Food during the day. How to eat right during the day? The right menu for the week

There are a huge number of diets that allow you to lose weight. But for some reason, few people think that it is enough to competently and wisely approach the issue of nutrition, and no restrictions will simply be needed. There are certain rules that should be followed so as not to sob on the scales later, and also exists. How to eat right?

  • Watch your portion sizes. In short, eat less! Both at home, and at a party, and in public catering. Skip the heavy salad and replace it with a lighter one. And share the main dish with a friend (friend).
  • Avoid large plates at home. Get a smaller plate. And portions, respectively, impose smaller ones. Remember that the body does not need as much food as you are used to putting on. Just enough to make you feel a little full.
  • We eat much more if we eat while watching a movie on TV.(a fact proven by scientists). Learn to perceive the process of eating, like refueling for a car. How much fuel do you need to get the car going? Refueled, and forward.
  • Try to plan your menu at least a day ahead. And even better - for the whole week. On the eve of the working day, think - what exactly will you feed your body? Stock up on yogurt and a couple of fruits to satisfy your hunger in a timely manner and not run to the store later for chips and chocolates.
  • Once you've made a menu for the week, stick to it. Buy all groceries in advance. Stick your menu on the fridge and eat only what is on it. Hide the “extra” products so that there is no temptation to grab a couple of Krakow bagels or a smoked leg before dinner.
  • Drink more water. This is the basis of proper nutrition. At least one and a half liters per day (soups, juices, tea and coffee go separately).
  • Be sure to have breakfast in the morning. Breakfast doesn't have to be heavy, but it should contain the nutrients that will help you get through the rest of the day. Dairy products and fiber are a must. See.
  • Strictly adhere to the diet. If there are still a couple of hours before lunch, and you just feel unbearably hungry, and you are ready to run for a hamburger, take an apple, pear or banana. Have a snack with fruit - it will not bring harm, and the feeling of acute hunger will be released.
  • Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Every day. At every meal. The most useful green vegetables are Chinese cabbage, lettuce, arugula, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, celery, etc. They contain the maximum amount of essential vitamins and ensure the smooth functioning of the digestive tract.
  • Avoid fruits in syrup(canned) and cheap fruit juices. Reduce your sugar intake with tea and coffee. Sweets, if possible, replace fruits, candied fruits, dried fruits, dark chocolate.
  • Minimize your salt intake. In some cases, refuse altogether. For example, a vegetable salad seasoned with oil will not suffer at all from the lack of salt. Again, a boiled egg can be consumed without salt.
  • Eliminate the wrong carbs(sugar, rice, flour) and enter healthy (fruits-vegetables, legumes, whole grain bread).
  • Don't forget fiber! The minimum amount per day is about thirty g. Look for it in whole grains and fruits and vegetables.
  • Swap bad fats for good ones- on nuts and avocados, olive oil and pumpkin seeds, fish, etc. Reduce, if possible, to zero the consumption of red meat, whole milk products, as well as fried foods, cookies, margarine, etc.
  • Protein is irreplaceable. This is the source of our energy. Look for it daily in fish, beans, nuts, eggs, and tofu.
  • Vitamin D and calcium(dairy products, beans, leafy vegetables) - nowhere without them.
  • Absolutely avoid eating out. Prepare yourself! Not semi-finished products, but “first, second and compote”. You can make it ahead of time and put it in the freezer to save time. And money - and even more so.
  • Eat high-calorie foods only in the morning. In the second - only the lungs.
  • Try to burn more calories throughout the day than you consume. per day. Get a notebook for the first time to see the "arrival-expenditure" of extra pounds.
  • Avoid fatty-sweet-spicy-salty foods.
  • Any dietary restrictions do not make sense without physical activity. If you do not want to become an old woman ahead of time, then combine your proper nutrition with the right loads. Then your skin will not sag, and your muscles will not weaken.

What is the right food for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

What to eat for breakfast

This energy boost is the basis of the whole day. Breakfast is not deposited on the hips and is converted into clean energy. Requirements for a proper breakfast:

  • Buns, sandwiches, toast and croissants - down. They only tire the body, which, after such a breakfast, wants to go back to bed.
  • Pulses for breakfast - superfluous . The exception is buckwheat.
  • The main part of breakfast should be fruit. Especially in summer. In winter, you can replace them with dried fruits.
  • Must include in your morning meal yogurt, ryazhenka or cottage cheese .
  • Milk in its pure form for breakfast can be consumed only until six in the morning. For example, with cinnamon - it provides cheerfulness.
  • The perfect breakfast fruit salad seasoned with yogurt or fermented baked milk. You can also add berries and nuts.
  • For second breakfast you can eat porridge (for example, oatmeal), fruit and a small piece of dark chocolate.

What to eat for lunch

For the most part, we dine very quickly, not really thinking about what we eat, and throwing what is at hand into the furnace. Because work is waiting. And this meal requires a serious approach. And of course sandwiches for lunch are absolutely not suitable. In extreme cases, you can order lunch to the office or find a canteen with hot lunches. Requirements for the right lunch:

  • At lunch you can not limit yourself in food , but this meal should not occur later than two in the afternoon.
  • For the first, you can eat, for example, borscht, for the second - buckwheat garnish and two hundred grams of chicken breast. Do not forget about salad (only fresh vegetables) and unleavened bread. On the third - compote or juice from fresh fruits.
  • Avoid smoked and fried meat at lunch . Replace it with steamed meat and plenty of vegetables.

What should you eat for dinner?

