Pearl barley diet. How to lose 10 kg in a week. Rules, menu for every day

Kuzmina Vera Valerievna

Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Surely every adult has heard at least once in his life that you can’t eat at night. The thought is firmly ingrained in our heads: “eating after 18:00 is a taboo, otherwise weight gain cannot be avoided.” If you adhere to such “false principles” of healthy eating, then it’s time to forget about them. Scientists have proven that eating in the evening is not only possible, but also necessary.

However, not all so simple. Understanding how the body works in the evening and at night will help you competently create a menu and have a full dinner without fear for your figure.

Composition of pearl barley

Pearl barley dishes are becoming less and less common in the modern diet. The appearance, taste and cooking time of this product do not always meet expectations and do not satisfy nutritional requirements for side dishes.

However, this undeservedly forgotten cereal has a multifaceted beneficial effect on the body due to its composition, which is why in former times it was called “royal”.

The composition of pearl barley includes the following substances:

• vitamins A, B, E, K;
• trace elements (iron, zinc, copper, manganese, fluorine and chromium);
• macroelements (potassium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur);
• significant amount of fiber;
• amino acids, including lysine - an essential substance that is involved in the production of hormones, enzymes and antibodies;
• carbohydrates, more than 70%;
• proteins, almost 10%;
• fats, less than 1%;
• sugar.

It should be noted that barley groats contain several times more phosphorus than other cereals, and thanks to the presence of lysine, a feeling of satiety comes quite quickly. Having a rich composition of nutritional elements, barley is able to replenish most of the substances necessary for humans, favorably influencing many life processes.

Regular consumption of pearl barley helps strengthen the immune system, as well as hair and nails, and normalize the functioning of the nervous and digestive systems.

Experts, when systematically consuming dishes with pearl barley, note an increase in immunity, strengthening of nails and hair, normalization of the nervous and digestive systems, and antibactericidal and antifungal effects.

Pearl barley is usually divided into types:

• pearl barley, it is made from whole barley;
• “Dutch”, such cereals also look like whole grains, which are subjected to deeper processing, which speeds up the process of its preparation;
• barley, in which the grains are crushed into pieces, the grain becomes small and cooks quickly.

A barley diet of 10 kg per week, despite the fact that this product is a carbohydrate product, according to nutritionists, is considered a complete and effective way to lose weight. For the result to be noticeable, you need to prepare the porridge correctly and follow the recommendations of experts.

During the diet, you should not consume salt and sugar; the porridge is cooked in water.

Why do we eat at night?

Always want to eat something before bed? There may be two reasons. “First of all, the issue may be related to the incorrect distribution of the multiplicity of the diet during the day and its caloric intake,” explains Natalya. - If there are fewer calories in the first half of the day than in the second to meet energy needs, the body will lose control and require food in the evening. If, in addition, the choice of foods in the evening is incorrect and you give preference to carbohydrates, the desire to eat something at night will be greater.

The second reason is incorrect sleep rhythms. Not going to bed on time can lead to overeating at night. A large number of stress factors suffered the day before will provoke nighttime rises of 3-4 hours, associated with an increase in cortisol and the desire to eat something at this time.”

The benefits of eating pearl barley

You can use “royal” cereal to cleanse the body and reduce fat in several ways. The basis of the diet can be soups with pearl barley, porridge or barley decoction. To decide for yourself the advisability of such a diet and choose the number of days needed for weight correction, you need to find out the beneficial qualities of such diets.

The benefits of a barley-dominated diet are as follows:

• the opportunity to eat not only porridge, but also soup, without deviating from the diet;
• the glycemic index in such cereals is quite low, which does not change blood sugar levels and does not cause a strong feeling of hunger;
• Barley dishes have a pleasant sweetish taste and go well with other ingredients;
• the diet helps to properly adjust the functioning of the intestines, this effect persists for some time after stopping mononutrition;
• Without being subjected to grinding, the grains retain shells that are useful for digestion;
• preparing dishes for the pearl barley diet minus 10 kg does not take much time, is simple and does not get boring within a week;
• much cheaper than other diets;

An excellent budget option for losing weight is a barley diet. 10 kg per week - the result this technique allows you to achieve

• by absorbing a large amount of water during cooking, the barley grains become voluminous, the serving becomes low-calorie;
• grains do not cause allergies, the diet does not lose effectiveness when repeated.

