What does a healthy diet look like for weight loss? What types of foods should be excluded from the PP diet, how many proteins, carbohydrates and fats should you eat each day?
Basics and rules for healthy eating
For best results, especially if you are just starting a healthy lifestyle, you can follow the MyPlate method. That is, divide each meal into 5 food groups. Read more about them.
Proteins
Protein should ideally make up about 20 percent of your total daily calories.
How Much Protein Should You Eat?
You should consume approximately 0. 8-1. 2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day. You should try to split this amount between all meals and snacks throughout the day, instead of turning them into one or two meals. Protein is especially important if you are trying to lose weight by burning fat in your body. The fact is, it takes more energy to break down and assimilate protein than any other macronutrient, resulting in more calorie expenditure.
Cereals
Grains often have a bad reputation because most grain-containing foods today are industrially processed and converted into fast carbohydrates such as sweet grains and white bread. If you choose unprocessed grains and grains, you will immediately receive all the benefits of grains: energy, vitamins and minerals necessary for normal body functioning.
How many cereals do you need?
You need about six servings of cereal or 170 grams per day. One slice of bread and half a cup of cooked rice or pasta count as one serving. At least half of your servings should be whole grains.
Fruit
What else do you need to include in your weight loss diet? Fruit. The fact that fruit contains sugar, more precisely fructose, is also not a problem as long as the daily calorie intake is not exceeded. Your body needs fructose to stay healthy. Therefore, the fruits are naturally sweet, which means they can satisfy your sugar cravings if you don't want to eat chocolates at night.
How much fruit do you need?
You should consume about two servings a day. A whole apple, orange or banana counts as one serving.
Which fruit to choose?
You should eat mostly fresh fruit and limit your intake of fruit juices and processed foods such as applesauce, for example (unless you made it yourself).
Vegetables
If you really want to know how to eat right to lose weight, just remember vegetables - your new best friend. They are high in fiber, which is helpful for your digestive system. They are also low in calories and satiety, 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 or four servings.
Which vegetables to choose?
Try eating lots of dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli and asparagus. Starchy vegetables like potatoes are also helpful. Cooking vegetables (do not boil, as it washes out all nutrients) is one way to enhance the flavor if you don't like eating them raw.
Dairy products
We consume dairy products due to their high amount of vitamins and minerals. They are high-protein foods, so a snack like cottage 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 a weight loss package.
How many dairy products do you need?
About three servings of dairy each day. One cup of milk or yogurt counts as one serving.
What if you can't / don't want to consume dairy products?
It is not the dairy products themselves, but their nutrients that are important for a healthy diet. So, if you can't eat dairy products due to allergies or lactose intolerance, or you just don't like them, there are other potential ways to get these essential vitamins and minerals and still get great results.
- Broccoli, cabbage, figs and oranges are rich in calcium.
- Dark green leafy vegetables (cabbage, broccoli), tomatoes and citrus fruits contain vitamin C.
- Minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium and iron are found in many other foods you already eat.
- You can also take a daily multivitamin to fill in all those micronutrient gaps.
What about fat?
Fats and oils are no longer technically a separate food group. While on a diet, you are likely to automatically consume the fats you need to stay healthy.
And where do I get fat from?
If you eat a healthy variety of foods, you should be getting all the healthy fats you need. But no more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat.
The truth about carbohydrates
You may have already heard that not all carbohydrates (sugars) are bad. When you see experts talking about how bad sugar is, they usually talk about added sugars. Such sugar is added to our food during processing for a variety of reasons and should be limited, if not excluded.
However, the carbohydrates found in cereals, fruits, vegetables and dairy products are not harmful in moderation. You shouldn't be intimidated by this type of sugar. In your body, it transforms into the energy you need to stay healthy.
How many calories should I consume per day?
Now that you know how to eat right to lose weight, 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 monitor it daily, but it all depends on what you eat and how active you are. Instead, pay attention to food types and portion sizes, as this can be a much more effective but less difficult way to get results.
Calculation of daily calorie intake for weight loss
To find out how many calories you need per day, you can use one of the calorie calculation formulas. The most commonly used formula is Tom Venut. It looks like this:
Men: 66+ (13. 7 x body weight) + (5 x height in cm) - (6, 8 x age in years)
Women: 665+ (9. 6 x body weight) + (1. 8 x height in cm) - (4. 7 x age in years)
The resulting figure is multiplied by the physical activity coefficient:
- Sedentary work, sedentary lifestyle: 1. 2
- Average stress level (morning exercises 3 times a week) 1, 38
- Heavy loads1, 56
- Very heavy loads1, 73
- True extreme (you can't take that much, don't even think. 1. 9
But if you start having questions like "Why can't you lose weight? ", it may turn out that your daily calorie intake is significantly overestimated and your body just doesn't need to expend fat stores. In this case it is better to calculate your daily caloric intake and make a menu based on the data obtained. It is especially important to know the calorie content of the diet, when the weight has stopped after achieving certain results, then it will be easier to cut the diet by another 500 calories and continue to lose weight.
One portion is:
- 100-150 grams of vegetables (the size of your fist);
- 150 ml of dairy products;
- 120 g of meat or fish (about the size of a palm; )
- 1 tsp vegetable oil;
- 12 grapes;
- 1 apple, banana, orange or pear;
- 1/2 mango or grapefruit;
- 1/4 of avocado.
