Mediterranean diet - the essence of the diet, rules, recommended menu

The essence of the Mediterranean diet

The essence of the Mediterranean diet is simple: it is necessary to remove from the menu, or reduce to a minimum the consumption of red meat, refined carbohydrates and industrially processed foods. The emphasis is on complete proteins, healthy fats, grains and fruits. This will help maintain normal weight, as well as keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.

Mediterranean food traditions are:

• Plant food sources.
• There is an abundance of whole grain cereals on the menu.
• Eating foods that are in season.
• Eating products that have undergone minimal processing before serving.
• Olive oil as the main source of fat.
• Abundance of dairy products.
• Fat intake per day is from 25 to 35%.
• Mandatory consumption of fish and poultry as the main source of meat.
• Red meat on the table - 2 times a month.
• No more than 4 eggs per week.
• Drinking wine (1-2 glasses).

In a month of the Mediterranean diet you can get rid of 3-5 kg ​​of excess weight. Losing such volumes will not harm your health, which is very important when following any diet.

The right way out of the diet

No special strict exit from the Mediterranean diet is required. It is enough to gradually introduce familiar foods into your diet, adhere to rationality when choosing dishes, without exceeding calorie standards. You should not overeat, increase portions, or eat junk food.

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Mediterranean diet rules

The diet requires compliance with the following rules:

• Dressing for all salads without exception is olive oil.
• You can only drink red wine (semi-dry or dry).
• If the product can be eaten raw, then it is not subjected to heat treatment.
• Possible cooking options: steaming, boiling, baking, stewing. Frying foods is not recommended.
• To boil cereals for a short period of time, they are pre-soaked.
• Banned: fast food, sweets, processed foods.
• The last meal is 4 hours before the night's rest.
• Salt is used in minimal quantities. You can add oregano, garlic, basil, and thyme to dishes.
• Sugar should be replaced with stevia or honey.

How to create the right menu?

To properly plan your daily diet, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• Leafy vegetables – 100 g, other vegetables – 50 g.
• Potatoes – 100 g.
• Legumes – 100 g.
• Nuts – 30 g.
• Fruits: one banana, one orange and one apple. You can choose from 30 g of grapes or 200 g of watermelon/melon.
• 60 g of fish or low-fat meat per day.
• Up to 60 g of cereals (rice or pasta), 30 g of cheese.
• A glass of milk or yogurt per day, 30 g of cheese.
• One egg.
• 125 ml dry red wine.

Diet Basics: Basic Rules

This diet includes many variations depending on the region where you live, but its foundation consists of the following rules:

• The basis of the diet is the consumption of large amounts of vegetable fats.
• Cereals and pasta are only whole grains.
• Lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Snacks from seeds, dried fruits, nuts.
• It is necessary to reduce the consumption of meat (especially red), animal fat, instant cereals, baked goods, and sweets.

Thus, you will consume large amounts of vegetable fats, fiber, and complex carbohydrates.

Mediterranean diet menu

Basic principles of nutrition

It’s worth immediately debunking the myth that nutrition using this system is expensive. The rich Mediterranean cleansing diet is based on a variety of foods. It is not necessary to eat only shrimp or gourmet fish; you can always choose budget alternatives.

Basic principles:

• There is no sufficient consumption of fats; these are not fried sausages or pasties from a frying pan. We are talking about healthy virgin olive oil. You can safely water salads and other dishes without worrying about the caloric content of your daily diet.
• Lots of vegetables and fruits. The Mediterranean diet even allows grapes and bananas, which are prohibited by other systems. Plant foods should be present in every meal.
• Dairy products. It is worth focusing on natural yogurt, yogurt, fermented baked milk. There is no need to consume fermented milk products with sugar, coloring, or flavorings. If you want, you can always add berries or honey.
• Fish and seafood. Like vegetables, this category is the basis of the diet. These products should be present on the daily menu.
• White meat. You don’t need to use it often, 3-4 times a week is enough, or less often. It is based on chicken, rabbit meat, quail, and sometimes lamb.
• Cereals. The Mediterranean diet may include brown rice, durum wheat pasta, buckwheat, and pearl barley is allowed. Legumes are a must.
• Red wine. You can drink up to two glasses a day, served with lunch or dinner. It is important to choose natural wine without preservatives or excess sugar.
• Eggs. Possible, but no more than one per day
• A variety of natural spices and all kinds of fresh and dried herbs are welcome. You can eat nuts and seeds.
• Bread and rye cakes are baked goods made from wholemeal flour.

During the Mediterranean health diet, it is important to drink not only wine (although this is very pleasant), but also clean water. The daily minimum is 1.5 liters. Green tea, natural fruit juice with fresh berries, and lemon water are welcome. Just don’t turn healthy drinks into a source of carbohydrates by adding sugar or honey. The taste buds should be cleansed.

Permitted and prohibited products

The Mediterranean diet is represented by a pyramid. Its base is complex carbohydrates. They account for up to 60% of the menu. The next block is proteins (up to 30%), and the top of the pyramid is fats and simple carbohydrates (no more than 10%).

Carbohydrate foods that form the basis of the diet:

• Coated cereals (rice, barley, bulgur, etc.);
• Pasta from durum wheat;
• Wholemeal bread;
• Legumes;
• Vegetables and fruits (you need to eat at least 6 servings per day),

The center of the pyramid is products such as:

• Dairy products (up to 2 servings per day): kefir, cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, milk;
• Nuts as sources of healthy fats (one serving per day);
• Dried fruits as sources of pectin (up to 2 servings per day);
• Sea fish (no more than 6 servings per 7 days);
• Poultry (no more than 4 servings per day);
• Potatoes (no more than 3 times every 7 days);
• Egg (no more than 4 pieces per week);
• Dark chocolate and confectionery (no more than 3 times every 7 days).

Red meat is at the top of the pyramid, so lamb, beef and pork can be eaten no more than 4 times a month. In this case, the volume of servings should not exceed 100 g.