Cooking low-fat cottage cheese at home

There are many ways you can prepare delicious low-fat cottage cheese at home. For this purpose, you can use fresh and sour homemade milk, kefir and even fermented baked milk.

The fat content of the cottage cheese itself will depend on the chosen product and its fat content.

Here is a simple and quick recipe for making homemade cottage cheese.

Low-fat cottage cheese - a simple recipe

Ingredients:

• homemade low-fat milk – 2.5 l.;
• sour cream – 4 tbsp. spoons.

Cooking method:

Pour 100 milk into an aluminum or stainless steel pan, add 4 tbsp. spoons of sour cream, stir, leave the liquid on low heat for 10 minutes, add the remaining portion of milk and sour cream, put the mixture in a warm place, wait for the milk to completely sour.

Heat the sour milk in a water bath for 10-20 minutes, separate the curd from the whey, fold it into gauze and hang it up for 4-5 hours until the liquid has completely drained.

Diet effectiveness

Pearl barley belongs to dishes containing slow carbohydrates. Having a low calorie content, it can, if consumed correctly, reduce weight by several kilograms. This is due to the cleansing effect of cereals, increased metabolism and diuretic effects.

Depending on the diet, where you eat only pearl barley, or supplement it with combined products, you can control the rate of weight loss. A strict diet combined with daily fitness exercises is guaranteed to eliminate 10 kg.

At the same time, by eating more varied, but with fewer restrictions, girls lose 1 kg per day. Within a week of such nutrition, not only weight loss and correction of problem areas are observed, but at the same time, mood improves, additional energy and lightness appear, sleep improves, and complexion evens out.

While on a diet, try to, if not exercise, at least lead an active lifestyle.

Principles of the pearl barley diet:

• the result will be more noticeable if during this period you engage in physical exercise and lead an active lifestyle;
• pearl barley expands greatly when cooked, so you only need to cook the recommended portion;
• the diet will be effective only if the cereal is cooked in water without additional additives;
• the diet lasts no more than 7 days;
• in the first 2 days of the diet, weight is lost due to the removal of excess fluid and toxins from the body, then fat is broken down;
• a barley diet of about 10 kg per week should include a large amount of clean water, green tea, and herbal decoctions;
• Before starting the diet, you need to study possible contraindications.

If it seems very difficult to maintain a mono-diet on pearl barley with a loss of 10 kg in one week, you can be content with fasting days, which will have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system.

Combination with physical activity

Physical activity is encouraged here, but in moderation. Due to the lack of protein in food, it will be more difficult for muscles to recover after training, so you should completely forget about serious loads during the weight loss period. The best options for a pearl barley diet are:

• Fitness;
• Aerobics;
• Yoga;
• Callanetics;
• Swimming.

Walking in the morning and evening will also be a great help on the way to a beautiful figure. The main condition is to constantly monitor your own well-being in order to avoid overload. This is especially true for people with a busy work/school schedule.

Contraindications

A simple barley diet of 10 kg per week is an effective program for losing weight, but it can become not only useless, but also cause harm in the presence of conditions when barley porridge cannot be eaten.

Contraindications:

1. Tendency to constipation.
2. Gluten intolerance.
3. Increased acidity.
4. Impaired absorption of calcium.
5. Pregnancy.

During pregnancy, any diet is contraindicated, including pearl barley

Permitted and prohibited products

Several diets have been developed based on barley. If the choice is a barley diet with the addition of 10 kg of other foods to the diet for a week, you can use the recommended list offered by nutritionists.

