Nutrition guide

What does a healthy diet plan for weight loss look like? What foods should be excluded from the PP diet, how much protein, carbohydrates and fat should I daily?

Basic rules for healthy eating

healthy foods

For optimal results, especially if you are just starting out with a healthy lifestyle, you can follow the MyPlate approach. That is, you divide each meal into 5 food groups. Read more about them.

Protein

Protein ideally should make up about 20% of your total daily calories.

How much protein should you eat?

You should consume about 0. 8 to 1. 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Try to divide this amount by all your meals and snacks throughout the day, rather than turning them into one or two meals. Protein is especially important if you are trying to lose weight by burning body fat. The fact is that more energy is required to break down and assimilate protein than any other macronutrient, leading to higher calorie consumption.

Cereals

Grains often have a bad reputation because most cereal foods today are industrially processed and converted into fast carbohydrates like sweet grains and white bread. If you choose whole grains and unprocessed grains, you'll immediately get all the cereal's benefits: energy, vitamins and minerals that are essential for the normal functioning of your body.

How many cereals do you need?

You need about six servings of whole grains or 170 grams per day. One slice of bread and a half cup of cooked rice or pasta count as one serving. At least half of your serving should be whole grains.

Fruit

What more do you need in your diet to lose weight? Fruit. Even the fact that fruit contains sugar, more specifically fructose, shouldn't matter if you don't exceed your daily caloric intake. Your body needs fructose to stay healthy. So fruits have a naturally sweet taste, which means they can satisfy your sugar cravings if you don't want to eat chocolate at night.

How much fruit do you need?

You should consume about two servings per day. An entire apple, orange or banana counts as one serving.

Which fruit should you choose?

You should eat the majority of fresh fruit and limit your intake of juices and processed foods like apple sauce (unless you make your own).

Vegetables

If you really want to know how to eat properly to lose weight, just remember vegetables - your new best friend. They are rich in fiber, which is beneficial for your digestive system. They are also low in calories and filling, so you can eat more vegetables than other foods and consume fewer calories at the same time, ultimately leading to quality weight loss.

How many vegetables should you eat?

You need three to four servings.

Which vegetables to choose?

Try to eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli, and asparagus. Starchy vegetables like potatoes are also beneficial. Cooking vegetables (without boiling, as it depletes nutrients) is one way to improve the taste if you don't like to eat it raw.

Dairy products

We consume dairy products because they contain many vitamins and minerals. These are protein-rich foods, so a snack like cheese is ideal if you need to eat something before your next full meal. Since dairy products are generally an excellent source of protein, they are also part of the weight loss package.

How many dairy products do you need?

Typically, you need about three servings of dairy products per day. One cup of milk or yogurt counts as one serving.

What if you can't / don't want to consume dairy products?

These are not dairy products, but their nutrients that are important to a healthy diet. So if you can't eat dairy products due to an allergy or lactose intolerance, or you don't like them, there are other potential ways to get those essential vitamins and minerals. great effect.

  • Broccoli, cabbage, figs and oranges are rich in calcium.
  • Dark green leafy vegetables (cabbage, broccoli), tomatoes and citrus fruits are high in vitamin C.
  • Minerals like phosphorus, magnesium and iron are found in many other foods that you have eaten.
  • You can also take a daily multivitamin to fill those micronutrient gaps.

What about fat?

Technically, fats and oils are no longer a separate food group. While on the diet, you can automatically consume the fats needed to stay healthy.

And where do I get fat?

If you eat a variety of healthy foods you will get all the healthy fats you need. But no more than 30% of your daily calories come from fat.

The Truth About Carbohydrates

You may have heard that not all carbohydrates (sugars) are bad. When you see experts talking about how sugar affects you, they often talk about added sugars. Such sugars are added to our foods during processing for a number of reasons and should be limited, if not excluded.

However, carbohydrates found in grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy products are not moderately harmful. You shouldn't be scared of this type of sugar. In your body, it turns into the energy you need to stay healthy.

How many calories should I consume per day?

How many calories should you consume

Now that you know how to eat well for weight loss, you are probably still wondering how many calories you can eat per day. Technically, you don't need to count calories if you don't want to. The standard for men and women is 2000 kcal. You can calculate your calorie needs if you really want to know and track them daily, but it all depends on what you eat and your activity level. Pay attention to foods and serving sizes instead, as this can be a much more effective, but less difficult, way to achieve results.

Calculates daily calories for weight loss

To find out how many calories you need per day, you can use one of the calorie formulas. The most commonly used recipe is Tom Venut. She looks like this:

Men: 66 + (13. 5 x body weight) + (5 x height in cm) - (6. 8 x age in years)

Female: 665 + (9. 6 x body weight) + (1. 8 x height in cm) - (4. 7 x age in years)

The resulting number multiplied by the coefficient of physical activity:

  • Sedentary work, sedentary lifestyle: 1. 2
  • Average stress level (doing morning exercise 3 times a week) 1. 38
  • Heavy load 1. 56
  • Very heavy download1, 73
  • Really extreme (you won't be able to carry that much, don't even think. 1, 9

But if you start asking questions like "Why can't you lose weight? " then it's possible that your daily caloric intake is overestimated and the body simply doesn't need to anticipate it. fat storage. In this case, it is better to calculate your daily calories and make a menu based on the data obtained. It is especially important to know the calorie content of the portion of the diet, once the weight has stopped after a certain result has been reached, it is easier to cut down on the portion by 500 calories and continue to lose weight. .

One serving is:

  • 100-150 grams of vegetables (the size of your fist);
  • 150 ml of dairy products;
  • 120 g meat or fish (palm size; )
  • 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil;
  • 12 grapes;
  • 1 apple, banana, orange or pear;
  • 1/2 mango or a grapefruit;
  • 1/4 avocado.