Authorized products:

Foods to avoid while on the Mediterranean diet:

• Any bread that contains sugar, yeast, baking powder or dyes;
• Any preserved products;
• Any products that have a long shelf life;
• Store-bought ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese sauce and other food additives that contain sugar and preservatives;
• Sweet and semi-sweet wines, strong alcoholic drinks, dessert wines (you can drink only high-quality wine, which reduces cholesterol levels in the blood, acts as an antioxidant, accelerates metabolic processes, improves blood composition);
• Store-bought sweets: milk chocolate, candies (only dark chocolate is allowed).

Main components of the diet

The principles of this diet were clearly presented in the form of a pyramid in 1993 at the Cambridge Medical Conference. Nutritionists have noticed the following feature of the inhabitants of Middle-earth: their life expectancy is much higher, and severe, chronic and hereditary diseases are rare. They concluded that this largely depends on nutrition, which was studied to formulate the basics of the diet.

The pyramid looks like this:

1. Physical activity is located on the foundation, helping to maintain a figure, physical and moral health.
2. The next step is foods that need to be eaten daily. These are fruits and vegetables, grains, breads, legumes, seeds and nuts.
3. The third stage is food that is allowed to be consumed about 3-4 times a week: cheeses, various types of fish and seafood.
4. The last step is heavy food, which can be consumed once a month - these are various types of meat.

It is recommended to reduce salt intake and replace it with spices and herbs. The diet also allows you to drink a little wine every day: two glasses for men (250 ml) and one for women (125 ml).

Saturated fats

Such fats are important for the human body; they participate in many processes, being responsible for various functions:

• provide hormone synthesis;
• improve the process of absorption of vitamins and minerals;
• have an impact on reproductive function;
• are active participants in energy metabolism: the breakdown of one gram of fat produces 9 kcal of energy;
• are part of cell membranes.

It is recommended to add olive oil, nuts, seeds, eggs, and red fish to your daily diet.

At the initial stages, you will have to count the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates consumed, and monitor compliance with the norm. It is recommended to purchase electronic or mechanical kitchen scales, weigh each meal, enter the data in a food diary and adjust your eating behavior accordingly. Over time, this can be abandoned.

Protein products

Protein is an equally important element for the human body; it is a kind of “building material” that makes up cells, tissues, tendons, and muscles. It also performs the following functions:

• participates in the formation of enzymes, accelerates the course of biochemical reactions;
• is part of most hormones;
• forms immunity, protective reactions of the body, fights viruses, bacteria, infections;
• is involved in the transport of substances: the hemoglobin protein, for example, is responsible for the transport of oxygen in the blood.

The protein norm is calculated individually, it all depends on height, weight, age, and level of physical activity. For the daily dose, you need to add the following products to your daily diet:

There are special tables on the Internet that allow you to calculate the correct calorie content and the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the diet. This helps a lot when losing weight.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main sources of energy for the body, which, in addition, perform a number of other vital functions:

• are part of cells;
• when 1 gram of carbohydrates is broken down, 17.6 kJ of energy is released;
• are part of the protective cell membranes.

The norm of carbohydrates should be strictly observed, since their excess leads to excess weight. It is recommended to add complex carbohydrates to the diet, and you should refrain from consuming simple ones:

It is not recommended to completely exclude carbohydrates from the diet, since they play an important role in the body and are responsible for brain activity, performance, mood, and cognitive functions.

Cellulose

Fiber is a type of complex carbohydrate. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that upon contact with water, swelling occurs, a strong increase in volume. Fiber is not digested by the human body, is not exposed to enzymes, but passes through the intestines, improving peristalsis. Also performs other functions:

• cleanses the gastrointestinal tract of toxins;
• provides nutrition to intestinal microflora;
• improves intestinal function, absorption of vitamins, minerals, nutrients;
• suppresses hunger, reducing the likelihood of overeating;
• Helps cleanse blood vessels and reduce cholesterol levels.

Fiber is found in large quantities in grains and legumes, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. You can also buy a dry mixture or bran, add 1-2 tablespoons of it to yogurt or simply drink it with water.

Adaptation of diet to Russia

In order for Russian residents to practice the Mediterranean diet without problems, it had to be slightly adapted to the real conditions of the country. So, olive oil is replaced with sunflower oil, but unrefined. To increase the benefits of the product, you can eat sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

Red fish may be replaced with herring and mackerel. Be sure to include flaxseed in your diet, which is a source of healthy fatty acids. In order for them to be better absorbed, fish should be eaten together with cauliflower.

Expensive pasta can be successfully replaced with durum wheat pasta. You can also eat any domestic cereals.

An alternative to herbs is dill, parsley, and basil.

Mediterranean system in the conditions of the Russian Federation

How applicable is the Mediterranean diet in Russian conditions? After all, the food products of this system are not typical for the usual diet of Russians. However, you can adapt this model by replacing foreign food products with Russian ones:

• olive oil - unrefined vegetable oil;
• red fish - herring, mackerel, hake, pollock;
• brown rice, pasta, spaghetti - oats, buckwheat, durum wheat pasta;
• Greek sheep yogurt - cheese, low-calorie fermented milk products.

You can eat nuts, flax seeds, vegetables, fruits that are typical for our area. Salads can be seasoned with sour cream, low-fat yogurt and mustard.

Due to the fact that our country is located north of the Mediterranean countries (the climate here is harsher, colder), the population needs a slightly larger amount of fat, calcium and calories for the body to function properly. But to lose weight, do not exceed the daily food intake recommended by experts.

Carefully analyze today's menu, exchange sausages, sausages, mayonnaise and other unhealthy foods for seasonal vegetables and fruits - this way you can simply create a personal diet for the week.

Monday:

• breakfast - oatmeal with fruits, berries, green tea without sugar;
• lunch - vegetable or fish soup, salad with fresh vegetables, dressed with vegetable oil;
• dinner - stewed beans, cooked fish with spices.