How is dinner usually? We eat everything and more (and certainly with dessert), after which we fall on the sofa to watch the TV in order to digest all this abundance of food. Moreover, while you come home from work, while you cook dinner, while you gather the whole family at the table, the hands of the clock are confidently approaching ten in the evening. As a result, we spend the night digesting food, instead of resting. So how should it be? Requirements for the right dinner:

  • Dinner should be light. The optimal time for dinner is no later than four hours before bedtime. Preferably at 6pm.
  • For dinner beans should not be consumed - They should be eaten in the morning.
  • The best dishes for dinner are stewed or raw vegetables . Certainly not meat with fried potatoes and a huge piece of cake.
  • Before going to bed, you can drink warm milk. , seasoned with a spoonful of honey - it promotes restful sleep and fast falling asleep.

The right menu for the day

Since morning:
A glass of water right after you get out of bed. Get yourself into this habit.
Breakfast :

  • A couple of dried breads.
  • Fruit salad with yogurt.
  • Or vegetable salad with vegetable oil.
  • 100 g of cottage cheese (cheese).
  • Tea, coffee, milk available.

Lunch:

  • 100 g of berries (fruits).
  • Natural juice.

Dinner:

  • Soup (lean, fish, vegetable puree soup, or low-fat broth).
  • About 150 g of fish, turkey or chicken (not fried). Baked or stewed. No "tasty" skins and crusts! For example, salmon skewers or turkey stew.
  • Salad (only fresh vegetables!) with vegetable (olive) oil.
  • Garnish - a maximum of four tablespoons. It is preferable to refuse it altogether, replacing it with a larger portion of salad. Or steamed vegetables.

Afternoon snack:

  • 100 g of berries or fruits.
  • Tea, coffee, juice or water. You can use low-fat yogurt. Choose.

Dinner:

  • A couple of dried breads.
  • Any vegetables. It is better if you follow the "tradition": fresh vegetables and vegetable oil.
  • 100 g of cheese or cottage cheese, plus a boiled egg.
  • Boiled (baked) chicken (turkey) breast. Or boiled (stewed) fish.
  • Drink optional.

The right menu for the day: how should you eat during the day?

There are a huge number of diets that allow you to lose weight. But for some reason, few people think that it is enough to competently and wisely approach the issue of nutrition, and no restrictions will simply be needed. There are certain rules that should be followed so as not to cry on the scale later, and there is also a list of the most unhealthy foods. How to eat right?

  • Proper nutrition. Key Recommendations
  • How to eat right during the day?
  • The right menu for one day

  • Buns, sandwiches, toast and croissants - down. They only tire the body, which, after such a breakfast, wants to go back to bed.
  • Pulses for breakfast - superfluous. The exception is buckwheat.
  • The main part of breakfast should be fruit. Especially in summer. In winter, you can replace them with dried fruits.
  • Must include in your morning meal yogurt, ryazhenka or cottage cheese.
  • Milk in its pure form for breakfast can be consumed only until six in the morning. For example, with cinnamon - it provides cheerfulness.
  • The perfect breakfast fruit salad seasoned with yogurt or fermented baked milk. You can also add berries and nuts.
  • For second breakfast you can eat porridge(for example, oatmeal), fruit and a small piece of dark chocolate.

For the most part, we dine very quickly, not really thinking about what we eat, and throwing what is at hand into the furnace. Because work is waiting. And this meal requires a serious approach. And of course sandwiches for lunch are absolutely not suitable. In extreme cases, you can order lunch to the office or find a canteen with hot lunches. Requirements for the right lunch:

  • At lunch you can not limit yourself in food, but this meal should not occur later than two in the afternoon.
  • For the first, you can eat, for example, borscht, for the second - buckwheat garnish and two hundred grams of chicken breast. Do not forget about salad (only fresh vegetables) and unleavened bread. On the third - compote or juice from fresh fruits.
  • Avoid smoked and fried meat at lunch. Replace it with steamed meat and plenty of vegetables.

How is dinner usually? We eat everything and more (and certainly with dessert), after which we fall on the sofa to watch the TV in order to digest all this abundance of food. Moreover, while you come home from work, while you cook dinner, while you gather the whole family at the table, the hands of the clock are confidently approaching ten in the evening. As a result, we spend the night digesting food, instead of resting. So how should it be? Requirements for the right dinner:

  • Dinner should be light. The optimal time for dinner is no later than four hours before bedtime. Preferably at 6pm.
  • For dinner beans should not be consumed- They should be eaten in the morning.
  • The best dishes for dinner are stewed or raw vegetables. Certainly not meat with fried potatoes and a huge piece of cake.
  • Before going to bed, you can drink warm milk., seasoned with a spoonful of honey - it promotes restful sleep and fast falling asleep.

Since morning:
A glass of water right after you get out of bed. Get yourself into this habit.
Breakfast:

  • A couple of dried breads.
  • Fruit salad with yogurt.
  • Or vegetable salad with vegetable oil.
  • 100 g of cottage cheese (cheese).
  • Tea, coffee, milk available.

Lunch:

  • 100 g of berries (fruits).
  • Natural juice.

Dinner:


  • Soup (lean, fish, vegetable puree soup, or low-fat broth).
  • About 150 g of fish, turkey or chicken (not fried). Baked or stewed. No "tasty" skins and crusts! For example, salmon skewers or turkey stew.
  • Salad (only fresh vegetables!) with vegetable (olive) oil.
  • Garnish - a maximum of four tablespoons. It is preferable to refuse it altogether, replacing it with a larger portion of salad. Or steamed vegetables.

Afternoon snack:

  • 100 g of berries or fruits.
  • Tea, coffee, juice or water. You can use low-fat yogurt. Choose.

Dinner:

  • A couple of dried breads.
  • Any vegetables. It is better if you follow the "tradition": fresh vegetables and vegetable oil.
  • 100 g of cheese or cottage cheese, plus a boiled egg.
  • Boiled (baked) chicken (turkey) breast. Or boiled (stewed) fish.
  • Drink optional.

And the most important thing to remember: we eat only to live, and not vice versa.

In this article, I will tell you how to properly consume products during the day on weight / weight loss / healthy lifestyle.

