A protein diet means weight loss due to high protein foods and minimal carbohydrates. There is a misconception that if you completely give up carbs and eat only protein foods, you will lose weight faster and more efficiently, but that is a misconception. Complete removal of carbohydrates from the menu is dangerous to health.
Nowadays, the protein diet is especially popular and inspired by the example of many movie stars and politicians who have gotten rid of extra pounds thanks to this diet. As a result, most people are interested in and looking for new protein meal recipes that could diversify their protein diet menus. To keep your diet from making a single egg omelette, you can prepare these first and second course recipes, as well as a variety of salads and desserts.
The essence of diet
It is necessary to eat more protein during the diet, but it is not recommended to completely rule out carbohydrates, it can harm the whole body or exacerbate any chronic diseases. During the protein diet it is necessary to calculate the number of calories, you should not eat more than you spend. Calorie intake can be increased through physical activity, and caloric intake can be reduced by replacing high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods, that is, by reducing the energy value of the food. If you monitor your calorie intake and follow basic dietary principles, your weight loss will become unusually fast and effective.
Dietary principles
- You need to eat six times a day. Try to eat basic carbs in the morning, leave low-calorie dinners for dinner, and the last meal should be at least three hours before bedtime.
- Try to create a daily menu so that slow carbs are used only for breakfast, and in the afternoon choose from a wide range of dishes with more protein foods.
- When cooking, try to choose low-fat recipes and use vegetable oil for salad dressing, forget about mayonnaise.
- When cooking, try to choose recipes that use steaming or grilling - avoid fried foods.
- Refuse to drink sweet drinks, they hurt your figure - remember that!
The most popular protein foods
When following a protein diet, you should know which foods are high in protein. With this list, you can easily create a daily menu by preparing a huge variety of dishes from these products.
- Low-fat cottage cheese - you can eat it for breakfast or prepare a variety of dishes from it. For example, it makes a very tasty dessert - stew. You can eat no more than 250 grams per day.
- Skimmed milk is very healthy and high in protein. It is allowed to drink no more than a glass per day.
- Egg whites, you can make an omelette from them during the day or they can be an additional ingredient in cooking. You can eat no more than 6 of them in one day.
- A variety of seafood, they are high in protein and practically free of fat, you can eat them no more than 300 grams during the day.
- Following a protein diet, the main menu product should be lean meat, considered: chicken fillet, lean beef.
- No more than 200 grams of oily fish are allowed to eat per day. It is recommended to use it boiled or grilled.
- Nuts like peanuts or almonds are a storehouse of protein, but you can eat no more than 100 grams per day.
First course recipes
Many people think that soups should not be included in their diet as part of a protein diet, as most soups contain large amounts of vegetables, but this is not the case. You can diversify your menu, prepare a soup based on protein (meat broth from poultry or fish), with a sauce made from carbohydrates. A protein diet does not mean that you only need to eat an omelette of eggs every day, as well as the necessary liquid food, it contributes to weight loss. You can use the recipes below to make soup.
Spinach soup - puree
The soup will need the following products:
- 200 grams of turkey fillet;
- spinach packaging;
- a couple of cloves of garlic;
- any greens of your choice;
- one third of a glass of milk (skimmed);
- salt;
- pepper mixture.
Take a pot, pour water into it and cook turkey fillet in it, you will get a rich broth. Remove the fillets from the broth, cool and cut. Then add the chopped spinach to the broth and cook for 5 minutes, then add the sliced fillet to the broth and cook for another 5 minutes. You should have a soft mass that needs to be turned into a puree with a mixer by gradually adding milk. At the end of cooking, season with salt, pepper and add the chopped herbs. It is advisable to serve the soup immediately after cooking, as it can change the consistency when heated. You can change the recipe at your discretion by substituting milk with skim cream or turkey fillet for chicken.
Fish soup "Milk salmon"
You will need:
- 1 liter of water;
- 400 grams of salmon fillet;
- 4 medium-sized tomatoes;
- 1 medium onion;
- 500 milliliters of milk (skimmed);
- various greens;
- salt;
- pepper.
