A protein diet means weight loss due to high protein intake and minimum carbohydrate intake. There is a misconception that if you give up carbohydrates completely and eat only protein foods, weight loss will happen faster and more effectively, but this is a misconception. Complete elimination of carbohydrates from the menu is dangerous to health.
The protein diet is especially popular these days, and many have been inspired by the examples of movie stars and politicians who have lost extra pounds thanks to this diet. Therefore, most people are interested and looking for new recipes for protein foods that can diversify the protein diet menu. You can prepare the following recipes for first and second courses, as well as various salads and desserts, so that your diet does not consist of an egg omelet.
The essence of the diet
It is necessary to eat more protein foods during the diet, but it is not recommended to completely eliminate carbohydrates, which can damage the whole body or exacerbate chronic diseases. You need to calculate the number of calories in your protein diet, you should not eat more than you spend. Physical activity can increase calorie intake and reduce calorie intake by replacing high-calorie foods with low-calorie ones, ie by reducing the energy value of the food. If you follow your calorie intake and follow the basic dietary principles, weight loss will be extraordinarily fast and effective.
Principles of diet
- You need to eat six times a day every day. Try to eat basic carbohydrates in the morning, leave low-calorie ones for dinner, and the last meal should be at least three hours before bedtime.
- Try to create a menu for the day so that slow carbs are consumed only at breakfast and choose from a large number of meals with more protein in the afternoon.
- When cooking, try to choose low-fat recipes and use vegetable oil for dressing salads, do not forget about mayonnaise.
- When cooking, try to choose recipes that use steam or grill - avoid fried foods.
- Avoid sugary drinks, it's bad for your figure - don't forget it!
Essential protein foods
When following a protein diet, you need to know which foods are high in protein. Using this list, you can easily create a menu for the day by preparing a large number of dishes from these products.
- Low-fat cottage cheese - you can eat for breakfast or prepare a variety of dishes from it. For example, you get a very tasty dessert from it - a casserole. You can eat no more than 250 grams a day.
- Skim milk - very healthy, in addition it contains a lot of protein. You are allowed to drink a maximum of one glass a day.
- Egg whites, you can cook omelets from them during the day or serve as an additional ingredient in the preparation of food. You can eat more than 6 of them a day.
- Various seafood, with a large protein content and virtually fat-free, you can eat more than 300 grams a day.
- Following a protein diet, the main product on the menu should be lean meat, it is considered: chicken fillet, lean beef.
- Low-fat fish are allowed to eat no more than 200 grams per day. It is recommended to use boiled or grilled.
- Nuts like peanuts or almonds are a storehouse of protein, but you can eat more than 100 grams a day.
First course recipes
Many people think that following a protein diet should be excluded from soups, because most soups contain a lot of vegetables, but this is not the case. You can diversify your menu, make a soup from a protein base (broth from poultry or fish) with a dressing of carbohydrates. A protein diet does not mean that you should eat only an omelet from an egg every day, you also need liquid food, it helps to lose weight. You can use the following recipes to make soup.
Spinach soup - puree
You will need the following products for the soup:
- 200 grams of turkey fillet;
- spinach packaging;
- a few cloves of garlic;
- any greens of your choice;
- one-third of a glass of milk (fat-free);
- salt;
- pepper mixture.
Take a saucepan, pour water into it and cook the turkey fillets in it, you will get a rich broth. Remove the fillet from the broth, cool and then chop. Then add chopped spinach to the broth and boil for 5 minutes, then add the chopped fillets to the broth and boil for another 5 minutes. You should have a fermented mass that should be pureed using a blender while gradually adding the milk. At the end of the meal, add salt and pepper and add chopped herbs. It is recommended to serve the soup immediately after cooking, as it may change its consistency when reheated. If you want, you can change the recipe by replacing the milk with skim cream or turkey fillet for chicken.
Fish soup "Milk salmon"
You will need:
- 1 liter of water;
- 400 grams of straw fillets;
- 4 medium-sized tomatoes;
- 1 medium onion;
- 500 milliliters of milk (fat-free);
- various herbs;
- salt;
- pepper.
