Proper nutrition: menu and how to prepare

Proper nutrition is the key to great health and physique

Nowadays, healthy eating is a very popular and popular topic. The internet is simply full of advice and recommendations, however, following them mindlessly is irrational and simply unhealthy.

Therefore, when preparing a reasonable nutritional menu, you should consult a nutritionist. And in general, it will not be superfluous to study the literature specifically on this issue. The main thing is to use reliable sources. For example, the World Health Organization regularly addresses the topic of proper nutrition in its methodological documents.

So, the experts of the organization presented 10 principles that will make any diet more useful:

  1. A varied diet helps the body get all the diverse nutrients;
  2. Whole grains favorably affect the intestinal microflora, improving its work;
  3. Fruits, vegetables and nuts are the best snacking options;
  4. One teaspoon of salt per day is the daily norm for an adult, so it is better to eat less than to eat too much;
  5. It is necessary to monitor the level of sugar consumed, also pay attention to the so-called hidden sugar;
  6. Eat fatty foods in moderation;
  7. In the daily menu, priority should be given to fish or poultry, and limited to eating red meat;
  8. Ready meals are a rich cocktail of trans fats, salt, sugar and a variety of artificial additives;
  9. Fried foods will never be healthy;
  10. Alcohol in any quantity is harmful to health.

Of course, the advice from this manual does not have specific details, so it is not possible to build a suitable nutritional menu based on that. But to use it as a guide for further work - you can be quite successful.

Moreover, the best option when choosing a new diet is to consult a dietician. Such a trained doctor will provide expert opinion and devise a menu that is not only healthy but also nutritious and delicious. And today it is not necessary to go to the clinic for this. Many nutritionists hold open sessions and seminars where they share their secrets and teach others.

How to make a reasonable nutritional menu?

The first step towards a healthy diet is the menu. After all, it is the list of "allowed" products that will determine the variety of dishes, the snack system.

Nutritionists when building a reasonable nutritional menu are guided by a few key principles:

  • Meat in the diet should be combined with vegetables and fruits;
  • To function properly, you need to consume about 100-150 grams of protein per day;
  • If desired, sweets can be introduced into the diet. But it's important to remember that their use needs to be carefully calculated according to the amount of sugar, and you should not eat dessert in the afternoon;
  • Canned and semi-finished products, all kinds of sauces, as well as representatives of the most strictly prohibited fast food;
  • Food pyramids are a great way to organize your meals to guide you.

In addition, when compiling a menu, it is important to pay attention to the time between meals. Depending on their duration, the saturation of dishes with certain elements is determined. But there are also fairly general rules. For example, breakfast is best half an hour after waking up and dinner is about three hours before bedtime.

Features of the weight loss meal plan

It is important to understand that a nutrition plan also depends on the goals being pursued. So we can distinguish nutrition plan for kids, nutrition plan for different diseases, nutrition plan for athletes before competition and of course, diet plan for weight loss.

First, we note that weight loss is not possible without proper and balanced nutrition, and the latter is never meant to survive on water and vegetables. So we return to the principles of WHO - many foods provide a whole range of useful elements for the human body. This rule must be taken into account when compiling the menu.

Proper and balanced nutrition for weight loss

In addition, if you want to lose weight with the right diet, you should follow a few more rules:

  • You should eat at certain times, then the body will build a mode;
  • Meals should be divided, the optimal option is 5 times a day;
  • When it comes to meal planning, you can't go against your lifestyle. On the contrary, the menu should be adjusted accordingly.

Therefore, we have two options for a diet designed for early risers and late risers:

Diet for "Linging Bird" Diet for "Owls"
7. 00 Breakfast 10. 00 Breakfast
10. 00 First snack 13, 00 First snack
13, 00 Dinner 1500 Dinner
16, 00 Second snack 17. 00 Second snack
19. 00 Dinner 20, 00 Dinner

Another feature in composing a menu plan for weight loss is calorie counting. To do this, you need to keep a record of all the foods you eat during the day. And today it is quite simple to do this, because there are a large number of special applications for such purposes.