Peel the tomatoes, fill them with boiling water, then remove the skin, finely chop. Peel an onion and finely chop. Also peel the carrots and grate. Then take a non-stick pan and fry the onions and carrots on it without filling with oil, then add the chopped tomatoes to the vegetables. Then take the pot, transfer the contents of the pan to it and pour water, cook for 5 minutes, then add the chopped salmon fillet. After 2 minutes, add milk and cook for another 5 minutes, and at the end add salt, pepper, chopped herbs. Turn off the heat and let the soup set for another 20 minutes. The recipe can be replaced by replacing salmon with another type of fish.
Chicken dumpling soup
You will need:
- 1 liter of chicken broth;
- 400 grams of chicken fillet
- onion head
- salt,
- pepper,
- greens,
- paprika;
- 200 grams of green beans.
Take the chicken fillet and roll it into a meat grinder, put the chopped onion in it, mix. Form the mince into meatballs. Then take a pot with chicken broth and put on the fire, bring to a boil. As soon as the broth boils, add the chicken dumplings to the boiling water along with the green beans and chopped peppers. Salt the broth a little, add the herbs and cook until soft.
Egg noodle soup
The soup will need the following products:
- 3 eggs;
- 1 liter of broth (chicken);
- various greens 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 form of a pancake. Take the pot, put the broth in it on the fire to cook. While the broth is boiling, take the omelette and cut it into thin pasta. Then add the mixture of pasta, chopped herbs, salt, pepper to the boiling broth and simmer for two minutes, after which the soup will be ready.
Recipes for the second course
Many people mistakenly believe that you should consist only of protein products in your daily diet, but it is a misconception that you can make meals by adding vegetables. Tomatoes, for example, contain lycopene, which enhances the effects of a protein diet. Nutritionists recommend creating a daily menu where the recipe includes tomatoes. For example, an omelette with tomatoes is perfect for breakfast. You can also choose any of the protein recipes below to diversify your menu.
Omelette with tomatoes and herbs
Ingredients:
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes;
- 5 eggs;
- salt;
- peppers and herbs.
Take 2 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes, cut them into thin wedges and place in a hot non-stick pan. Simmer them for two minutes, during which time take the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Then pour the tomatoes with protein, salt on the omelette and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the omelette for 7 minutes. You can make a delicious omelette every day without much effort for breakfast.
Fish balls with sauce
Required fish ball ingredients:
- 1 onion head;
- 400 grams of fish fillet;
- 2 eggs;
- 180 grams of low-fat yogurt;
- greens: parsley, dill, basil;
- salt;
- pepper.
Fish fillet should be minced, mixed with eggs, salt, pepper, chopped onion. From these ingredients it is necessary to knead the minced meat and form small balls from it, which are then to be fried in a hot pan with the addition of olive oil. After frying, place the meatballs in a pot and simmer for 5 minutes, adding a little water. While stewing the meatballs, take a cup, mash all the greens in it, add the yogurt, pepper and beat with a blender until a homogeneous mass is formed. Prepared meatballs should be served with yogurt sauce.
Omelet with squid
Required cooking ingredients:
- 200 grams of squid;
- 3 eggs;
- Greens;
- salt;
- paprika.
Immerse the squid in boiling water for two minutes so that they can be easily peeled off the film. Cut the squid in half rings and place them in a hot pan, adding a little olive oil. Place the chopped peppers on the squid and pour the beaten eggs into the next layer. Salt the whole omelette, sprinkle with herbs, then cover and bake for 7 minutes. You can also make an omelette with other seafood, such as shrimp or mussels, by creating recipes for your new dishes.
Protein Blast Salad
For salads 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, cut them into squares. Cook the chicken fillet until soft, then cut. Boil the squid in boiling water until soft, then remove and cool, cut into half rings. Mix all the ingredients in a cup with low-fat yogurt. Optionally, you can add a variety of chopped greens to the salad.