Tuesday:

• breakfast - wheat porridge, baked pumpkin, apple;
• lunch - chicken soup or boiled chicken fillet with vegetable salad, sprinkled with peeled pumpkin seeds;
• dinner - stewed fish with vegetable fillet or cheese with kefir.

Wednesday:

• breakfast - baked potatoes with aromatic herbs, vegetables, sweet green tea;
• lunch - buckwheat soup with meatballs (use lean meat), tomatoes;
• dinner - chicken cutlets with pumpkin meat (you can also use turkey), mixed vegetables with sour cream.

Thursday:

• breakfast - pasta, cheese sauce, weak coffee;
• lunch - soup with rice, beef, baked cauliflower with spices;
• dinner - vegetable lasagna with minced chicken, a glass of kefir.

Friday:

• breakfast - stewed vegetables with rice, natural homemade yogurt;
• lunch - vegetable soup, boiled fish or vegetable broccoli casserole;
• dinner - vegetable omelette or boiled chicken eggs - 2 pcs., vegetable salad.

Saturday:

• breakfast - oatmeal with dried fruits, flax seeds, 1 teaspoon of honey, fermented milkshake - kefir, banana, berries;
• lunch - fish soup, stewed vegetables;
• dinner - boiled fish with a vegetable side dish, oatmeal or buckwheat pie.

Sunday:

• breakfast - boiled chicken eggs - 2 pcs., a piece of whole grain bread - 1 pc., a piece of cheese - 1 pc.;
• lunch – stewed rabbit fillet with sour cream, vegetables, pasta;
• dinner - cheese casserole with pumpkin, apples, a glass of kefir.

Recipes for the Mediterranean diet

First meal

Sturgeon soup with meatballs

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.7 kg sturgeon;
• 0.1 kg carrots;
• 2 onions;
• 50 g parsnips;
• Dill and parsley - collected bunch;
• Egg;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 100 ml milk;
• 100 g bread;
• 25 g flour;
• 5 g ginger;
• Clove pepper – 10 g;
• Olive oil – 50 g;
• Salt to taste.

The broth is made from the head, fins and tail of the sturgeon. The broth should contain root vegetables. The fish fillet is twisted in a meat grinder with bread soaked in milk and fried onions, an egg and salt are added to it. Form meatballs from the minced meat, roll them in flour, boil until tender in half of the broth, filter it. Flour is diluted in a glass of broth, mixed with the part of the liquid that remains from preparing the meatballs, and boiled. When the broth boils, add meatballs to it. Before serving, add greens to the soup.

Puree sturgeon soup

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.75 kg sturgeon;
• 100 g carrots;
• 50 g parsley roots;
• 100 g each of flour and butter;
• Two bay leaves;
• Mixed greens – dill and parsley (1 bunch);
• Salt to taste.

The fins, head and tail are boiled in water with root vegetables. The fish fillet is cut into pieces and stewed together with onions. Pass the flour and add 4 cups of fish broth, bring to a boil, place the fish fillet there, and cook until fully cooked. Strain the soup and grind the pulp through a sieve. The finished soup is salted, oil and herbs are added to it.

Fish solyanka

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 1 kg sea bass;
• 0.2 kg champignons;
• Sauerkraut – 0.25 kg;
• Pickled cucumbers – 0.1 kg;
• Onion head;
• Olive oil – 10 g;
• Marinated olives – 50 g;
• Flour – 50 g;
• Ground red pepper – 10 g;
• A bunch of dill and parsley;
• Salt to taste.

The onions are fried in oil, the champignons are chopped and boiled until half cooked. Separately sauté the flour and add a little broth to it. Cucumbers are cut into cubes.

The bones are removed from the fish, boiled in mushroom broth, peppered and kept on fire for 7 minutes. Cabbage, cucumbers, olives, fried onions and diluted flour are added to the hodgepodge. Before serving, add herbs and lemon to the soup.

Shrimp soup

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.25 kg shrimp;
• 0.1 kg of tomatoes;
• 0.1 kg rice;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 50 g olive oil;
• A bunch of dill;
• Ground red pepper – 5 g;
• Salt to taste.

Fry onions. Pour a liter of water into a saucepan and add shrimp, sliced ​​tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, dill, fried onions, and cook until tender. The soup can be served with rye crackers.

Bean soup

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Beans – 0.3 kg;
• Carrots – 0.1 kg;
• Beetroot – 50 g;
• Onion head;
• Parsnip – 50 g;
• Celery root – 20 g;
• Allspice and ground red pepper – 10 g each;
• A bunch of parsley and dill;
• Olive oil – 50 g;
• Cloves – 5 g;
• Salt.

The beans are boiled for 45 minutes, fried roots, cloves, pepper and salt are added to them. Cook until the beans become soft. At the end of cooking, add greens to the soup.

Lentil soup with nuts

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.3 kg lentils;
• 0.1 kg walnuts;
• Two onions;
• Rye flour and olive oil 50 g each;
• Allspice - 5 g;
• A bunch of dill and parsley.
• Salt.

Boil lentils in 2 liters of salted water for 1 hour 30 minutes. Finely chop the onion, fry in a frying pan, add flour at the end of frying. Add the prepared onion to the soup, add chopped walnuts and boil for another 20 minutes. The finished soup is poured into bowls and sprinkled with chopped herbs.

French soup

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.3 kg of potatoes;
• 0.1 kg each of parsnips and carrots;
• 0.25 kg canned peas;
• 50 g butter and the same amount of parsley and celery roots;
• 0.2 kg Monterrey cheese;
• A bunch of dill;
• Salt.

The roots are chopped and fried along with the peas. Bring the water to a boil, add diced potatoes, salt and pepper, and keep on fire for 10 minutes. At the end of cooking, add grated cheese to the soup, stir the broth constantly until the cheese is completely melted. Mayonnaise is added directly to the plate, and chopped greens are also added there.