And so, the use of products that are on the mass, that on weight loss, that with a healthy lifestyle, has a general principle:

Proper healthy nutrition means - FRACTIONAL NUTRITION.

Fractional nutrition means eating food very often (ideally every 2 hours), but little by little (in fractional portions) within the number of calories you need!

Ideally, you need to adjust so that meals are daily at the same time, well, for example: 8.00, then 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00, 20.00, 22.-. see? Every 2 hours.

Fractional nutrition- will allow you to maintain a stable and high level of metabolism in your body, which means - more calories will be spent during the day (more energy will be spent, i.e. fat burning is accelerated), if you build muscle, then the acceleration of metabolism accelerates muscle growth and all due to the fact that fractional nutrition spins up your metabolism (your metabolism), i.e. all processes and syntheses in your body go much faster. Do you understand?

To implement "DP", you need to purchase containers for food (and carry food in them, with you, everywhere):

Although, many, now, probably, have gone a little crazy ... they will say: yo-may, what is it that you need to eat no matter how you like it every two hours, they say, in FIG it is necessary, I’m like a cow or something, etc. P.

However, I'm not joking, it will be necessary accustom yourself to fractional nutrition within the framework of the number of calories you need , otherwise, your metabolism will be slowed down, and fat burning will occur very, very slowly, up to a complete stop or not at all. The choice is yours.

The rule is simple: the more often you eat, the faster your metabolism, respectively, in this situation - more energy is spent, and this helps to accelerate the burning of excess fat. The same applies to weight gain (muscles), only in this case, not fat loss is accelerated, but muscle growth.

Moreover, fractional meals (frequent meals) are the best method of appetite control. Knowing that you will eat every 2-3 hours, you will never have a desire to eat “from the belly”, thereby eliminating “overeating”. And most people eat from 1-2-3 times a day and most often when they feel hungry. And hunger is manifested due to a long break between meals. As a result, when a person is very hungry, he eats and eats everything, that is, he cannot stop, he wants and wants everything (as a result, he eats until, figuratively speaking, his belly bursts).

It is not even necessary to explain to such a category of people that the feeling of satiety does not come immediately after eating, but only after some time (landmark, 20 minutes after a meal). They also don’t need to be explained that they need to eat slowly, chewing food thoroughly, because it’s right, this way the body is saturated much faster, and a person will not be able to “overeat”, but people ... grab it quickly, swallow it in pieces ...

In general, forget about the past 2-3 meals a day, join new realities, fractional nutrition is good for health, your figure and other things. Fractional nutrition is the key to your future success. Also learn how to properly absorb food (slowly, slowly, chewing food thoroughly).

Read more about this in the main article: "FRACTIONAL NUTRITION from A to Z".

The second important component of our article, which I could not tell you about.

At the stage of weight loss (fat burning) I strongly recommend to focus on COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES in the first half of the day (until 15.00) - after 15.00 emphasis on PROTEIN PRODUCTS!

This is done on purpose, for the reason that during the day, people, as a rule, are ACTIVE! Accordingly, energy (complex carbohydrates) is needed for this, in fact, due to activity, it will be “spent”, and in the evening, after work, study, etc. - PASSIVE (why is there energy? sit at the computer? lie on the couch? in general, it’s obvious that it’s useless, because if energy comes in, and you are passive, it will not be “spent”, as a result, the accumulation of excess fat, therefore emphasis on protein foods).

At the stage of mass gain- this rule may not work (you need to see the situation).

Ectomorph (left) / Mesomorph (middle) / Endomorph (right)

There are 3 body types. In short, ECTOMORPH and MESOMORPHOUS may still be recommended, but ENDOMORPHOUS (fat man) is not. I would recommend him (even despite the fact that the period is mass-gaining) to exclude all kinds of complex carbohydrates, and leave only proteins of animal origin. This will help for him to minimize the accumulation of excess fat.

Additional articles that are similar on the topic, and may be useful to you:

  • What to eat for breakfast
  • Snacks on a healthy diet
  • What is better to eat for lunch
  • What to eat before a workout
  • What to eat after a workout
  • What is better to eat for dinner
  • What to eat for the night
  • What to eat before bed

Sincerely, administrator.

Did you know that some foods lose their valuable properties if you eat them at the wrong time? When it is better to eat apples, cottage cheese, cheese, dried fruits, sweets and much more, read the review.

And now it seems to you that you already know everything about a healthy diet. You give advice on competent weight loss and are a family consultant on healthy nutrition for households. Or, on the contrary, you begin to think that you will never remember all the rules and principles that you need so much for a new life with only healthy eating habits.

Understanding all the intricacies of proper nutrition is really quite difficult, but possible. For example, did you know that some healthy foods may not be useful at all under certain conditions? We've put together a list of 10 foods to eat at specific times for you to benefit your body.

Right. It is best to eat apples in the morning or as a snack between main meals. Apples contain pectins, which improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and prevent constipation.

Not properly. If an apple eaten in the morning will benefit you, then in the evening it is better to abstain from this healthy fruit. The same pectins can cause acidity in the stomach and discomfort, as well as awaken the feeling of hunger.

Right. Cottage cheese is great for breakfast and lunch. It improves the functioning of the digestive system and is perfectly absorbed by the body without burdening the stomach.

Not properly. But don't eat it for dinner. Don't make yourself uncomfortable before bed. By the way, dairy products tend to provoke inflammation and exacerbation of chronic diseases during sleep.

3. Sweet

Right. Of course, sweets do not apply to healthy foods, but sometimes you can treat yourself. By the way, sometimes it is in the morning. At this time of day, insulin in the blood is already high, so sweets will not lead to a sharp jump in it.

Not properly. At any other time, it is better to refrain from sweets. It is not so difficult. And useful. Indeed, even relatively harmless sweets, such as marshmallows, marshmallows and marmalade, do not have the most favorable effect on the figure, immunity and well-being.