How to plan meals for each day?

Proper nutrition planning is a time-consuming process, the preparation must take into account the following:

  • The ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates - it can vary depending on the goal pursued. For example, in the so-called "drying" process, the percentage of protein consumed should be increased;
  • General calculation of calorie content - while the required daily calorie intake, which varies with age and lifestyle, should be evenly distributed;
  • A wide range of products respectively in terms of nutritional content and calorie content - only the right and balanced nutrition can bring results. Refusing to eat will only harm your health.

It's also important to keep in mind that "unscheduled" snacking should not be viewed as a tragedy, but rather analyze them and change the frequency or composition of meals afterward. Another obstacle can be new foods to the diet. For example, while dieting, it's best not to experiment with new flavor combinations, as they can also negatively affect the regimen.

You can learn more about the rules of nutrition, the principles of forming a healthy diet in courses on dieting.

Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that the following types of products should be the basis of a proper nutritional menu:

  • Chicken;
  • Turkey;
  • Fish;
  • Seafood;
  • Egg;
  • Dairy products;
  • Fruit;
  • Vegetable;
  • Green;
  • Nuts;
  • Seeds;
  • natural spices;
  • spice;
  • Whole grain products;
  • pea's tree;
  • Olive oil, flaxseed, corn, sesame.

It is necessary to exclude from the diet:

  • Sausage;
  • Smoked products;
  • Canned food;
  • Vacuum packed snacks;
  • Semi-finished products;
  • Dipping sauce;
  • Meals are ready to be reheated in the microwave;
  • Fast food;
  • Soft drink;
  • Juice in the package.
To lose weight, fast food is replaced with fruit

In particular, it is worth noting that salted nuts do not belong to the proper nutritional group, like any product that contains a lot of spices, additives and flavors. As for confectionery products, they should be kept to a minimum, and their ingredients should also be handled responsibly. For example, maybe you have an oatmeal muffin for breakfast.

weekly nutrition program

Overall, a healthy, balanced diet can be quite varied, so it's perfectly possible to build a menu that includes new dishes every day. We present an example of a menu for a week in accordance with all the recommendations made previously:

Day of the week Breakfast Dinner Dinner
Monday
  • Oatmeal with dried fruit;
  • 2/3 cup low-fat milk
  • fruit.
  • Vegetable salads (for example, you can use olive oil as a dressing);
  • whole grain bread with herbs, boiled chicken breast and soft cheese;
  • fruit.
Grilled fish, vegetable salad as an accompaniment.
Tuesday
  • Whole grain toast;
  • cheese;
  • boiled eggs;
  • fruit.
  • Salad of bulgur, chicken breast and cherry tomatoes (can be seasoned with honey and Dijon mustard);
  • fruit.
  • Whole-grain pasta with tomatoes and dried herbs;
  • herbal tea.
Wednesday
  • Honey cheese;
  • nuts;
  • fresh juice.
  • Sandwich with salmon, avocado and dill on whole grain bread;
  • natural yogurt.
Chicken fillet with grilled vegetables.
Thursday
  • An omelet from two eggs;
  • tomato;
  • cheese;
  • Small baked apples with honey and cinnamon.
  • Chicken soup with vegetables;
  • salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, flaxseeds with dressing (olive oil).
Pita with lean beef, lettuce, sauce - natural yogurt, garlic and dill.
Friday
  • Smoothies (banana, yogurt, vanilla);
  • roll with salmon, avocado and cucumber.
  • Grilled Pumpkin Salad, Spinach, Cheese and Lemon Oil Sauce;
  • rye bread with lean ham;
  • fruit.
  • Steak with fresh vegetables;
  • Baked apples with honey and cinnamon.
Saturday
  • Buckwheat with carrots and bell peppers;
  • natural yogurt;
  • fruit.
Couscous with carrots, onions, corn, green beans.
  • Grilled radish;
  • rye bread with soft goat cheese;
  • olive.
Sunday
  • Cheesecake with maple syrup;
  • natural yogurt;
  • fruit.
  • Broth with toast and boiled eggs;
  • Tomato and mozzarella salad with balsamic dressing.
  • Bell peppers stuffed with brown rice and ground beef;
  • Cherry tomatoes with soft cheese and herbs to enjoy.