Okroshka with tomato juice

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Boiled tongue – 0.25 kg;
• Tomato juice – 2 liters;
• 2 cucumbers and 2 eggs;
• Green onions – 150 g;
• A bunch of dill and parsley;
• 10 g mustard;
• Salt and pepper as desired./p>

Boiled meat, eggs and cucumbers are cut. Chop greens. Mix the products, place them on plates, and pour in tomato juice. The dish is served chilled.

Second courses

Flounder in red wine

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.5 kg flounder;
• 250 ml red wine;
• 50 g butter;
• 20 g rye flour;
• Onion head;
• A bunch of parsley;
• Three bay leaves;
• Ground red pepper – 10 g;
• 4 cloves.

To prepare the sauce:

• 50 g butter;
• 25 g rye flour.

The fish is placed in a frying pan on a bed of pepper, cloves, parsley, onion, salt and bay leaves. Pour wine over everything and cook for a quarter of an hour under a closed lid. The broth is poured into a separate container.

To prepare the sauce, pour a glass of broth into the pan, add a spoonful of flour mixed with butter and bring to complete dissolution, add salt and pepper, then strain the broth.

Place the fish on a plate, pour sauce over it and serve.

Boiled eel with sweet and sour sauce

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Onion head;
• Eel – 1 kg;
• A bunch of dill and parsley;

To prepare the sauce:

• 50 g each of flour and butter.
• 100 ml dry wine.
• Salt, lemon juice and sugar.

The fish is boiled for 45 minutes in salted water with the addition of bay leaves, onions and herbs.

To prepare the sauce, saute the flour with butter, add a little broth in which the fish was cooked, add sugar and lemon juice. After 15 minutes of cooking, add wine.

The fish is laid out on plates, poured over with sauce and served.

Cod cutlets

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 1 kg cod;
• Two onions;
• 100 g each of olive oil and butter;
• 0.3 kg of white bread;
• Two eggs;
• A bunch of dill and parsley;
• 0.2 l milk;
• Lemon.
• Salt and pepper.

Prepare minced meat from onions, white bread and fish soaked in milk, add eggs, butter, salt and pepper. Form cutlets from minced meat, roll in flour, and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the cutlets with herbs on top and cover them with lemon slices. Bring the cutlets to readiness.

Boiled pike perch dumplings

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Pike perch – 1 kg;
• 100 g flour;
• 0.4 ml milk;
• 2 eggs;
• Salt.

The fish is passed through a meat grinder. A thick sauce is prepared from flour and milk, heated in a frying pan, cooled and poured into the minced meat, and eggs are added there.

Place the dumplings in a saucepan, add water and boil until fully cooked. Before serving, the finished quenelles are poured with oil and sprinkled with herbs.

Mushroom cod roll

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 1 kg cod;
• 0.3 kg of white bread;
• 0.2 l milk;
• 0.4 kg champignons;
• Onions – 4 heads;
• 150 g butter;
• Two eggs;
• 70 g ground crackers;
• Two bunches of parsley;
• Salt and pepper.

Twist the fish fillet and soaked bread using a meat grinder. Add butter to the minced meat, salt and pepper.

Fry mushrooms with onions, cool. A napkin is moistened with water, minced fish is placed on it, forming a 2 cm thick layer from it. Mushrooms and onions are placed in its center, a roll is formed from the minced meat and placed on a greased baking sheet. Cover the roll with egg on top, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and sprinkle with oil. Bring the roll to readiness in the oven. The dish is served with boiled potatoes and sprinkled with herbs on top.

Mussels with sauce

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 20 pieces of mussels;
• Onion head;
• 100 g each of flour and butter;
• Lemon juice – 50 g;
• Bay leaf;
• A bunch of parsley;
• Salt.

Mussels are boiled in salted water, along with onions and bay leaves. Remove the mussels from the shells and cool.

To prepare the sauce, flour is mixed with water and boiled for 10 minutes, seasoned with butter and lemon juice. Pour the prepared sauce over the mussels and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Risotto with mushrooms

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Rice – half a kilo;
• 2 onions;
• 50 g dried porcini mushrooms;
• Two cloves of garlic;
• 100 g each of champignons, butter and dry white wine;
• A liter of meat broth;
• Salt and pepper.

Porcini mushrooms are soaked for 2 hours, cut into small pieces, and chopped onion and garlic. Fry them together with rice.

Mix mushroom infusion, white wine and meat broth. Add the broth to the fryer and boil for half an hour until the rice is completely cooked.

The cheese is grated. The champignons are chopped, fried in butter, and garlic is added. Mix all the ingredients (rice with porcini mushrooms and champignons with garlic), sprinkle with grated cheese on top.

Lasagna with chicken liver, mushrooms and minced meat

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Lasagna dough in layers – 10 pcs.
• 0.2 kg each of minced beef, champignons, chicken liver.
• 100 g each of hard cheese and olive oil.
• 150 ml red wine.
• Salt and black pepper.

The liver is fried for 5 minutes, and the mushrooms are fried for the same amount of time. The minced meat is fried until completely cooked. Mix all the ingredients, add salt and pepper, add red wine, and simmer over low heat.

Place minced meat on layers of lasagna, sprinkle grated cheese on top, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Salads

Salad with nuts and tuna

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.25 kg tuna;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 20 g walnuts;
• 20 g each of dill and parsley;
• 10 g lemon juice;
• 50 g olive oil;
• 10 g ground pepper;
• Salt.

The fish is boiled until tender, minced in a meat grinder along with garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil is added. Place the minced meat in a salad bowl, sprinkle with nuts and herbs.

Salad with squid, eggs and seaweed

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Half a kilo of squid;
• 0.25 kg sea cabbage;
• 4 eggs;
• Onion head;
• A bunch of green onions;
• 150 ml mayonnaise;
• Salt and pepper.