Track your balance

In order to lose weight without harming health and maintain good, harmonious health, the body needs an adequate supply of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Approximate ratio - 75 g protein: 60 g fat: 250 g carbohydrate: 30 g fiber. Protein foods are a source of amino acids for building muscle fibers, maintaining healthy skin, hair, nails, fats for the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, as well as for skin, and carbohydrates. is the source of energy.

Is the timing of the meal important?

Optional. Cook yourself and eat when you're hungry, even if it's just a snack. If you want to eat six small meals a day rather than three large meals a day, do so. If you like to gobble up yourself every few hours, just eating 3 times a day at a convenient time is enough. Just don't skip meals (you'll eat it, but be somewhere during the night and ruin potential quality results). Diet is important, but not about timing, but quality.

Menu and meal planning

You can eat a complete and well-balanced meal every day while maintaining a healthy diet. The trick is to eat different types of food. Below are sample breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus to help you get started in your meal planning.

Daily Serving:

Breakfast

  • Lean Greek yogurt or oatmeal with fruit and granola
  • Half a round bread with fat-free cream cheese

Lunch

  • 2 shawarma dishes (tortilla, beef, lettuce, guacomole, sour cream)
  • 1 bowl of brown rice cooked with baked beans

Dinner

  • Small salad (lettuce, shallot, tomato, cheese, Italian sauce)
  • Grilled chicken breast
  • 1 bowl of green beans
  • Baked potatoes with cheese

Snack ideas

  • Celery and nut butter
  • Fresh vegetables with hummus
  • Sliced ​​fruit and whipped cream
  • Apple sauce
  • Cookies
  • Dried fruit
  • Nuts
  • Tortilla and salsa
  • Pickled cucumber

Shopping list

Here are some examples of healthy foods you can buy from your local grocery store. Knowing what foods to buy is part of the weight loss package.

Healthy food:

  • Meat (steak, pork, beef)
  • Fish and shellfish
  • Eggs
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Cereals
  • Whole grain pasta
  • Brown rice
  • Buckwheat
  • Whole grain bread
  • Greek yogurt
  • Cheese
  • Milk or soy milk
  • Avocado
  • Fatty fish like salmon
  • Nuts
  • Fatty yogurt

A Beginner's Guide to Healthy Eating Planning

Meal planning

Diet planning is one of the simplest and most beneficial things you can do to achieve weight loss results through a healthy diet. Whether it's just for a day or a week, it's up to you. A properly formulated diet not only gives us the opportunity to lose weight, but also comes in handy when every food problem is tackled first. When the ingredients for a delicious and healthy dish are waiting for us at home, it becomes easier to avoid buying the harmful stuff.

1. How many meals do you need?

First, let's think about our plans and the plans of our loved ones for the week. From here we get a rough idea of ​​the number of meals we need. For example, this might be: six breakfasts for everyone, five family dinners, a four-time lunch, and an afternoon snack.

2. How long to cook?

This is a very important element for effective meal planning and is often overlooked or forgotten. You can make as many plans as you want, but if you don't have enough time to complete them, what is the use of them? With this, expand your list with pre-prepared dinners and lunches. This means you must first become familiar with the dishes you will prepare - the more information you can find about them, the easier it will be for you to find dishes that fit your schedule.

If you have a hard work week ahead, be mindful of quick meals, reheat meals, or pre-cooked meals that can be served quickly. After all, we don't want to waste any time cooking, doing it five times a day. Having done the kitchen once, you can cook a few dishes a week. For example, making a chili or frying two chickens at the same time will suffice for dinner for today and for dinner. Furthermore, it will be a delicious and healthy addition to breads and salads.

3. Selection and scheduling of dishes

Using your list, choose meals that organically matches your schedule. Alternatively, check out a loved one's favorite foods or flip through a recipe book. You also need to consider the time of year, what is currently being sold from seasonal vegetables and what people want to eat. When planning, you also need to remember the expiration dates of the products. For example, fish dishes must be cooked within one to two days of purchasing fish, while frozen or dried food can be prepared afterwards.

You also need to be able to use all the ingredients wisely so you don't have to throw anything out. This way you can save both time and money. If you want to eat better and spend less money, then buy seasonal products and look for products with discounts or promotions.

Make a list of top recipes. Listing the meals that are right for you and your family is one of the easiest ways to calculate and streamline your meal planning process. Every time you find a recipe for a food you like, put it on this list. You can also write recipes in your fitness log. This not only helps you stick to your diet, but also makes it easier to plan your meals.

4. Import everything into your calendar

It doesn't matter what calendar you use, whether it's on the computer screen or on the wall. But it's best to keep a copy of your calendar in plain view. Usually it is hung on the refrigerator. As the plans for today's dishes are displayed, we become more responsible for their preparation. Also, your family will not constantly ask, “What did you eat tonight? ” They could only look at the calendar.

If you like digital calendars, you can create today's meal plans on your phone and share this menu with friends and family.

5. Make a shopping list

This is best done at the same time as filling in the calendar. Remember to write down the quantity of each item you need, and also check how much you have left so you don't accidentally overbuy. You can save time by organizing the products on your list into groups as they appear in the store. For many supermarkets, this is:

  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Bread and cereals
  • Condiments and baked goods
  • Oil
  • Crackers
  • Drinks
  • Dairy products
  • Meat and eggs

6. Preparing and preparing meals

Cut vegetables, grate cheese, make sauces - just prepare what's available in advance. You can even measure the seasoning, boil potatoes or fry vegetables.

Meal scheduling not only puts us in the key position to achieve a healthy diet, but also saves a lot of time as we can prepare ingredients when you have free time.