Right. Everyone knows that carbohydrates guarantee cheerfulness and energy for a long time. If you lead an active lifestyle, then eat rice for lunch. And go on numerous cases.

Not properly. Many believe that rice is the ideal dietary product. But it is very high in calories. Therefore, if you want rice for dinner, then cook wild rice instead of white.

Right. Bananas are simply indispensable if you play sports. This is both a great source of energy before training, and a great way to close the "carbohydrate window" after training. They also release endorphins, uplifting the mood and calming the nervous system. But eating bananas is still better in the morning.

Not properly. Bananas at night are not the best idea. Firstly, they have the same property as dairy products, provoking inflammation. Secondly, they are still quite high in calories, and you need to know the measure.

Right. Meat is a valuable source of animal protein. Regular use of this product increases endurance, improves brain function, stimulates the body's defenses. Choose meat for lunch.

Not properly. Meat is not suitable for dinner. It is not so easily digested that you can afford to eat this product at night. Opt for fish, vegetables or seafood.

7. Legumes

Right. Legumes are best for dinner. They normalize the work of the digestive system, lower the level of cholesterol in the blood and make sleep stronger. So you can't imagine better food for the evening.

Not properly. But in the morning it is better to refrain from using this product. Legumes can cause flatulence, and even after they do not have a long feeling of fullness.

8. Walnuts

Right. With walnuts, everything is very simple. Eat them at night. The main thing here is not to overdo it, because nuts are quite high in calories. The thing is that they contain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and they are best absorbed at rest.

Not properly. In principle, you can eat walnuts at any time and use them as a snack. But the maximum benefit from this product can be obtained only in the afternoon.

Right. Breakfast must include a couple of slices of cheese. It's delicious, nutritious and healthy. Cheese has a lot of vitamins and minerals, and it also energizes perfectly.

Not properly. In the afternoon, we advise you to refrain from cheese. Firstly, it is a dairy product, and what it threatens, we have already told above. Secondly, cheese is high in calories, and such a late use of it can lead to weight gain.

10. Figs and dried apricots

Right. Of course, figs and dried apricots are ideal for a morning meal. They speed up the metabolism, thereby improving the functioning of the digestive system, and make your body wake up and tune in to a productive day.

Not properly. It is better not to eat figs and dried apricots at night. Their miraculous effect is so powerful that your resting metabolic rate will cause bloating and stomach discomfort.

How many meals per day should ideally be? There are many answers to this question, but if you want to optimize your life and reduce the risk of developing chronic degenerative diseases, the answer becomes clear.

How many meals per day should ideally be? There are many answers to this question, but if you want to optimize your life and reduce your risk of developing chronic degenerative diseases, the answer becomes clear. From the experience of many years of tradition, the answer is that Most people need three full meals a day with snacks in between. to maintain stable blood sugar and insulin levels. However, there is strong evidence that this near-constant eating may be partly to blame for obesity and the diabetes epidemic. The most obvious risk of splitting meals into morning, noon, and evening is overeating. Other less obvious risks are biological changes that lead to metabolic dysfunction, subsequent weight gain and poor health.

How many meals per day should ideally be?

Our ancestors didn't have access to food 24/7, and, historically speaking, our bodies were designed to handle intermittent periods of fasting with ease. In fact, intermittent fasting even has a number of beneficial benefits.

Case against eating many times a day

According to Dr. Walter Longo, director of the University of Southern California Longevity Institute, where he studies meal times and calorie restriction, even three meals a day can be too much.

Based on their research, he is convinced that the less you eat, the better you will feel overall. As Time Magazine reports:

“Longo says that studies that support continuous eating tend to be predictably wrong. They often only look at the short-term effects of increasing meal frequency.

While your appetite, metabolism, and blood sugar may improve at first, your body will get used to the new eating schedule after a month or two. When this happens, your body will begin to crave food throughout the day, not just at noon or lunchtime.”

For the past two years, I've been suggesting that you limit your food intake to a narrow window of six to eight hours - ideally skipping breakfast so that lunch is your first meal of the day.

However, we are all different, and some people really suffer without breakfast. More recently, I have changed my mind about skipping breakfast.

Eat breakfast or dinner, but not both at the same time...

Although I'm still convinced that intermittent fasting is an important strategy for effective weight loss and disease prevention It probably doesn't matter which meal you skip - breakfast or dinner - as long as you skip one of them.

If your job involves physical activity, you're probably better off eating a full breakfast and lunch and then skipping dinner. You need to remember that you can only eat for six to eight hours every day and stop eating at least three hours before bedtime.

When you limit your meals to this time period, you can choose between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner, but avoid breakfast and dinner.

If you decide to eat dinner, It is important to stop eating at least three hours before bed.

However, all of this probably doesn't apply to normal weight teenagers or growing children. They probably need three full meals a day unless they are overweight. For children and teenagers, what matters most is the type of food they eat.

Ideally, all of their meals should contain REAL FOOD.- unprocessed foods, fast food and sugary snacks. Another key point - drink plenty of clean water and avoid sugary drinks.

Why you should avoid eating at night

If you want to live a long healthy life and avoid chronic degenerative diseases, it is important that at least three hours pass after the last meal before going to bed. It has to do with how your body produces energy. What many don't realize is that mitochondria are responsible for "burning" the fuel your body consumes and converts into usable energy.

These tiny bacterial derivatives live inside cells and are optimized to create energy from the food you eat and the oxygen in the air you breathe. Your cells have between 100 and 100,000 mitochondria.

Your mitochondria create energy by generating electrons that are normally donated by ATP (adenosine triphosphate). When you're not insulin resistant, this energy transfer works pretty well, but when you're insulin resistant or overeat, dysfunctions tend to show up.

If you consume more calories than your body can immediately use, there is an excess of free electrons that are stored inside your mitochondria.