The squid is kept in boiling water (no more than 2 minutes), peeled, washed, boiled for another 5 minutes in salt water, cooled and cut into cubes. Chop kelp, green and onions, as well as boiled eggs. Mix all ingredients and season with mayonnaise.

Salad with tomatoes, feta cheese and olives

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Tomatoes – 0.3 kg;
• Olives and cucumbers – 100 g each;
• Radish and feta – 150 g each;
• Lemon juice – 50 ml;
• A bunch of dill;
• 3 sprigs of thyme;
• Salt and pepper.

Tomatoes, radishes and cucumbers are cut into cubes, cheese is crumbled by hand, all salad ingredients are mixed, olives and chopped herbs are added. For dressing, use a sauce based on salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Salad with sorrel and spinach

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• 0.3 kg sorrel and spinach;

For refueling:

• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 20 g green onions;
• 100 g walnuts;
• A bunch of parsley and dill;
• 50 g olive oil;
• Salt.

Boil the stems of sorrel and spinach with the addition of salt, drain the water, and place in a salad bowl. They are poured with a sauce of walnuts, garlic, onions and herbs passed through a blender, mixed with olive oil. Top the salad with chopped parsley.

Chicken salad with pineapples and apples

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• Boiled chicken meat and pineapples - 0.2 kg each;
• 0.1 kg apples;
• Salad dressing – 100 g;
• Lemon juice – 20 g;
• Ground red pepper – 10 g;
• Salt.

Cut apples, pineapples and boiled chicken into cubes, mix them, pour over lemon juice, salt and pepper. This mixture is left for half an hour. Before serving, pour salad dressing over the dish and garnish with pineapple pieces.

Mediterranean Diet: 14-Day Meal Plan

Want to start eating like a Greek? Here are some ideas on where to start when planning your menu. Please note that we do not provide serving sizes. This is one diet where calorie counting is not expected. What your body needs will be different from the next person.

Plus, with the help of Berman and Paravantes-Haggitt, we'll show you how to move toward a more Mediterranean eating style—rather than a complete makeover—to fit your lifestyle:

Day 1

Breakfast coffee or tea with a bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with berries

Snack on a handful of almonds or walnuts

Lunch: half a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread and a cup of lentil soup

Snack on chopped carrots, bell peppers and cucumbers dipped in hummus

dinner and white bean stew

Day 2

Breakfast : coffee or tea with plain Greek yogurt sprinkled with honey and walnuts

Fried chickpea appetizer

Lunch - leftover vegetable and bean stew from yesterday's dinner

Snack on a peach (or apple, depending on the season)

Dinner fried chicken served with pita bread, Tzatziki (yogurt sauce) and side salad

Day 3

Breakfast smoothie made with milk of your choice, fruit and nut butter

Snack ¼ avocado mashed with lemon juice and salt on a whole grain cracker

Lunch - Three bean soup topped with pesto and served with a whole grain roll

Snack package of olives and fresh vegetables

Dinner Salmon with minced meat and fried zucchini and eggplant

Pros and cons of the Mediterranean diet

Pros of the Mediterranean diet:

• The menu is balanced, allowing you to saturate the body with vitamins and microelements necessary for its proper functioning.
• The diet has a version adapted for Russia.
• The menu is rich in products with Omega-3 fatty acids. Their regular consumption in food is the prevention of various cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the condition of hair, skin and nails improves. A person is less susceptible to stress.
• The diet has no contraindications. It can be practiced both in childhood and in old age, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• A person’s mental capabilities expand, and the risk of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and senile dementia decreases. This is possible due to the fact that the menu includes nuts and olive oil, which are powerful antioxidants.
• The diet can be practiced to prevent stroke and peripheral neuropathy.
• For smokers, the Mediterranean diet is a real godsend, as a set of products from the menu can reduce the risk of developing COPD.
• Research has established that the Mediterranean diet is one of the ways to prevent cancer, in particular stomach, breast and intestinal cancer.
• The diet allows you to prevent the development of diabetes, since the menu contains many products with coarse dietary fiber. This makes it possible to control surges in blood glucose. The diet can also be followed by people who already suffer from this disease, as it allows them to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and makes blood vessels stronger.
• The functioning of the thyroid gland is normalized.
• Metabolic processes are accelerated.
• The diet can be used to prevent rickets and osteoporosis.
• Diet helps increase bone strength.

Disadvantages of the diet:

• You won't be able to lose weight quickly.
• Some products are quite expensive.

Health Benefits

The true Mediterranean food system is based on the dietary traditions of 13 countries located on the coasts of the sea. This food system was followed for centuries in Italy, Greece, Spain, the south of France and the Balkans, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. But it was only in the 1960s that researchers noticed that residents of the Mediterranean region were less likely than others to suffer from heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer. In addition, their life expectancy is much longer. As it turned out, the reason for this phenomenon lies in the special diet that the local population adheres to. Since the second half of the twentieth century, researchers from all over the world began to more seriously study the features of this nutritional system and its effect on the human body.

The traditional Mediterranean diet consists of large amounts of fresh fruit, fish, and olive oil, which, when combined with physical activity, have a beneficial effect on health.

Prevents cardiovascular diseases

Refusal of red meat in favor of seafood, consumption of olive oil, a huge amount of fresh vegetables, fruits and a little red wine made the Mediterranean diet incredibly beneficial for the heart and blood vessels. By following this nutritional system, you can prevent hypertension, atherosclerosis, reduce the level of bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, prevent excessive formation of blood clots, as well as the development of atherosclerosis. In addition, eating according to the Mediterranean system improves blood circulation and strengthens blood vessels.

Supports Energy

Many people pay attention to the fact that pensioners from Mediterranean countries look pretty good for their age and lead a very active lifestyle. Researchers attribute this to proper nutrition. The traditional diet of these people is rich in a variety of nutrients that serve as a good source of energy and also maintain muscle tone.

