Mushroom cream soup;
chicken noodle soup;
dietary borscht without frying;
vegetable cream soup;
broccoli and green pea soup;
vegetable soup with beans.

Second dietary dishes:

shrimp omelette;
canned tuna in pita bread;
bell pepper baked in the oven;
steamed vegetables;
chicken breasts baked with low-fat cheese;
baked jacket potatoes.

Salads:

from tomatoes and cucumbers with olive oil;
from carrots and low-fat cottage cheese with sour cream;
from boiled beets with prunes;
from a boiled egg with sour cream and mustard;
from bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives and feta cheese;
from Chinese cabbage, apple and chicken breast.

Diet desserts:

fruit and cottage cheese casserole;
jelly with fruits and berries;
milk and fruit dessert (with gelatin);
fruit salad with yogurt;
vanilla pudding with milk;
orange or strawberry sorbet.

Beverages:

black coffee without sugar;
tea (preferably green) without sugar, milk and cream;
mineral water;
fresh juices;
fruit drinks;
smoothie.

Products and dishes

Lists

What you can cook:

dietary soups (pureeed ones are especially good);
side dishes from whole grain cereals, legumes or vegetables (stewed, baked, boiled, steamed);
meat and fish dishes: cutlets, goulash, cabbage rolls, meatballs;
vegetable salads.

The lowest calorie lunches come from the following foods:

lean meat: chicken, turkey, beef, veal, rabbit;
lean fish: asp, flounder, crucian carp, rudd, limonema, pollock, sea bream, sea bass, navaga, burbot, halibut, whiting, cod;
whole grain cereals: brown rice, buckwheat, lentils;
legumes: chickpeas, beans;
mushrooms;
any low-calorie vegetables.

Lunch from home

If you are not sure about the quality and calorie content of the dishes that you can order in the nearest cafe or canteen at work, you will have to take food to work with you from home. Otherwise, you won’t get a low-calorie lunch.

Helpful Tips:

calculate the calorie content of lunch in advance and monitor the size of the portions that you put in a container or pour into a thermos - do not exceed the norm;
it should not be perishable food or yesterday's dish;
do not indulge yourself and do not put chocolate or candy in your purse - remember the calorie standards.

What exactly to take:

hot soup - in a thermos;
boiled meat or steamed fish along with a side dish (rice or buckwheat) - in the lunchbox;
You can make cutlets and meatballs from meat or fish;
low-calorie salad - in a plastic container;
bread - just wrap it in a plastic bag;
sauces - if you need them, buy them in stores in single-serve packages, but it’s better to prepare them at home and immediately pour them into your lunchbox with a side dish.

From the shop

If you had to buy an almost ready-made or semi-ready lunch from the store, we warn you right away: it will be extremely difficult. First, let's look at what you absolutely cannot buy.

Ready-made instant products (b/p)

The so-called "bapashki". Beautiful packages with big lunches, super soups, hot mugs, solyankas - all this is not only high in calories (about 450 kcal per 100 g), but also incredibly harmful to health (the gastrointestinal tract suffers).

Canned food

The name speaks for itself: for a long shelf life, manufacturers are forced to add preservatives to their composition, and lunch must be not only low-calorie, but also healthy. And they contain more oil than normal.

Smoked sausages, meat by-products

After smoking, products are saturated with dangerous carcinogens. Sausages, sausages, ham, ham, bacon, store-bought dumplings and cutlets contain substances such as sodium nitrite, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, flavor enhancers, heterocyclic amines, trans fats. It has been scientifically proven that all of them, accumulating in the body, cause irreparable harm to it.

Fast food

This is the hardest thing - going to the store and not buying a hot dog, pizza, cheeseburger, or shawarma. It would seem both nutritious and simple: heat it up in the microwave and a hearty lunch is ready. However, we remember about trans fats and the number of calories. Moreover, the quality of their constituent products leaves much to be desired.

Say “no” to fast food, it is a “cholesterol bomb”, its consumption causes CVD and various gastrointestinal diseases

If you find yourself hostage to a situation and cannot organize a full meal, you will have a small choice in the store:

the simplest vegetables from which you can cut a salad or eat them whole: tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots (fiber + complex carbohydrates);
whole grain or regular rye bread (it will add energy value to lunch);
a low-calorie bread spread that will add a piquant touch to your lunch;
despite the fact that fruits are rarely included in the lunch menu, in such a situation there will be nothing else left, and since they are almost all low-calorie, you are not limited in choice;
For tea you can buy low-calorie sweets: jam (Dieta Jam), preserves, jelly, special dietary desserts (Alpro Soya, Creme Brulee, Sambuc), bars (Herbalife, Turboslim), oatmeal cookies, biscuits or whole grain bread.

As a last resort, you can take canned red beans (99 kcal) or natural canned tuna (110 kcal). Of the canned foods, they are the least safe and lowest in calories.

From this set of products you can make a nutritious and tasty sandwich: a piece of rye bread - any low-calorie spread - a leaf of green lettuce - a slice of tomato - a thin slice of hard cheese - avocado puree (can be crushed by hand).

A lunch made from store-bought products will be low-calorie, but incomplete. Therefore, make sure that such situations occur as rarely as possible.

Dietary recipes

Cream of mushroom soup with cheese

From dietary soups today we will prepare cream of mushroom soup with cheese.

For one and a half liters of water you will need:

celery stalk - 150 g;
processed cheese (low fat) - 200 g;
milk - 50 ml;
champignons - 0.5 kg;
onion - 1 head;
nutmeg - 1 g.

Preparation:

Cut celery, mushrooms and onions into medium cubes.
Bring the water to a boil and add the resulting mixture there. Cook for 20 minutes.
The finished broth must be cooled and blended with a blender.
Add cheese, cut into cubes, and put on fire.
All that remains is to add chopped nutmeg and milk.
Beat again with a blender and let it boil. The soup is ready!