Peel a squash, grate it and squeeze the juice. Peel an onion and chop finely. Peel a squash, grate it and squeeze the juice. Then take a non-stick frying pan and fry the onions and carrots on it without adding oil, then add the chopped tomatoes to the vegetables. Then take a saucepan, put it in a bowl and fill it with water, cook for 5 minutes and then add the chopped salmon fillets. After 2 minutes, add milk and boil for another 5 minutes, and at the end add salt, pepper and chopped herbs. Turn off the heat and let the soup stand for another 20 minutes. The recipe can be changed by replacing salmon with another type of fish.
Chicken soup
You will need:
- 1 liter of chicken broth;
- 400 grams of chicken fillet
- onion head,
- salt,
- pepper,
- greens,
- bell pepper;
- 200 grams of green beans.
Take a chicken fillet and bend it in a meat grinder, add chopped onion and mix. Cut the minced meat into meatballs. After that, take a saucepan with chicken broth and put it on the fire, bring to a boil. As the broth boils, toss the chicken meatballs in the boiling water along with the green beans and chopped bell peppers. Add a little salt to the broth, add the herbs and cook until soft.
Egg noodle soup
You will need the following products for the soup:
- 3 eggs;
- 1 liter of broth (chicken);
- different greens of your choice;
- pepper mixture.
Beat 3 eggs with a mixer and cook a thin omelette in a pan from them, fry in the form of a pancake on both sides. Take a saucepan and place the broth on the wood to boil. While the broth is boiling, take an omelet and chop the noodles thinly. Then add the mixture of noodles, chopped greens, salt and pepper to the boiling broth and cook for two minutes, then the soup is ready.
Second course recipes
Many people mistakenly think that you should prepare a menu of only protein products for the day while following a diet, but this is a misconception that you can cook by adding vegetables. For example, tomatoes contain lycopene, which increases the effect of a protein diet. Nutritionists recommend preparing a menu for the day when the recipe includes tomatoes. For example, an omelet with tomatoes is perfect for breakfast. You can also choose one of the following protein recipes to diversify your menu.
Omelette with tomatoes and herbs
Ingredients:
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes;
- 5 eggs;
- salt;
- pepper and herbs.
Take 2 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes, cut into thin strips and place in a hot sticky pan. Cook them for two minutes, during which time take the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Then pour the protein, salt over the tomatoes and sprinkle the chopped greens over the omelette. Cover and cook the omelette for 7 minutes. You can make a delicious omelet for breakfast every day without much effort.
Fish meatballs with sauce
Ingredients required for fish balls:
- 1 onion;
- 400 grams of fish fillets;
- 2 eggs;
- 180 grams of low-fat yogurt;
- greens: parsley, dill, basil;
- salt;
- pepper.
Fish fillets should be chopped, mixed with eggs, salt, pepper and chopped onion should be added. Knead the minced meat from these ingredients and make small balls out of it, then add olive oil and fry in a hot bowl. After frying, put the meatballs in a saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, adding a little water. While the meatballs are cooking, take a cup, grind all the greens in it, add yogurt, pepper and beat with a mixer until a homogeneous mass is formed. Ready-made meatballs should be served with yogurt sauce.
Omelet with squid
Ingredients for food:
- 200 grams of squid;
- 3 eggs;
- Greens;
- salt;
- bell pepper.
Immerse the squid in boiling water for two minutes, then easily peel off the film. Cut the squid into half rings and place in a hot pan after adding a little olive oil there. Place the chopped bell pepper on top of the squid and pour the pre-beaten eggs into the next layer. Salt the whole omelette, sprinkle with herbs, then cover and fry for 7 minutes. You can also make an omelet with other seafood such as shrimp or mussels by preparing your own recipes for new dishes.
Protein Explosion Salad
You will need the following products for the salad:
- 2 eggs;
- 100 grams of chicken fillet;
- 100 grams of squid;
- low-fat yogurt.
Boil boiled eggs, peel and cut into squares. Boil the chicken fillets until soft and then chop. Boil the squid in boiling water until soft, then take out and cool, cut into half rings. Combine all ingredients in a bowl with low-fat yogurt. If desired, you can add a variety of chopped herbs to the salad.