It should be noted that when introducing snacks into the diet, fruits and nuts will need to be removed from the main menu. In other words, an apple from breakfast is carried over to an afternoon snack. A similar system can be used in reverse, adding snacks to the main meals - breakfast and lunch.

It's important to remember that servings are individualized, based on age, health status, lifestyle, and daily calorie intake. Therefore, serving sizes for men and women will be different.

The secret of proper nutrition

We offer some simple, yet delicious and healthy dishes for every day.

  1. Smoothies - 67-70 kcal / 100 gr.Smoothies made from yogurt in a healthy diet

    Element:

    • Banana - 1 fruit.
    • Oatmeal - 30 gr.
    • Yogurt (or kefir) - 100-150 gr.
    • Vanilla - to taste.

    Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. If desired, you can also add peaches or pears, but do not overdo the sweet fruit.

  2. Oatmeal pancakes - 152 kcal / 100 gr.Eat right, you can cook oat apple pie for breakfast

    Element:

    • Oatmeal - 80 gr.
    • Medium apple - 1 piece.
    • Chicken eggs - 1.
    • Honey - 30 gr.

    Grind the oatmeal in a blender. Wipe the apples, mix with the resulting flour and eggs. Fry for about 3 minutes on each side. The dish can be served with honey.

  3. Lecho salad - 50 kcal / 100 gr.Lecho salad can be served as a delicious and healthy side dish.

    Element:

    • Bulgarian pepper - 4 seeds.
    • Eggplant - 1 fruit.
    • Tomatoes - 3 pieces.
    • Vinegar - to taste.
    • Green - to enjoy.
    • Salt - to taste.
    • Vegetable Oil - Art. a spoon.

    Bake the vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes, then peel and chop. Add chopped herbs, oil, vinegar, salt to the resulting salad, mix well.

  4. Mushroom puree soup - 30 kcal / 100 gr.Mushroom puree soup - a fragrant dish for a healthy diet

    Element:

    • Champignon mushrooms - 700 gr.
    • Onion - 1 bulb.
    • Carrot - 1 tuber.
    • Milk - 250 ml.
    • Green - to enjoy.

    Mushrooms must be boiled with boiling water to incubate. Chop onion and carrot, cook with mushrooms for 15 minutes. Boil milk. Transfer soup to a blender, add milk, then whisk until pureed, garnish with herbs if desired.

  5. Beef stew - 80 kcal / 100 gr.Reasonable nutritional menu including beef stew with vegetables

    Element:

    • Beef - 100 gr.
    • Buckwheat groats - 150 gr.
    • Carrot - 1 tuber.
    • Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
    • Onion - 1 bulb.
    • Lemonade - to taste.
    • Green - to enjoy.

    Marinate the meat with the onion and lemon juice for an hour. Stew carrots, tomatoes, onions and beef in a pan. When ready, add the greens. As a side dish - buckwheat (cooked without salt).

  6. Lean sausage - 269. 98 kcal / 100 gr.Useful dried fruits for making sweet lean sausages

    Element:

    • Dates - 125 gr.
    • Dried plums - 125 gr.
    • Nuts - 100 gr.
    • Sesame - 2 tbsp. spoon.
    • Orange - 1 pc.
    • Cinnamon - teaspoon.

    Plums and dates must be washed and pitted, then chopped in a blender. In the resulting mixture, add orange peel and 1 tbsp. a teaspoon of orange juice, mix well. Toast the nuts in the pan a little in advance (don't add any oil). Mix all ingredients until smooth. Put the mixture on cling film, roll it up, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds on top. Place the sweet sausage in the refrigerator for half an hour.

If you want to create a menu for a specific purpose, such as weight loss, the most effective option is to follow a dietitian's diet. He will consider the individual characteristics of your body and create a nutritional plan to help you achieve your goals.