Protein diet means weight loss due to high protein intake and minimal carbohydrate intake. There is a misconception that weight loss will happen faster and more efficiently if you completely abandon carbohydrates and eat only protein foods, but that is a misconception. Complete exclusion of carbohydrates from the menu is dangerous to health.
The protein diet is especially popular these days, and many are inspired by the example of movie stars and politicians who got rid of extra pounds thanks to this diet. Therefore, most people are interested and looking for new recipes for protein dishes that can diversify the menu with a protein diet. So that your diet does not consist of one egg omelette, you can prepare the following recipes for the first and second course, as well as various salads and desserts.
The essence of the diet
During the diet it is necessary to eat more protein foods, but it is not recommended to completely exclude carbohydrates, it can harm the whole body or worsen any chronic diseases. During a protein diet, it is necessary to calculate the number of calories, you must not eat more than you consume. Calorie consumption can increase due to physical activity, and calorie consumption can be reduced by replacing high-calorie food with low-calorie, or reducing the energy value of food. If you monitor your calorie intake and adhere to basic dietary principles, weight loss will become extraordinarily fast and effective.
Nutritional principles
- You need to eat six times a day every day. Try to eat the main carbohydrates in the morning, leave the 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 in such a way that slow carbohydrates are consumed only for breakfast, and in the afternoon among a huge number of dishes choose those that contain more protein foods.
- When cooking, try to choose recipes with low fat content and use vegetable oil for salad dressing, forget about mayonnaise.
- While cooking, try to choose recipes that use steaming or grilling - avoid fried foods.
- Refuse to use sugary drinks, they are harmful to the figure - remember this!
Top protein food
While following a protein diet, you should know which foods are high in protein. Using this list, you can easily create a menu for the day, preparing a large variety of dishes from these products.
- Low-fat cottage cheese - you can eat it for breakfast or prepare various dishes from it. From it, for example, you get a very tasty dessert - a casserole. You can eat it in one day, no more than 250 grams.
- Skim milk - is very healthy, in addition it contains a large amount of protein. It is allowed to drink at most a glass a day.
- Egg whites, you can cook an omelette from them during the day or they can serve as an additional ingredient in the preparation of meals. You can eat a maximum of 6 in one day.
- Various seafood, they contain a huge mass of protein and practically have no fat, you can eat them during the day no more than 300 grams.
- Adhering to a protein diet, the main product on the menu should be lean meat, taking into account: chicken fillet, lean beef.
- Low-fat fish are allowed to eat a maximum of 200 grams a day. It is recommended to use cooked or grilled.
- Nuts like peanuts or almonds are a storehouse of protein, but you can’t eat more than 100 grams a day.
Recipes for the first dish
Many people think that following a protein diet should exclude soups from their menu, as most soups contain a large amount of vegetables, but this is not the case. You can diversify your menu, prepare a protein-based soup (poultry or fish meat soup), with a topping of carbohydrates. A protein diet does not mean that you only need to eat an egg omelette every day, liquid food is also necessary, it contributes to weight loss. You can use the recipes below to prepare the soup.
Spinach soup - puree
For the soup you will need the following products:
- 200 grams of turkey fillet;
- spinach packaging;
- a couple of garlic cloves;
- any vegetables of your choice;
- a third of a glass of milk (skimmed);
- salt;
- pepper mixture.
Take a pot, pour water into it and boil the turkey fillet in it, you will get a rich soup. Remove the fillet from the broth, cool, then chop it. Then add the chopped spinach to the soup and cook for 5 minutes, then add the chopped fillet to the soup and cook for another 5 minutes. You should have a mushy mass that turns into a puree with a blender with the gradual addition of milk. At the end of cooking, season with salt, pepper and add chopped herbs. It is recommended to serve the soup immediately after cooking, as it can change consistency when heated. You can change the recipe at your discretion by replacing the milk with skim cream or turkey chicken fillet.
Fish soup "Milk salmon"
You will need:
- 1 liter of water;
- 400 grams of salmon fillet;
- 4 medium tomatoes;
- 1 medium onion;
- 500 milliliters of milk (skimmed);
- various greens;
- salt;
- pepper.