These electrons are highly reactive and begin to flow from the electron transport chain in the mitochondria. These excess electrons leak out and cause premature destruction of the mitochondria and then cause further damage by damaging your cell membranes and contributing to DNA mutations.

There are many knowledgeable experts who believe that this type of mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the culprits of accelerated aging.

So how can you apply this knowledge? Very simple: deal with insulin resistance and do not eat AT LEAST three hours before bedtime. Personally, I stop eating around 4 p.m. or even earlier, and usually go to bed five to six hours later.

Your body uses the least number of calories during sleep, so you should not consume excess fuel during this time because it will create extra free radicals that can damage your tissues, accelerate aging and contribute to chronic disease.

Interestingly, if you have insulin resistance, intermittent fasting is without a doubt the most powerful intervention I know of to help you overcome this problem. This is one of the reasons why I now believe that skipping dinner can be an even better strategy than skipping breakfast.

Obviously, skipping dinner is socially harder, but it can be an excellent biological strategy.

Can a glass of water before a meal help you lose weight?

Recent studies suggest drinking 500 ml(just over two glasses) water half an hour before meals to increase weight loss. Obese study participants who "pre-loaded" with water before each meal lost an average of three pounds (about 1.5 kg) more than the control group over three months.

All participants, including the control group, received weight management counseling on how to improve their diet and exercise. Those who ate three meals a day and drank water before each meal lost an average of about 9.5 pounds (4.3 kg) in three months. Those who drank water only once a day, or did not drink at all, lost only 1.75 pounds (0.8 kg). Overall, 27 percent of the treatment group who drank water before meals lost more than five percent of their body weight, compared with just five percent of the control group. This is logical, as thirst is often misinterpreted as hunger. Drink water before eating so you feel fuller and overall this strategy can lead to less food intake.

Calorie restriction is good for your health

But back to intermittent fasting; many studies have confirmed the health benefits of calorie restriction, and it seems clear that eat less if you want to live longer. Interestingly, studies have shown that lifelong calorie restriction in mice “significantly alters the overall structure of the gut microbiota” in ways that lead to longevity.

Therefore, one of the reasons why calorie restriction can prolong life seems to be due to the positive effect it has on the gut microbiota.

The increase in life expectancy is also clearly associated with a decrease in the number of diseases, that would shorten your life, and calorie restriction linked to a number of health benefits including reducing visceral fat, reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, and improving insulin sensitivity.

Earlier studies have shown that calorie restriction helps prolong the lifespan of animals by improving insulin sensitivity and inhibiting the mTOR pathway.

However, few people will be happy with the idea of ​​cutting their daily calorie intake by about 25 percent or more for the rest of their lives, and the good news is that you don't have to.

Research has shown that intermittent fasting leads to similar benefits as calorie restriction- even if you do not put any restrictions on the number of calories you consume when you eat.

This was demonstrated in a 2013 review that found a wide range of therapeutic benefits of intermittent fasting, even if total daily calorie intake did not change or was only slightly reduced.

The studies included in this review and other published studies indicate that intermittent fasting may help:

    Limit inflammation, reduce oxidative stress and cell damage

    Improve circulating glucose

    Reduce blood pressure

    Improve metabolic efficiency and body composition, including significant weight loss in obese people

    Reduce LDL and total cholesterol levels

    Prevent or reverse type 2 diabetes and slow its progression

    Improve immune function and move stem cells from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal

    Improve pancreatic function

    Improve insulin and leptin levels and insulin/leptin sensitivity

    Replicate some of the cardiovascular benefits associated with exercise

    Protect against cardiovascular disease

    Modulate levels of dangerous visceral fat

    Boost Mitochondrial Energy Efficiency

    Normalize ghrelin levels, known as the "hunger hormone".

    Help eliminate sugar cravings by accommodating your body to burn fat instead of sugar

    Promote the production of human growth hormone (GH). Fasting can increase GH by 1300 percent in women and 2000 percent in men. GH plays an important role in health, fitness and slowing down the aging process. It is also a fat burning hormone.

    Reduce triglyceride levels and improve other disease biomarkers

    Increase the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) by stimulating the release of new brain cells and triggering brain chemicals that protect against changes associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. (Fasting every other day - limiting food intake on fasting days to 600 calories - can increase BDNF by 50-400 percent, depending on the region of the brain.

Why I prefer intermittent fasting to calorie restriction

Intermittent fasting also has a number of additional benefits over strict calorie restriction. For starters, it is much easier to endure, and adherence to the regimen is the most important thing.

The calorie restriction pathway is also extremely dependent on high quality nutrition.- You need to sacrifice calories without sacrificing any important micronutrients, and this can be another obstacle for many who are not familiar with nutrition and the correct composition of a healthy diet.

You should also avoid calorie counting and calorie restriction mistakes. What most people don't realize is that there are complex biochemical dynamics that don't count when you just count "calories in and out". While animals such as rats can achieve a 40 percent increase in lifespan with lifelong calorie restriction, such a massive effect is not seen in humans, and there are good reasons for this.

As noted in Fight Aging:

“There is a good evolutionary explanation for differences in response to calorie restriction when comparing short- and long-lived species: fasting is seasonal, and season is a big part of a mouse's life, but a small part of a human's life. Thus, only the mouse develops a relatively greater plasticity of life in response to food shortages.”

In terms of calorie and weight restriction, people also tend to have an innate resistance to excessive weight loss, even under severe calorie restriction. Dr. Ansel Case demonstrated this in the mid-1940s when he developed experiment to study the effect of hunger on humans.

Thirty-six young healthy male volunteers were placed on a 24-week diet that limited calories to 1,600 per day. They also had to walk about 45 minutes a day. But instead of this resulting in continuous weight loss, after 24 weeks their weight stabilized and there was no more weight loss even when calorie intake was reduced to 1,000 or less per day.

