Diet on vegetables: principles, types, recommendations of nutritionists

Losing weight on vegetables has become a fashion trend. It is actively promoted by nutritionists as a constant principle of nutrition, which helps maintain normal weight. And it is recommended for fasting days, helping to get rid of three to five extra pounds in the shortest possible time.

But is it all clear with a diet consisting only of vegetable dishes? What are the pitfalls of such nutrition? Which menu for every day will be really useful? Consider the risks of a vegetable diet.

Features of vegetable diets

“The most popular means of losing weight are physical activity and diets,” commented Maria Dmitrievskaya, a nutritionist at the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. - Many women like to sit on vegetables and fruits alone to quickly lose extra pounds. And they consider it extremely useful. However, in reality, not every organism will be able to tolerate such nutrition normally. ”

The risks

The reason is the lack of skills in our digestive system to break down substances that are quite complex for it. It's about fiber, which is rich in all fresh vegetables. Fiber is essential for the body to function properly. It supplies indigestible fibers that are not absorbed in the intestines and work on the basis of the “brush” principle. Creating a bulk mass, they absorb undigested food residues and take them with them, removing them from the intestines.

But this way fiber works only when consumed with other components of food, that is, in a diet consisting of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in a balanced amount. If there is too much fiber than any fast and “effective” diet on vegetables suffers, the body may respond with unexpected reactions.

Inability to absorb fiber and its unusual volumes lead to disruption of the digestive system, indigestion, abdominal pain and flatulence. The development of inflammatory processes with prolonged unbalanced nutrition is likely.

But what about vegetarians, you ask. After all, millions of people in the world eat exclusively vegetables and recommend their diet as healthy and balanced. The fact is that vegetarianism is a nutrition system to which the body gets used gradually, often adaptation takes place within months. At the first stages, negative manifestations of digestion are possible, but then they pass.

Application rules

In order for a vegetable diet to benefit, it is important to adhere to the following principles of a balanced diet.

• 60% of vegetables in the diet. Eating only vegetables is unacceptable. It is important to combine them with other products. The menu should include meat or fish - important suppliers of protein, fruits and nuts - sources of vitamins, valuable unsaturated fats. It is important to include greens, cereals in the diet.
• At least 450 grams per day. Such a volume is necessary for the normal functioning of the body.According to statistics, most Russians consume no more than two hundred grams of vegetables per day.
• Fresh use. Products without heat treatment are less caloric, as they are absorbed worse by the body. In addition, they contain a rich range of valuable substances. It is in this form that the properties of fiber and pectins are preserved, which contribute to the normalization of the intestines. After boiling, frying, rutin, ascorbic and folic acids are destroyed, which are necessary for the work of the nervous system, immunity. If you can’t eat vegetables fresh, use them frozen. As such, they retain up to seventy percent of the valuable components.
• Enough clean water. Water-rich vegetables create the illusion of a lack of thirst. In fact, the moisture in their composition is in a bound form, and our body does not receive its necessary volume for a good metabolism. Drinking clean drinking water is important for weight loss. Drink at least two liters of water daily.

It is important to consider any kind of vegetable diet not as a temporary and quick way to lose weight. “Often we set incredible goals when we strive to lose weight,” says Maria Dmitrievskaya, nutritionist at the RAMS. - We want everything at once. If you lose weight, then ten kilograms a week, if you diet, that is, a minimum of foods or even starve. But such an approach will not be useful. ”

New Nutrition Principles

“A person needs vegetables at any time of the year,” says nutritionist Lyudmila Denisova, a doctor. - Today there are enough scientific studies that have confirmed in “numbers” what humanity has known hundreds of years ago. They are recognized as the main suppliers of mineral salts, organic acids, dietary fiber. "

In vegetables, substances vital to the human body have been identified.

• Sulforaphene. Organic compound with anti-cancer activity. They are rich in Brussels and cauliflower, broccoli.
• Sulfides. Substances that normalize blood pressure reduce the risk of thrombosis. They are found in all types of cabbage and radishes.
• Bioflavonoids. The most important compounds for the body, which are in all vegetable crops. They have antioxidant properties, reduce the effects of negative factors of oxygen oxidation on tissues, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and improve the immune system.
• Phenolic acids. Natural "filters" for the digestive tract, which remove accumulated nitrates from the body.
• Sterols Substances that lower cholesterol and prevent the development of sclerotic diseases.