List of permitted products:

• low fat fermented milk products;
• fresh and steamed vegetables;
• cottage cheese;
• baked beef;
• boiled chicken breast;
• buckwheat porridge;
• lean fish (cod, flounder, pollock) and seafood;
• nuts and dried fruits in small quantities;
• black chocolate;
• fruits with low sugar content.

Allowed products include fruits with minimal sugar content
. To improve the taste of porridge, you can add various spices and herbs, pepper, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar in small quantities. To lose weight quickly and adjust your shape, you need to stick to the recommended foods and exclude fatty, sweet, salty and starchy foods for a week.

The list of exceptions looks like this:

• potato;
• pears, melons, grapes;
• potatoes, chips;
• pasta, rolls, loaf;
• cookies, sweets, jam;
• ice cream, chocolate;
• sugar, salt;
• alcohol;
• sausages, sausages;
• cheeses, fatty meats and fish;
• carbonated drinks.

Recipes

Light salads

• Curd

Tear 100 g of Chinese cabbage with your hands, cut 100 g of fresh cucumber into strips, chop the greens (50 g each of dill and parsley). Add 30 ml lemon juice and stir. After this, add 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese and mix again.

• With sun-dried tomatoes

Cut 100 g of washed radish into slices. 5 pieces. put 2 sun-dried tomatoes into strips, 2 fresh ones into slices. Cut 100 g feta cheese into arbitrary pieces. Tear 3 lettuce leaves with your hands. Mix. Sprinkle with fruit vinegar and lemon juice, add salt and pepper.

• Greek

Coarsely chop 100 g of feta cheese, 1 salad pepper, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 onion. Prepare the dressing separately: mix 3 crushed garlic cloves, 10 ml of grape vinegar and 25 ml of olive oil. Mix vegetables and cheese, season with sauce, place on lettuce leaves, and top with olives.

Main dishes

• Turkey omelette

Cut the boiled turkey fillet (150 g) into small pieces, cut into strips 1 green bell pepper. Mix. Pour in 2 egg whites. Bake in the microwave for 3 minutes. Place on a plate with lettuce leaves, sprinkle with chopped green onions.

• Flounder with steamed vegetables

Cut 1 flounder carcass into portions, season it with seasonings and spices. Place 100 g of young zucchini into cubes, 100 g of eggplant and celery stalks into strips, and 2 tomatoes into slices. Crush a couple of garlic cloves. Mix the vegetables and drizzle with olive oil. Place everything in a bowl and turn on the steamer for half an hour.

• Turkey meatballs

Cut 500 g turkey fillet into small pieces and pass through a meat grinder. Add 1 raw egg, 1 small chopped onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 10 g suneli hops, salt (optional) to the minced meat. Beat the minced meat, form it into meatballs, and lightly roll in flour. Place in a thick-walled pan, pour 1.5 liters of boiling water. Add 1 more chopped onion and 1 tomato, cut into slices, add 50 g of tomato sauce, a couple of bay leaves, and a few peppercorns. Simmer for about an hour over moderate heat.

Smoothies, cocktails

• Curd

Beat 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese and 100 ml of 1% milk in a blender.

• Green

Cut 100 g of celery stalk into pieces, pour in 200 ml of 1% kefir, add 20 g of chopped dill. Beat in a blender.

• Vegetable

Cut cucumbers, tomatoes and celery stalks into 50 g pieces. Add 20 g of chopped herbs (feather onions, dill and parsley), a little pepper, Tabasco sauce. Pour 250 ml of 1% kefir. Mix in a blender.

When organizing the perfect dinner for weight loss, remember that it can only become so under two conditions: if it is healthy and you like it. This applies not only to a diet that meets the principles of a healthy diet, but also to diets. If the food seems bland and tasteless, you will go to bed on an empty stomach, which will only harm your body.

What and how to cook from pearl barley

When purchasing whole grains in packages or by weight, preference is given to crumbly pearl barley of an even golden color without foreign inclusions and without stains.