The disadvantages were obvious. The men became obsessed with food to the exclusion of everything else in their lives, and when the calorie restriction ended, there was an extreme compensation response. Within a few weeks, they regained all the weight they had lost and gained 10% more.

Other studies have come to similar conclusions. Therefore, diets that starve a person are not suitable for the average person. Your body will tend to shut down various processes in order to survive. For example, by reducing thyroid function, your body will not burn as many calories.

All this may seem hopelessly contradictory. On the one hand, calorie restriction promotes beneficial biological changes that tend to prolong life; on the other hand, there are built-in mechanisms that, with chronic calorie restriction, can cause other health problems. This is a complex problem, and any extreme measure is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

The best we can do is develop some general guidelines that replicate the eating patterns of our ancestors.

In my opinion, daily intermittent fasting and not eating for several hours before bed has many benefits over total calorie restriction and other drastic diets, while still providing the same benefits with minimal risk.

To lose weight, you need to train your body to burn fat for fuel.

When you consistently eat every few hours and never skip a meal, your body becomes very inefficient at burning fat for fuel, and this is where the problems start. It is important to recognize that, with a few exceptions, you cannot burn fat if you have other fuel, and if you supply your body with carbohydrates every day, your body does not need to dive into your fat stores.

When you intermittently fast, you not only avoid it, but you usually reduce your food costs and improve your health.

Eating smaller meals and grouping meals closer together is one of the most effective strategies to get your body to burn fat for fuel more efficiently and normalize insulin and leptin sensitivity. If you're not insulin resistant, intermittent fasting isn't as important, but it can be helpful.

If you're in the minority of Americans who aren't struggling with insulin resistance, then my general recommendation is to stop eating at least three hours before bed. This automatically allows you to "fast" for at least 11 hours or longer depending on when you eat breakfast and whether you eat breakfast at all.

Equally important is the recommendation to EAT REAL FOOD, i.e. food in the most natural form you can find, ideally whole organic products from pastured animals when it comes to meat and animal products such as dairy and eggs.

© Joseph Mercola

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness - together we change the world! © econet

Food serves as a source of energy necessary for the smooth functioning of the human body. That is why nutritionists recommend paying attention to what you eat. It is important that breakfast is complete and balanced. After reading this article, you will learn about the main aspects of proper nutrition.

Basic principles

Those who want to understand how many times a day they need to eat should remember that when compiling an individual menu, it is advisable to take into account the physiological characteristics of your body. It is important that food fully meets your needs for carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and trace elements. For example, those whose activities are associated with hard physical labor are recommended to eat more meat, and those who work in the office are shown foods with a high glucose content.

One of the key roles in this case is played by the method of preparation of certain products. So, much more harmful boiled or baked. You should also pay attention to the temperature of the food you eat. Experts advise to exclude too cold and too hot dishes from the daily menu. Otherwise, the breakfast, lunch, dinner or afternoon snack you eat can cause heartburn or stomach pain. Ideally, the temperature of the food served to the table should be about 38 degrees.

Among other things, it is important to consider portion size. According to most leading nutritionists, you need to eat little but often. You should not stretch your own stomach, sending the first, second and third into it at the same time. Thinking through the menu, we must not forget about the recommended

What should be the best breakfast?

Those who are trying to figure out how many times a day they need to eat should remember that the most high-calorie meals should be consumed in the morning. At this meal, you need to eat about 30% of the total average daily recommended intake of kilocalories. For a completely healthy person, this figure is about 3000 kcal per day.

The first breakfast, which falls at 7-8 o'clock in the morning, will have time to fully assimilate and be converted into energy. If you neglect your morning meal in favor of a cup of coffee and a sandwich, then literally in half an hour you will feel hungry again.

You can have breakfast. Cereals, cheeses and bakery products are the best for this. But it is advisable to refuse semi-finished products, sausages and sausages, since they contain a large number of flavors, stabilizers and dyes that negatively affect our health.

What foods are good for lunch?

Usually, by 11 o'clock in the afternoon, a healthy person has a feeling of hunger again. This means that it is time to eat a second breakfast, consisting of low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese. These products are considered excellent sources of potassium, magnesium and other trace elements necessary for the normal functioning of our body.

To get the maximum benefit, you should give preference to natural products. You can also eat fruits for breakfast. At the same time, it is important that they are local, and not brought from another country. Most imported products contain practically no useful substances, and their taste is very different from domestic counterparts.

What can you eat during your lunch break?

Around 13-14 o'clock in the afternoon, you must definitely eat some kind of liquid dish. It can be fish soup, borscht, chicken or vegetable soup. Such food will not only satisfy your hunger, but will also prevent you from overeating.

If necessary, the soup can be replaced with a small portion of baked or boiled meat. Foods containing a sufficient amount of starch are perfect for garnishing. It can be potatoes, legumes, rice or pasta.

For those who want to know how many times a day to eat, it is important to remember that after hot meals, you should not drink any cold drinks. Such temperature fluctuations often cause a slowdown in digestive processes.

What foods can you eat for lunch?

At about 4 p.m., a healthy body again needs to replenish energy reserves. At this time, it is important not to overeat, so as not to shift the time of dinner and avoid the unpleasant feeling of heaviness in the stomach. For an afternoon snack, you should choose light and quickly digested dishes, such as mousse, chocolate, fruit and vegetable salads. Nutritionists do not recommend eating muffins, pizza, buns, cookies and other pastries at this time.

What to choose for dinner?

Those who have already understood how many times a day they need to eat should remember that light meals should be consumed during the evening meal. Ideally, dinner is recommended no later than four hours before going to bed.

During this meal, you can eat raw or stewed vegetables. But meat and chips or legumes are considered not the best dinner option. Also in the evening it is allowed to eat lean fish or boiled white meat. Before going to bed, a glass of warm milk or kefir is allowed.