Increases life expectancy

This benefit is closely related to another benefit of the diet - its ability to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Scientific research confirms that those who follow a Mediterranean diet have a 20% lower risk of sudden death.

Prevents Alzheimer's disease and degenerative diseases

This nutritional system helps improve cognitive functions of the brain, reduces the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, senile dementia, and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers explain this by consuming large amounts of olive oil and nuts, which have strong antioxidant properties and improve blood flow to the brain, improving its function. In addition, the Mediterranean diet has neuroprotective properties, making it an effective protection against stroke, peripheral neuropathy, and impaired brain function.

This nutritional system is considered very useful for older people, as well as for people with low stress tolerance.

Protects against respiratory diseases

Recently, researchers are increasingly finding evidence that the Mediterranean diet is a good way to boost immunity, as well as protect against lung infections and respiratory diseases. Studies have shown that this diet is very beneficial for smokers, as a special set of foods prevents chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Reduces the risk of cancer

This is one of the most well-known benefits of the Mediterranean diet. Data from scientific experiments indicate that eating according to this scheme can prevent some types of cancer, including stomach, intestinal, and breast cancer.

Protects against diabetes

The predominance of fiber-rich vegetables in the diet makes it useful for the prevention of diabetes. Dietary fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels. In addition, eating according to this scheme is useful for people already suffering from diabetes, as it reduces cholesterol levels, improves blood circulation, and prevents capillary fragility.

Other useful properties:

• improves thyroid function;
• regulates metabolic processes;
• prevents rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults;
• improves bone mineralization.

Facts and myths about the Mediterranean diet

• The first myth. Diet is expensive.

  In fact, to adapt your usual diet to the Mediterranean diet menu, you need to introduce beans and lentils into your meal plan, and also eat more vegetables and grains. These products are much lower in cost than any semi-finished products.

• Second myth. Wine can be drunk in unlimited quantities.

  In fact, there are certain norms. So, women are recommended one glass of wine, and men two glasses. Only by following the indicated dosages can you benefit your own health, namely the heart and blood vessels.

• The third myth. You need to eat a lot of spaghetti and bread.

  The average serving of pasta is equal to 60 g, so even 80 g of pasta is already a lot. The rest, unoccupied part of the plate should be left for vegetables, fish, salads or low-fat meat. You should also not eat more than one slice of whole grain bread at a time.

• The fourth myth. The Mediterranean diet is a simple set of foods and nothing more.

  For Mediterranean people, food is a significant part of life. It is important not only to eat approved foods, but also to exercise.

• Fifth myth. Any vegetable oil has equal benefits.

  When following a diet, preference should be given to olive and peanut oil, as they contain many monounsaturated fatty acids. Oils must be obtained by cold pressing. They should be used to dress salads. The oil should not be cooked. For frying, it is best to use sunflower, corn, cottonseed, rapeseed or safflower oil.

Mediterranean diet: recipes for Russia from the weekly menu

Above in the diet menu there are a lot of interesting dishes, which are also simple and quick to prepare. They are great for morning, afternoon, and evening meals. Here are the most interesting recipes.

Cream soup with chicken and vegetables

According to the Mediterranean diet, cream soups are often included in the weekly menu. They are good for the stomach, satiate well and are easy to prepare. Here's a basic recipe with vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 300 g chicken fillet;
• 300 g broccoli (can be cauliflower);
• 100 g carrots;
• 100 g onion;
• 200 g zucchini or pumpkin;
• 150-200 ml cream;
• spices to taste.

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken, put it in 800 ml of boiling water, then add the carrots and onions and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the zucchini, after another five minutes add the broccoli, lightly add salt. Cook covered over low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Grind the chicken along with vegetables, add spices to taste. Dilute the soup with cream, bring to a boil again and you are ready to serve!

In winter, you can use frozen vegetable mixture for this soup. It is also not necessary to dilute the dish with cream; you can initially add a little more water.

Macaroni cheese and squid

This dish is in the above menu for every day for weight loss on the Mediterranean diet. Buying squid in a store is not a problem now, and it is prepared very simply and quickly.

Ingredients:

• 1 squid;
• 200 g pasta;
• 150 ml cream 10%;
• 0.5 tsp. olive oils;
• 70 g cheese.

Preparation:

1. Let the pasta cook according to the instructions, but cook for a minute less. Drain into a colander.
2. Heat a frying pan and lightly grease it with oil.
3. We clean the squid, remove the backbone, and cut into strips. Pour in and fry for just a minute, making sure to stir with a spatula.
4. Pour cream over the squid, let it boil, add half of the grated cheese, let it dissolve and add salt.
5. Add the pasta, stir quickly, let the dish boil and turn off. Leave for ten minutes covered.
6. When serving, sprinkle with remaining cheese.

In the same way, you can prepare sauce with shrimp or other seafood for your diet. The only point is that you need to use low-fat cream so as not to increase the calorie content of the dish.

Greek salad with cheese and olives

This salad is a great substitute for lunch and dinner on a diet, especially in the summer. It fully meets the dietary requirements.

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 0.5 red onion;
• 1 pepper;
• 15 ml lemon juice;
• 1 pinch of pepper;
• 100 g feta cheese;
• 2 tablespoons of oil (olive);
• 10-12 olives.

Preparation:

1. Cut cucumbers into cubes. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and chop them too. Cut the red onion into very thin half rings. Pour into a salad bowl.
2. Cut the pepper into thin strips, feta into cubes, olive quarters, add to the rest of the products.
3. Mix lemon juice with oil, add salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad. Stir when serving.

You can add any greens, use cherry tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes, or replace olive oil with Greek yogurt. It also makes a great sauce.

Reviews and results

Doctors' recommendations

An article published in the American British Medical Journal evaluates the Mediterranean diet as one of the nutritional systems that can increase life expectancy and maintain health. The authors of this work are American scientists.