The vegetables are high in essential oils, which improve appetite, stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and digestion. That is why it is recommended to start any meal with them.

Follow the principles of the vegetable program for weight loss.

• Not a diet, but a constant diet. A balanced diet, including at least sixty percent vegetable, protein, long carbohydrates and healthy fats, will provide a slow but steady weight loss, without harm to the body.
• Do not risk your health. Vegetable diet for weight loss minus 10 kg per week will only bring harm to your body. Do not try to get rid of extra pounds as quickly as possible. Such rapid weight loss is a massive stress for the body, which can lead to hormonal disorders, depression, sleep disturbances, weakness, and decreased immunity. Unfortunately, any fast weight loss techniques do not guarantee stability. The results of those who lost weight, achieved with great difficulty, are usually short-lived, new kilograms return with the usual diet.
• Eat. The main principle of losing weight is. This was first stated by the French nutritionist Michel Montignac. Today, this principle has formed the basis of most effective methods of losing weight, allowing without starvation, damage to health to gain normal weight.Starving during the diet is unacceptable, since hunger causes the release of the stress hormone cortisol. He, in turn, slows down the metabolism and orders the body not to spend, but to store fat deposits in the form of resources necessary for the body to survive under stressful conditions.
• Eat small meals. It is important to accustom the body to the consumption of a small amount of food, and a meat and vegetable diet is perfect for this. A single rate of food consumption is no more than a handful, that is, a volume of about one hundred and fifty - two hundred grams. Arrange snacks with fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits.
• Exclude fast food. This category includes not only hamburgers and chips, but also any semi-finished products. Do not eat instant foods, including cereals from sachets, frozen meatballs. Refuse sausages, refined products, pastries. Do not drink packaged juice in which there is no fiber, but a lot of natural sugars.
• Give up mayonnaise. Most of us are used to dressing vegetable salad with mayonnaise and do not imagine other types of dressings. Use sour cream up to fifteen percent fat or low-fat yogurt as such. The best salad dressing will be olive oilrich in valuable unsaturated fats.
• Do not give up delicious. Fruit, cottage cheese, kefir and vegetable diet is always associated with severe dietary restrictions. But when it comes to developing food habits, limiting the body in your favorite foods is fraught with disruptions. Find for yourself new types of desserts, no less tasty than butter cookies or chocolate. It can be sweet dried fruits, candy, ice cream without additives. Such desserts are not only tasty, but also healthy.

Do not forget to play sports. Start with hiking, a short run, five-minute light gymnastics in the morning. The value of physical activity with a balanced diet is not at all in the intense consumption of calories. Physical activity makes the muscles "wake up", namely muscle mass requires the maximum amount of energy. The intensity of energy consumption from the muscles is seven times higher than adipose tissue. So train them to be in shape.

Popular diets on vegetables

One of the most famous vegetable diets is the method of losing weight by Kim Protasov. According to it, for two weeks it is necessary to eat only vegetables and fruits in raw form, and then add meat or fish to them. Such a protein-vegetable diet really stimulates weight loss. But you need to approach it and other types of limited nutrition carefully.

“It’s convenient to lose weight on vegetables,” comments nutritionist Yevgenia Maevskaya. - They will help clean the intestines, due to the diuretic action they will relieve swelling. Therefore, the result is the impression of significant weight loss. But such diets are always unbalanced and create a protein deficiency in the body. ”

Given the risks of vegetable diets, Evgenia Maevskaya recommends avoiding a single-component diet, and choosing, for example, a milk-vegetable diet, in which, in addition to the main products, there will also be non-skim milk or cottage cheese. A fish and vegetable diet is preferable for the body than just a vegetable diet, since the diet contains proteins and valuable fats.