Before eating cereal, you need to check the production date. Rancid grain will not benefit the body.

Porridge

To get the maximum benefit from porridge and evaluate the weight loss effect, you need to prepare this dish correctly. Selected grains must be washed in water and soaked in a deep container for 8-10 hours. It is convenient to do this at night.

During the specified time, the grains will swell and increase in size. This trick will help the porridge cook faster and not become tough.

Then the pearl barley should be poured into boiling water and cooked for about 30 minutes. For a glass of grains take 2 glasses of water. During the cooking process, foam forms that needs to be skimmed off. It is better to eat this porridge hot or warm.

Barley soup

Soup is an excellent alternative to a porridge diet. In this case, for those losing weight, it becomes possible to eat hot liquid decoctions, which allow you to increase the portion when the number of calories remains the same.

To prepare this soup, you need to add water to the pre-soaked cereal and cook for about 30 minutes. Then add lightly sautéed mushrooms, celery, onions, and carrots to the pan. Boil for another 15 minutes.

You should have a bowl of soup for every meal, without supplementing it with other snacks. In the evening you can drink kefir. This diet allows you to lose up to 5 kg.

Nutritionist opinion

The attitude of nutritionists from different schools to late snacks is radically different. According to adherents of the Russian classical school, you should have dinner several hours before bedtime. Experts, guided by the research of Western colleagues, argue that the main role in losing weight is played not by the time of eating, but by the total daily calorie content.

Experts agree on the foods that are important to eat in the evening. Dinner or a late snack should consist of foods that provide the body with enough amino acids to renew itself.

Comments

Duration of diets

To cleanse the body, remove toxins and lose weight, one of the pearl barley diets is usually used; they differ in duration and the presence of food restrictions.

5 days

The mono-diet is based on eating porridge in small portions 3-5 times a day. You cannot eat other foods. In this case, you need to drink a lot of liquid (up to 3 liters): water, tea, decoctions and dried fruits. You are allowed to drink one glass of fermented milk drink at night.

If you are prone to constipation, nutritionists advise adding a spoonful of flax seed to the porridge, which gives a slight laxative effect.

7 days

The nutrition course is designed for one week. At the same time, the diet is easier to tolerate than the previous one due to the ability to diversify the main menu with additional products, which makes the diet more balanced and less meager.

This nutrition program is more often recommended by nutritionists who consider a monotonous short-term diet to be less effective.

10-14 days

A two-week diet plan based on pearl barley gives excellent results to those who have set a goal to lose dozens of kilograms of excess weight. It is allowed to include vegetables and fruits in the menu, eat a lot of greens and protein. The program is divided into several periods with repetition of dishes. At the same time, general prohibitions on harmful products apply here too.

The results of weight loss when following the recommendations and adding physical activity for these programs are presented in the table.

Top best dishes for dinner

If you want to lose weight, choose only dietary dishes for dinner. They should be low-calorie and as healthy as possible. A small rating will guide you and tell you exactly how to diversify the menu to benefit your health and figure.

1. Salads made from green vegetables and herbs, with herbs and spices, lemon juice or olive oil as a dressing.
2. Protein salads with pieces of chicken, shrimp, crab meat, cottage cheese, egg whites, with sour cream instead of dressing.
3. Vegetable stew.
4. Cottage cheese with herbs / cottage cheese casserole.
5. Boiled turkey/chicken.
6. Omelette (preferably baked or microwaved) with vegetables, boiled eggs.
7. Seafood salad.
8. Steamed fish.
9. Boiled beans.
10. Cocktails / smoothies / fresh juices.

In Japan. In the land of the rising sun, dinner is strictly at 18.00. The base is rice, noodles, clear misosiru and suimono soups, meat, fish, steamed vegetables, pickled snacks (tsukemono), sweets (wagashi) with green tea. Peculiarities of the meal: small portions and duration of the meal (sometimes it lasts 1.5-2 hours), since the Japanese chew everything thoroughly and know how to truly enjoy food.