Aesthetic medicine specialist A. Sternharz calls the diet a balanced one. He believes that with its help it is possible to successfully combat obesity and many chronic diseases. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet can increase life expectancy by 8 years (average data).

Nutritionist recommendations:

• Before starting the diet, you should undergo several fasting days, eating low-calorie foods.
• The menu should be based only on products from the list of permitted ones.
• You need to drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day.
• Fruits can be used as a snack, provided that they are not included in salads during main meals.
• You definitely need to exercise so that the weight starts to come off faster.

Reviews from those who have lost weight

Ekaterina: “The Mediterranean diet can hardly be called a diet. Rather, it is a diet that can be followed throughout life. A friend of mine followed this technique for quite a long time. She really lost weight, although the process is not quick.”

Veronica: “At the time when I lived in those parts, I ate accordingly. I really liked this diet: I managed to lose weight and improve my health. However, at home I returned to my usual menu.”

Natalya: “As for me, this is a pretty good diet, but financially very burdensome.”

Alevtina, 24 years old: “I followed a diet for ballerinas and a low-calorie diet, which was difficult for me, because I constantly wanted to eat. So I broke down, and the result turned out to be zero. Thanks to the Mediterranean diet, I managed to lose weight. In 8 weeks I lost 10 kg of excess weight.”

Marina, 31 years old: “The diet is very tempting, but it’s not cheap and is not suitable for everyone. It’s easier to stick to it in the summer, but I gain weight in the winter, so this diet doesn’t suit me.”

Diet

The diet for heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases has a number of features. First of all, you should limit your salt intake. Indeed, in case of heart failure, water-salt metabolism is disrupted, sodium ions are retained in the body, and this, in turn, leads to the accumulation of fluid and the appearance of edema, which, naturally, will complicate the work of an already diseased heart.

The diet for heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases has a number of features. First of all, you should limit your salt intake. Indeed, in case of heart failure, water-salt metabolism is disrupted, sodium ions are retained in the body, and this, in turn, leads to the accumulation of fluid and the appearance of edema, which, naturally, will complicate the work of an already diseased heart.

How much salt can be consumed per day is usually decided by the doctor individually for each patient. But on average, the norm does not exceed 5-6 g, and in some, especially severe cases, salt should be abandoned altogether.

You should not overuse liquids. Doctors usually recommend drinking up to one and a half liters of liquid per day, including soups and jelly. But it is also impossible to avoid water at all, since otherwise the removal of nitrogenous metabolic products will be difficult, and accordingly, the patient may develop weakness and constipation, which is also undesirable in case of heart failure, which accompanies many cardiovascular diseases. Such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart defects, cardiomyopathy and many others. So, it is better for heart patients to quench their thirst with weak tea, maybe fruit tea. You should not drink coffee or, if you do drink it, it should be weak with milk.

The diet for heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases suggests that the diet should be as rich as possible in microelements such as potassium and magnesium. After all, if sodium is retained in the patient’s body, then potassium, on the contrary, intensively leaves him. Potassium deficiency can lead to life-threatening arrhythmias. Potassium and magnesium are two very important microelements. Potassium is necessary for the normal functioning of the heart muscle, and magnesium is necessary for blood vessels. Therefore, heart patients are recommended to eat prunes, nuts, beets, potatoes, cabbage, that is, those foods that contain potassium in large quantities. Citrus fruits, buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, black and red currants, raspberries, cloudberries, cranberries, and gooseberries are also rich in potassium. Cereals, bread, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, watermelon, and seaweed are rich in magnesium.

Patients with cardiovascular diseases should remember that food should be light, you should not overeat, and the diet should be divided, that is, you should eat a little, but 5-6 times a day. After all, a large volume of food immediately entering the stomach is a large additional burden not only on the digestive organs, but also on the cardiovascular system.

In heart failure, the acid-base balance shifts to the acidic side. Milk and fermented milk products, vegetables, herbs, fruits, and berries will help restore it. However, for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, flatulence, most vegetables should be used baked or stewed.

Patients should also limit sugar in their diet. It can contribute to the appearance of edema, which will also complicate the functioning of the heart. It is necessary to avoid fatty foods, especially if the patient is overweight. It is better to eat lean meat (boiled chicken, beef, etc.), as well as lean fish. Side dishes for such meat should be vegetable (boiled potatoes, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, etc.). Soups should be vegetarian: vegetable, dairy and even fruit. If you are overweight, patients with heart failure limit their consumption of bread (no more than two to three pieces per day). You should strongly limit the amount of products containing animal fats (animal oil, fatty meat, sour cream), as well as eggs. Fish and vegetable oil, especially unrefined oil, are extremely beneficial.

Currently, the popularity of the so-called Mediterranean diet is growing, which, according to research, will effectively prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases and their complications (See a separate article in our directory).

In any case, nutrition of patients with heart failure should be carried out under the supervision of a cardiologist and a dietician.

Georgy Bagdykov

Mediterranean diet

The peoples of the Mediterranean have a very common sense of what we really need to eat. The Mediterranean diet is not a diet in the full sense of the word; rather, it is a system that describes the type of food of a region and culinary traditions. Residents of the Mediterranean have the lowest mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases, and yet they eat cheese, meat, and alcohol. Thus, it can be called a unique, non-classical and less severe diet for heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.

The Mediterranean diet is not designed specifically for weight loss; it cannot be called strict. At the same time, it makes it possible to choose healthy products that do not contain animal fats, sugars and canned foods, which are so rich in our daily menu. The foundation of the Mediterranean diet should form the basis of your daily nutrition. This means eliminating canned food, eating frozen meals or McDonald's, all heavy British food.