But even such a diet should not be observed for a long time. “Despite the recommendations of the authors, a curd-vegetable diet, fruit, any other diet should be followed no more than two to four days. And you need to resort to them no more than twice a year. ”

Cabbage

The simplest and most effective diet, according to its author, dietitian Gillian McCate. Its essence is the use of low-calorie cabbage.You can eat all kinds of this healthy vegetable up to nine hundred grams per day. A somewhat balanced diet allows the inclusion of other types of vegetables in boiled or stewed form, fruits, cottage cheese, dairy products, low-fat meat and brown rice.

Gillian McCait recommends following a diet for no longer than fourteen days. In a week, such a diet stimulates the loss of up to seven kilograms of weight, and also cleanses the body of toxins.

Fruit and vegetable

Fruits and vegetables are abundant on our table in the summer. Choose non-starchy vegetables (all potatoes and carrots) and unsweetened fruits (except grapes, bananas). On a day, a fruit and vegetable diet allows you to eat up to two kilograms of staple foods, dividing them into small portions, designed for 5-6 meals. In winter, you can replace fresh fruits with baby purees without sugar from jars.

The disadvantage of such nutrition is not only a deficiency of protein and fat, but also a number of vitamins, since usually the diet is limited to a couple of vegetables and fruits. Be sure to include in it meat, low-fat dairy products, nuts, fresh herbs.

According to dietitian Evgenia Mayevskaya, it is important to consider other nuances of the fruit and vegetable diet.

• Better less. Stick to this diet for up to three days. Otherwise, you risk getting problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
• Separate food. Vegetables and fruits, especially sour ones, cannot be combined in one meal.
• Starchy cereal products are best added to fruits. It can be whole grain breads, oat and wheat bran. This will make you feel full longer.

Add vegetable oil to the diet: one to two tablespoons in the form of salad dressing.

Protein-vegetable

Dietitian Svetlana Fus recommends following a protein-vegetable diet all the time. It contains a large number of components that form a diverse diet. Menus for a week of vegetable diet can be developed based on your preferences and tastes.

A ration of one day may look as follows.

• Breakfast. Cereal porridge with dried fruits. Her hearty and healthy alternatives are cottage cheese, fried eggs with vegetables, boiled low-fat poultry, cheese.
• Snack. Yogurt, cheese, favorite fruits.
• Dinner. Fresh vegetable salad with vegetable oil, chicken fillet or baked fish.
• Snack. Yogurt, nuts.
• Dinner. Steamed or baked vegetables, chicken liver, buckwheat.

The diet should be formed in such a way that the most satisfying meal was for breakfast, and the lightest for dinner. At the same time, breakfast must be warm, as the body does not absorb cold dishes in the morning. It is better to drink coffee or tea thirty minutes after eating.

Nutritionist Svetlana Fus recommends moderate physical activity, which will help the body stay in good shape. And planning a dinner is not until 18.00, because with the modern rhythm of life, this is often impossible, but two to three hours before bedtime.

On celery

The diet is based on the use of celery soup. However, this rule is conditional. Other vegetables are added to the celery broth; you are not limited in their choice. It can be onions, bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and in any proportions.

Such vegetable soup can be eaten in any quantity, it is only important to establish the frequency of food intake from three to five times a day. Nutritionist Evgenia Maevskaya advises adding little lean beef to the diet, but cooking it not with vegetables, but separately. You can eat some fruits, rice, low-fat dairy products during the day.

A diet should be followed for no more than one week, during which a loss of up to seven kilograms is achieved. It is important to remember that during heat treatment vitamins die in vegetables, but trace elements remain. The diet is attractive in the summer, in the heat it will provide the consumption of large quantities of water.

There are a large number of diets based on the use of vegetables. This is a milk, cottage cheese, fruit, buckwheat and vegetable diet and others.They are based on the principle of consuming foods rich in fiber, vitamins and trace elements, which, of course, is valuable for the body.

But nutritionists are advised to consider a diet on vegetables not as a means for rapid weight loss, requiring a sharp restriction on the use of other products. And as a way to gradual, safe weight loss with the formation of the right eating habits. And vegetables with this approach to losing weight become the best basis for a balanced diet.

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