Peel a tomato, pour boiling water over it, then remove the skin, chop finely. Peel an onion and chop finely. Also peel the carrot and grate it. Then take a non-stick pan and fry onions and carrots on it without adding oil, and then add chopped tomatoes to the vegetables. Then take the pot, move the contents of the pan into it and fill it with water, cook for 5 minutes, then add the chopped salmon fillet. After 2 minutes add the milk and boil for another 5 minutes and finally add salt, pepper, chopped herbs. Turn off the heat and let the soup simmer for another 20 minutes. The recipe can be modified by replacing salmon with another type of fish.
Chicken soup from meatballs
You will need:
- 1 liter of chicken broth;
- 400 grams of chicken fillet
- bow head,
- sol,
- pepper,
- cabbage,
- paprika;
- 200 grams of green beans.
Take the chicken fillet and wrap it in a meat grinder, add the chopped onion, stir. Shape the minced meat into meatballs. After that, take a pot with chicken soup and put it on the fire, let it boil. As soon as the soup is done, toss the chicken meatballs in boiling water, along with the green beans and chopped peppers. Add a little salt to the soup, add herbs and cook until soft.
Egg soup with noodles
For the soup you will need the following products:
- 3 eggs;
- 1 liter of soup (chicken);
- a variety of greenery of your choice;
- pepper mixture.
Beat 3 eggs with a mixer and cook a thin omelette from them in a pan, fry it on both sides in the shape of a pancake. Take a pot, put the broth in it on the fire to boil. While the soup is boiling, take an omelet and cut it into thin noodles. Then add the noodles, chopped herbs, salt, pepper mixture to the boiling broth and simmer for two minutes, after which the broth is done.
Recipes for another dish
Many people mistakenly think that when you follow a diet, you should make a daily menu only from protein products, but this is a misconception that you can cook meals with the addition of vegetables. For example, tomatoes contain lycopene, which enhances the effects of protein diets. Nutritionists recommend that you make a menu for the day, where the recipe includes tomatoes. For example, a tomato omelette is perfect for breakfast. You can also choose any of the protein recipes to diversify your menu.
Omelet with tomato and herbs
Ingredients:
- 2 medium tomatoes;
- 5 eggs;
- salt;
- pepper and herbs.
Take 2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, cut them into thin wedges and place in a hot pan that does not stick. Saute them for two minutes, during which time take the eggs and separate the egg whites from the yolks. Then pour over the tomatoes with protein, salt and sprinkle with chopped herbs on the omelet. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the omelette for 7 minutes. You can make a delicious breakfast omelette every day without much effort.
Fish meatballs with sauce
Ingredients needed for fish balls:
- 1 onion;
- 400 grams of fish fillet;
- 2 eggs;
- 180 grams of low-fat yogurt;
- cabbage: parsley, dill, basil;
- salt;
- pepper.
Fish fillet must be ground, mixed with eggs, add salt, pepper, chopped onion. From these ingredients it is necessary to knead minced meat and form small balls from it, which then need to be fried in a hot pan with the addition of olive oil. After frying, put the meatballs in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes, adding a little water. While the meatballs are simmering, take a cup, grind all the greens into it, add yoghurt, pepper and beat with a mixer until a homogeneous mass is formed. Serve the finished meatballs with yogurt sauce.
Omelet with squid
Ingredients needed for cooking:
- 200 grams of squid;
- 3 eggs;
- Greens;
- salt;
- paprika
Soak the squid in boiling water for two minutes to easily peel them from the film. Cut the squid in half rings and place them in a hot pan, after adding a little olive oil there. Place the chopped peppers on the squid, and pour the previously 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 omelette with other seafood, such as shrimp or mussels, creating your own recipes for new dishes.
Protein blast salad
For the salad you will need the following products:
- 2 eggs;
- 100 grams of chicken fillet;
- 100 grams of squid;
- low-fat yogurt.
Boil hard-boiled eggs, peel them, chop into squares. Cook the chicken fillet until soft, then chop it. Cook the squid in boiling water until soft, then take them out and cool, cut them in half. Combine all the ingredients in a cup with low-fat yogurt. If desired, you can add various chopped vegetables to the salad.