Important facts about the Mediterranean diet were presented back in January 1993 at a conference at the Harvard University School of Public Health and Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, dedicated to studying the influence of dietary traditions of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries - Crete, Greece, areas of southern Italy and northern Africa - on the phenomenal low level of chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system. The Italians, in particular, have always intuitively understood that this combination of foods is the most suitable to compensate for the lack of meat, and it is the culinary combinations of these components that give birth to the rich, colorful Italian cuisine. After examining more than twenty thousand citizens of Greece, scientists concluded that people following the Mediterranean diet reduce the risk of death from cancer by 24 percent and by 33 percent from heart disease.

Studies on the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the body have shown that those patients who eat according to the classic “Mediterranean diet” are three times more likely to survive than people who eat foods high in cholesterol. Study leader Dr. Roberto Marchioli stressed that people suffering from frequent heart attacks can at least reduce their frequency by eliminating foods containing saturated fats, such as butter, from their diet. In addition, the study found that taking a dietary supplement of n-3 polyunsaturated acid, contained in the specific fat of certain types of fish, has an extremely beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart muscle.

Mediterranean peoples eat a lot of fresh fish and other fresh foods, but consume much less canned food. Recent studies have shown that vegetable oil, particularly olive oil and fish oil, are necessary for the body to produce prostaglandins. These are hormones, substances that regulate cellular metabolism, thereby preventing heart attacks, heart attacks and many other diseases. It has been noted that a small amount of alcohol also promotes the production of prostaglandins.

According to the European Heart Network, more than 50% of a person's daily calorie needs should come from complex carbohydrates, which pasta is a leader in, making this wonderful product an integral part of the Mediterranean diet. According to Francisco Perez, professor at the Department of Medicine at the University of Cordoba, the Mediterranean diet is an ideal alternative to many modern diets and should be considered as a special nutritional composition. Meat (pork, beef or lamb) is consumed every month, but not necessarily every week. Poultry (chicken, goose, ostrich), eggs and sweets are consumed every week, but not necessarily every day. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes (hummus), grains, olive oil, cheese, yogurt and fish are consumed almost every day.

It is generally accepted that the beneficial effects of diet are determined by olive oil, but a research team led by Antonia Trichopoulou from the University of Athens showed that it is not possible to single out one component that gives the beneficial effect, and it is the result of a combination of products. It is argued that the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet in general is inversely correlated with mortality rates. That is, the more pronounced the features of the Mediterranean diet are in a person’s diet, the lower the incidence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In the Mediterranean diet group, the daily intake of alpha-linolenic acid was twice as high as in the control group. Over the next two years, those on the Mediterranean diet had fewer cardiovascular events (39 vs. 76; P < 0.001), sudden coronary death (6 vs. 16; P = 0.015), and nonfatal myocardial infarction (21 vs. 43; P = 0.015). p<0.001). In both groups, serum cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors decreased significantly. However, the beneficial changes were more noticeable in the Mediterranean diet group.

It is not without reason that all over the world, and especially in Japan, where problems of improving the health of the population are solved at the highest level, French and Italian restaurants have become extremely popular, and Japan has become one of the world leaders in the purchase of famous French wines.

There is nothing mysterious about the Mediterranean diet. It’s just that in modern industrial society the main food products have become dairy products, red meat, as well as fast-food, instant products. Under the slogan of “struggle for a slim figure,” the consumption of pasta, rice and potatoes is noticeably reduced, allegedly because the carbohydrates they contain contribute to weight gain. But Mediterranean residents traditionally structure their diet exactly the opposite way; they use little red meat and eggs, but lean fish, seafood and poultry come first.

The basic principles of seaside cuisine are quite simple. Wheat, barley and hemp products provide carbohydrates. Dishes with a high carbohydrate content are necessarily seasoned with garlic, onions, and aromatic herbs, which, as it turns out, slow down the aging process of cells. Everything is cooked in olive oil, which stimulates digestion, activates the liver, etc. Fruits and vegetables are used every day. Among dairy products, preference is given to low-fat cheeses and natural yoghurts.

It seems like nothing complicated, but in fact the difference with the usual “urban” diet is huge, since all “Mediterranean” foods are rich in vitamin F, which is also called the vitamin of youth. There is especially a lot of vitamin F in processed cereal products (pasta, sprouted wheat sprouts, cereals and wholemeal bread), fruits and vegetables, including chestnuts, hemp, sunflowers and nuts. In addition, such a diet is very rich in polysaccharides, the lack of which is extremely dangerous for health. It causes diseases of the digestive system, including intestinal cancer.

The Mediterranean diet contains all the polysaccharides the body needs: cellulose (fruits and vegetables), pectins (apples, currants, pomegranates, carrots), vegetable gluten (cereals, algae, wild rice, hemp grains, some fruits - quince, prunes, etc. ).

You should not be afraid of pasta if it is made from durum wheat. Then they are not only low in calories, but also rich in “slow” sugars, which provides the human body with stable blood glucose levels, that is, they maintain normal insulin levels with a relatively low calorie content. In short, the Mediterranean diet is a classic combination of business and pleasure. Go for it!

Typical menu for the day

Breakfast: Some fruit, some fresh bread and fruit juice or water.

Lunch: Salad with tuna, anchovy and olives, drizzled with olive oil, a few glasses of water.

Lunch: Large bell pepper stuffed with rice, ground meat, tomatoes and herbs, drizzled with olive oil and baked. Salad and fresh bread. You can drink it with a glass of red wine.

From a weight management perspective, this diet does not provide immediate weight loss, but it does help you develop healthy eating habits that will help you shed those pounds forever.

Sources: https://pasta.agava.ru/ https://www.estart.ru/ www.rbc.ru/

Conclusion

The Mediterranean diet is one of the nutritional methods that allows you not only to bring your weight back to normal, but also to improve your health. If you follow all the recommendations, you can cope with obesity and change your life for the better. Many people, having tried the diet once, remain faithful to it forever.

Author of the article:

Kuzmina Vera Valerievna |
Endocrinologist, nutritionist Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after. N.I. Pirogov, specialty “General Medicine” (2004). Residency at the Moscow State Medical and Dental University, diploma in Endocrinology (2006). Our authors