Nutrition by age

All nutritionists are of the same opinion, according to which, at different periods of life, a person needs different amounts of food. So, a newborn baby eats exclusively breast milk. At the same time, he asks for food every three to four hours, therefore, the baby eats six to eight times a day.

As the child grows, the interval between feedings also increases. In addition, the baby's diet becomes more diverse, new, previously unfamiliar products appear in it. A one-year-old toddler usually eats four to five times a day.

In adolescence, when there is an active growth of the body, nutritionists advise transferring the child to 3 meals a day. During this period, your heir needs a full breakfast, lunch and dinner. Between these meals, you can have light but nutritious snacks.

Most adults eat the same way as teenagers, three times a day. But they are not as active, so they need fewer kilocalories. If a thirteen-year-old boy should consume about 3200 kcal per day, then in an adult this figure drops to 3000.

Meals in summer

It's no secret that in the hot season you need to adjust your diet. It is advisable to exclude salty, smoked, fried and fatty foods from the daily menu. Best suited for summer: cottage cheese, milk porridge, stews, vegetable salads, okroshka and chicken meat. As a dessert, you can use fruit ice, various mousses and ice cream. For breakfast, it is advisable to eat porridge, rich in all useful substances and slow carbohydrates. It can be sweet (with honey or fruit) or salty (with cheese or nuts). It is also recommended to supplement the morning meal with fermented milk products.

For lunch, you can eat vegetable soup with sorrel, parsley or spinach. Do not forget about meat and fish. However, in the summer you need to be very careful about the choice of these products and be sure to subject them to heat treatment. Fish and meat should preferably be boiled, stewed, steamed or baked in the oven.

In the evening, you can eat some light low-fat meal. For dinner, it is not recommended to eat fruits and berries, as they can cause fermentation and discomfort in the abdomen.

To quench your thirst in the summer heat, it is recommended to drink fruit drinks, juices and compotes. Lack of fluid can cause blood clots, headaches, weakness and deterioration in general well-being. Therefore, on hot days it is important to observe the drinking regimen.

In the summer months, you should not abuse lemonades, carbonated drinks and packaged juices, since they contain a large amount of sugar and other substances that have a diuretic effect. A good way to quench your thirst is chilled green tea, as well as a rosehip or mint decoction.

Sooner or later, we all think about our diet: problems with weight, skin, health in general make us open our refrigerator and examine its contents with skepticism. We ask ourselves the questions “what to exclude from the diet?” and “how can I start eating right?”, looking for our way to a healthy and beautiful body.

Meanwhile, a healthy and proper diet is not a strict debilitating diet, not a mockery of the body and not depriving it of its joys, it is just a series of rules, following which you can radically change yourself, acquire new healthy habits, a beautiful figure and significantly extend life.

Our body is a reflection of what we eat

It's no secret that obesity has become a huge problem of modern people - we move less, consume a large amount of fatty foods, high-calorie sauces, sweets. There are endless temptations everywhere, and manufacturers are competing to come up with the next super product that no consumer can resist. The result of this race can be observed on the streets of any metropolis - according to statistics, almost every second inhabitant of developed countries is overweight. Obesity, unfortunately, leads to problems not only in aesthetics and self-esteem, but also to serious consequences for the body: the risk of many diseases is directly proportional to the amount of excess weight. Diabetes, problems with the heart, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive function - this is only a small part of the possible diseases that occur when the diet is not followed.

The good news is that in recent years, taking care of the condition of your body has begun to come into fashion: more and more calls to play sports are heard from the state, public organizations, organic and dietary products appear on store shelves, advice on how to eat right is distributed in the press. .

Basics of healthy eating, or how to eat right

When compiling a healthy diet menu, you should remember a few general rules: first, you need to eat often and in small portions. It is most convenient to get yourself a small plate, in which a handful-sized portion is placed. No need to be afraid of hunger! A healthy diet involves 5-6 meals a day. It is also good to accustom yourself to eat at the same time - this stabilizes the work of the stomach and will contribute to weight loss.

The second important rule is remember about calories. There is no need to scrupulously calculate them throughout your life every time after eating, it is enough to follow your diet for a week or two, and the habit of automatically “estimating” the calorie content of food will appear by itself. Everyone has their own calorie norm, you can find it out, for example, using a special calculator that is easy to find on the Internet. For example, a woman of 30 years old, weighing 70 kg with a height of 170 cm and little physical activity per day needs about 2000 kcal. To lose weight, you need to consume 80% of calories from the norm, that is, in our example, about 1600 kcal per day. Additionally, there is no point in cutting the diet - the body will simply slow down the metabolism, and the harm from such a diet is more than good.

The third rule - we keep a balance between "income" and "expenses", that is, the energy that the body spends on basic metabolism, work, sports, and caloric intake. Food includes four main components: proteins, fats, carbohydrates and dietary fiber - all of them are necessary for our body. The only question is which of them (fats and carbohydrates are different), in what quantities and proportions to use. Approximate recommended indicators are 60 g of fat, 75 g of proteins, 250 g of carbohydrates and 30 g of fibers. The fourth rule is to drink water. Often we do not want to eat, our body simply takes the lack of fluid for hunger and makes us eat what we do not really need. One and a half or more liters of pure drinking water will help get rid of pseudo-hunger, make the skin more elastic, improve the general condition of the body, and speed up the metabolic process.

And the fifth rule is to choose products wisely. Read the labels, composition and caloric content of products, exclude fast food, mayonnaise sauces, products with chemical additives, preservatives, dyes from the diet. You must know what you eat, and then the path to beauty and health will be fast and enjoyable.

healthy food

We will try to answer the age-old question "what to eat to lose weight?". The main thing when compiling a menu for a healthy diet is to maintain a balance between expenses and consumed products.