Chicken noodle soup

Ingredients:

¼ chicken;
potatoes - 4 pcs.;
onion - 1 head;
carrots - 1 pc.;
vermicelli (“gossamer”) - a handful;
greens, salt - to taste.

How to cook:

We wash the meat, fill it with cold water, put it on the fire and bring it to a boil. Skim off the foam, if any.
Remove the finished meat from the broth and cool, divide into pieces.
We clean the vegetables. Three carrots on a coarse grater, cut onions and potatoes into cubes.
Add vegetables and potatoes to the broth and cook until the potatoes are ready.
Add vermicelli and cook for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with herbs.
Allow the soup to simmer until ready and serve with chicken pieces.

Omelette with shrimp

As you know, seafood, along with chicken, is an ideal option for a nutritionally healthy and tasty lunch for weight loss.

We will need:

egg - 1 pc.;
egg white - 2 pcs.;
milk (1-1.5% fat) - 2 tbsp. l.;
peeled shrimp - 10-15 pcs.;
olive oil - ½ tsp;
greens - to taste.

Cooking steps:

Fry shrimp and greens in olive oil in a frying pan for 2-3 minutes.
Beat the eggs with milk and pour this mixture over the shrimp and herbs.
Fry until done, covering the pan with a lid.
When serving, sprinkle with herbs to taste.

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.

Canned tuna in pita bread

We will need:

thin pita bread - 1 pc.;
sour cream - 3 tbsp. l.;
canned tuna - 1 can;
green onions - 15 g;
green salad - 50 g;
chicken eggs (hard-boiled) - 2 pcs.

How to cook:

Grease a sheet of lavash with sour cream.
Cut the eggs into small pieces.
Mash the tuna with a fork, add the eggs and evenly spread the resulting mixture onto the pita bread.
We wash the greens.
Finely chop the onion, tear the salad with your hands (removing thick veins).
Place the greens on top of the fish and eggs.
We wrap the top and bottom edges of the pita bread inward by 2-3 cm, then completely roll it from the sides into a roll. The dish is ready in 30 minutes.

Salad for weight loss

You can't go wrong if, instead of a new-fangled diet salad, you simply chop up a few of your favorite vegetables and herbs, fresh of course, and season them with your choice: lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce or low-fat yogurt.

Low calorie dessert

A dietary dessert will be an excellent end to your healthy lunch. Nutritionists have long refuted the myth that when losing weight you need to forget about delicious food. You can enjoy dark chocolate with unsweetened tea or coffee, honey, and even marshmallows!

If you decide to treat yourself to a homemade dietary dessert, here is a recipe for fruit and cheese casserole:

Mix a pack of low-fat cottage cheese with 1 egg, 2 tbsp. l. oatmeal and 1 tbsp. l. milk.
Line a baking pan with parchment.
We lay out fruits (it is best to use grapefruit, apple, orange, pineapple or banana) and fill them with curd mass.
Bake for 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

There are many diets that really work, the menu of which is laid out by week and month. This will undoubtedly make your life easier, because you won’t have to frantically search for recipes and run around the nearest stores in search of the right ingredients.

Don’t forget to use your imagination and delight yourself every day with dietary and culinary delights!

How to have dinner after work healthy, correctly, without overeating?

It is better to have a light dinner and avoid meat. Therefore, salad is an ideal option for the evening. Plus, it cooks quickly.

Here are some healthy and quick dinner options for those who are very tired after work.

Examples of salads:

Greek salad:

tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, red onion, olives, feta cheese. Dressing - olive oil.

Beetroot and apple salad:

You can boil the beets in advance, let them wait for you in the refrigerator. Grate the ingredients and season with oil.

Cabbage, tomato and bell pepper salad:

season with oil and a few drops of vinegar.

Salad with tuna:

canned tuna, lettuce, cucumber, egg and crackers.

Caprese salad:

tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, olive oil.

Sandwiches can be “correct”

Take whole grain bread or crispbread. For toppings, use fish, avocado, Adyghe cheese, vegetables, sesame seeds, hummus.

Another useful evening product is kefir.

You can make smoothies based on it. Place banana / kiwi / dates / berries / dried fruits / other fruits of your choice in a blender, add kefir and grind.

You can prepare the “base” of the dish in advance

Boil rice, buckwheat, barley, durum pasta. And when you return home, quickly fry vegetables (cabbage, carrots, peppers, onions) in a wok pan, add rice and season with soy sauce. Or stew frozen mushrooms and add pre-boiled buckwheat to them, while at the same time cutting up a salad of fresh vegetables.

Healthy food of the 21st century

In the age of high technology and online life, proper and healthy nutrition (which also helps you lose weight) is a fashionable trend. Although many young people distinguish between the concepts of diet and proper nutrition (PN). But today we can say with confidence that an era is coming where the diet will be equal to PP. It has become possible to achieve great results in working on your figure without making Herculean efforts. The main thing is to eat right.

Bloggers often share photos of their breakfasts, lunches and dinners with subscribers. They broadcast a healthy lifestyle to the whole world. In their photos you won’t see high-calorie or simply “non-photogenic” food. Breakfast in the form of a smoothie of fresh fruit and oatmeal (the photo composition is diluted with flower petals and berries scattered on the table). Lunch consists of cream of mushroom soup, vegetable salad and a handful of nuts. Dinner: turkey meatballs with herbs and fruit tea. Try taking a photo of your lunch so that it gets hundreds or thousands of likes! It already looks like a sport.

Popular bloggers, models and famous people prove by example that healthy food is the most photogenic.

Lose weight and eat right!

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.