Keep track of your balance
To lose weight without harm to health and to maintain good health and harmony, the body needs to get enough protein, fat and carbohydrates. Approximate Proportions: 75g of Protein: 60g of Fat: 250g of Carbohydrates: 30g of Fiber. Protein-containing foods are sources of amino acids for building muscle fibers, maintaining skin, hair, nails, healthy fats for the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system, as well as for the skin, and carbohydrates are a source ofpower.
Is meal time important?
Optional. Make it easy and eat when you're hungry, even if it's just a snack. If you'd rather eat six small meals a day rather than three large meals a day, go for it. If you like to gorge yourself every few hours then it is enough to eat 3 times a day at a convenient time. Just don't skip meals (you'll end up eating, but somewhere in the night and sabotaging potentially quality results). Diet is important, but not in terms of time, but of quality.
Menu and meal planning
You can have several complete and balanced meals every day while maintaining a healthy diet. The secret is to eat different foods. Below is a sample breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu to help you get started planning your meals.
Daily ration:
Breakfast
- Low-fat Greek yogurt or oatmeal with fruit and granola
- Half bagel with fat-free cream cheese
Lunch
- 2 pieces of shawarma (tortilla, beef, lettuce, guacomole, sour cream)
- 1 bowl of brown rice cooked with baked beans
Dinner
- Small salad (lettuce, red onion, tomato, cheese, Italian dressing)
- Baked 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
- Pretzel
- Dried fruit
- Nuts
- Tortilla and sauce
- Pickled cucumbers
Shopping list
Here are some examples of healthy foods you can buy from your local grocery store. Knowing which foods to buy is part of the weight loss package.
Healthy food:
- Meat (steak, pork, beef)
- Fish and shellfish
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Cereals
- Wholemeal pasta
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
- Wholemeal bread
- Greek yogurt
- Cheese
- Milk or soy milk
- Avocado
- Fatty fish such as salmon
- Nuts
- Fat yogurt
Healthy Eating Planning Guide for Beginners
Meal 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 whole week, it's up to you. A properly formulated diet gives us not only the opportunity to lose weight, but is also convenient when all food problems are resolved early. When the ingredients for a tasty and healthy dish await us at home, it becomes easier to avoid buying something harmful.
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 can get a rough idea of how many meals we need. This could be, for example: six breakfasts for everyone, five family dinners, a four-time lunch, and an afternoon snack.
2. How long will it take to cook?
This is a very important element of effective meal planning and is often overlooked or forgotten. You can make as many plans as you like, but if you don't have enough time to complete them, what good are they? With that in mind, expand your list with prepared dinners and lunches. This means that you must first familiarize yourself with the dishes you will prepare - the more information you find about them, the easier it will be to find dishes that easily fit your schedule.
If you have a tough work week ahead of you, beware of quick meals, meals that can be reheated, or pre-cooked meals that can be served quickly. After all, we don't want to waste time cooking, doing it five times a day. Having worked as a cook once, you can immediately cook several dishes that will be eaten throughout the week. For example, make a chili or fry two chickens at the same time, so that it is enough for both today's dinner and the next. Plus, it will be a tasty and healthy addition to sandwiches and salads.
3. Selection and program of dishes
Using the list, choose the meals that organically fit into your schedule. Plus, look at your loved ones' favorite foods or browse a cookbook. You also need to consider the time of year, what is now on sale from seasonal vegetables and what everyone would like to eat. When planning, you also need to remember the shelf life of products. For example, fish dishes must be cooked within a day or two of purchasing the fish, while frozen or dry food can be prepared later.
You also need to be able to use all the ingredients wisely so that you don't have to throw anything away. This way you can save time and money. If you want to eat better and spend less, buy seasonal products and look for products with discounts and promotions.
Create a list of the best recipes. Having a list of meals that work for you and your family is one of the easiest ways to calculate and optimize your meal planning process. Whenever you find a recipe for a dish you like, put it on this list. You can also keep the recipes in your fitness journal. This will not only help you with your diet, but it will also make it easier to plan your meals.
4. Put everything in the calendar
It doesn't matter which calendar you use, on your computer screen or on the wall. But it's always best to keep a hard copy of your calendar in plain sight. It usually hangs in the refrigerator. When today's dish plan is visible, we become more responsible for their preparation. Also, your family won't constantly ask, “What's for dinner today? ” They can only look at the calendar.
If you prefer a digital calendar, you can create a meal plan for today on your phone and share this menu with friends and family.
5. Create shopping lists
It is best to do this at the same time as filling the calendar. Remember to write down the quantities of each product you need and also check how much you have left so you don't buy too much by mistake. You can save time by sorting the products in the list into groups as they appear in the store. For many supermarkets this is:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Bread and cereals
- Spices and baked goods
- Oils
- Cracker
- Drinks
- Dairy products
- Meat and eggs
6. Preparation and preparation of meals
Chop the vegetables, grate the cheese, prepare the sauces - just prepare what we can in advance. You can also measure the spices, boil the potatoes or fry the vegetables.
Meal planning not only puts us in a prime position to achieve healthy eating, it also saves a lot of time as we can prepare the ingredients while you have free time.