So, be sure to include in the diet of a healthy diet for every day:

  • cereals, in the form of cereals and muesli, rich in slow carbohydrates that will provide our body with energy;
  • fresh vegetables (cabbage, carrots) provide the body with dietary fiber - fiber;
  • legumes - a rich source of vegetable protein, especially necessary for those who rarely or do not eat meat;
  • nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, have a beneficial effect on the entire body and are a source of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, trace elements;
  • fermented milk products: natural yoghurts (without added sugar), kefir, low-fat cottage cheese provide calcium and improve the functioning of the digestive tract;
  • sea ​​fish contains protein and omega-3 essential fatty acids;
  • fruits and berries are a storehouse of vitamins, heal the skin and protect the body from diseases;
  • lean meat - chicken breast, rabbit meat, beef - a source of protein.

Useful products should not contain preservatives, artificial colors, palm oil. It is better to limit pickles - you can treat yourself to them from time to time, but you should not get carried away.

If you have a problem of excess weight, then sugar should be completely abandoned, even if you have a sweet tooth and can’t do without a cup of sweet coffee in the morning - sweeteners will solve this problem. Do not be afraid of them, high-quality natural-based substitutes are harmless, contain virtually no calories and taste good.

Under strict ban!

We have decided on useful products, let's look at the list of foods that are incompatible with a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition:

  • Sweet carbonated drinks. They do not quench thirst, irritate the gastric mucosa, as a rule, contain a monstrous amount of sugar - about 20 g in each glass, artificial colors and flavors, preservatives.
  • Deep fried food. French fries, chips, crackers and everything that is fried in a lot of oil should be crossed out of the diet. Carcinogens, lack of nutrients and fat are not what a healthy body needs.
  • Burgers, hot dogs. All such dishes contain a mixture of white bread, fatty sauces, meat of unknown origin, appetizing seasonings and a lot of salt. What do we get as a result? A real high-calorie "bomb", which instantly turns into folds on the body and does not carry any nutritional value.
  • Mayonnaise and similar sauces. Firstly, they completely hide the natural taste of food under spices and additives, forcing you to eat more, and secondly, almost all mayonnaise sauces from the store are almost pure fat, generously seasoned with preservatives, flavors, stabilizers and other harmful substances.
  • Sausages, frankfurters and meat products. There is hardly any need for clarification at this point - just read the product label. And that's just the official data! Remember that under the items "pork, beef" in the composition, the skin, cartilage, fat are most often hidden, which you would hardly eat if they were not so skillfully processed and beautifully packaged.
  • Energetic drinks. They contain a high dose of caffeine combined with sugar and acidity, plus preservatives, dyes and many other ingredients that should be avoided.
  • Fast food meals. Noodles, mashed potatoes and similar mixtures, which are enough to pour boiling water, instead of nutrients contain a large amount of carbohydrates, salt, spices, flavor enhancers and other chemical additives.
  • Flourish and sweet. Yes, our favorite sweets are one of the most dangerous foods. The problem is not only high calorie content: the combination of flour, sweet and fatty foods multiplies the harm several times and instantly affects the figure.
  • Packaged juices. Vitamins and other useful substances almost completely disappear during processing. What would be the use of a concentrate diluted with water and flavored with a fair amount of sugar?
  • Alcohol. Enough has already been said about its harm to the body, we will only once again note that alcohol contains calories, increases appetite, interferes with the absorption of nutrients, and if the minimum doses are not observed, it slowly destroys the body, because ethanol is a cellular poison.

The transition to a balanced healthy diet will not be a burden if you follow simple recommendations.

First, do not torture yourself with hunger. If you feel discomfort, eat an apple, some nuts, dried fruits or muesli.

Secondly, drink plenty and choose healthy drinks. Chicory contributes well to weight loss - it suppresses the feeling of hunger due to the large amount of fibers in the composition, it has a beneficial effect on the body. Green tea is also useful, especially with ginger.

Diversify your diet! The more different healthy foods you consume, the more the body receives various trace elements, vitamins, amino acids.

If you really want something forbidden - eat it for breakfast. Of course, it is better to give up harmful products altogether, but at first the thought that sometimes you can still treat yourself helps.

The less unnatural ingredients in food, the better. If you want to eat healthy foods, it is better to choose a piece of meat instead of sausage, fresh vegetables instead of canned ones, muesli instead of buns.

We compose the menu "Healthy food"

How to start eating right? First of all, you need to find out how many calories your body needs. Let's say it's 2000 kcal daily. In order to lose weight, you need to consume 1600 kcal per day, distributing them over 5-6 meals.

So, let's make a healthy food menu for every day:

Breakfast. Should be rich in slow carbohydrates and proteins, it can include:

  • oatmeal, muesli or grain bread;
  • kefir, unsweetened yogurt or a piece of cheese.

Second meal– light snack between breakfast and lunch:

  • any fruit weighing approximately 100-200 grams, or some nuts, dried fruits;
  • 100 grams of cottage cheese or unsweetened yogurt.

Dinner should be the most significant meal of the day:

  • 100 grams of buckwheat or brown rice, durum flour pasta. You can add carrots, onions, peppers to the dish;
  • boiled chicken breast;
  • Salad of fresh vegetables dressed with yogurt, a small amount of soy sauce or linseed, olive oil.

afternoon tea, between lunch and dinner - another light meal:

  • A small fruit or a glass of freshly squeezed juice, preferably from vegetables.

Dinner– light and tasty:

  • 100-200 grams of lean beef, rabbit, turkey, chicken, fish or legumes;
  • Salad of cabbage, carrots and other vegetables rich in fiber.

And finally a couple of hours before bedtime:

  • A glass of kefir, chicory or drinking unsweetened yogurt.

Throughout the day, water, green tea and chicory drinks with natural extracts of rose hips, ginger or ginseng can be consumed in unlimited quantities.

Portion sizes are approximate and will depend on individual parameters - daily calorie intake, weight loss rate and other individual factors. In any case, it is better to consult a nutritionist.

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