Food is usually the most important intake of the day. The general recommendation is that it gives us 35% of the total energy intake for the day, between 1 and 3 o’clock in the afternoon, when we have spent a lot of energy working and it is convenient to regain strength to continue our activity in the afternoon. But it is not always easy to come up with proposals that satisfy us and that at the same time are low in calories. That is why in this article we want to propose 5 foods to lose weight and we will share the recipes that will help you lose weight in a healthy way.
But first, we want to remind you of 3 basic aspects when preparing our weight loss menus:
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1. Choose nutritious and satisfying foods
How should a meal be to achieve weight loss? The objectives of our plate will be 2: Make it nutritious and satisfying , so that we do not go hungry and snack between meals.
The main protagonists at this time of day should be vegetables , because our main objective is to nourish and satisfy ourselves, and vegetables will fulfill that mission. Nor do we have to forget about carbohydrates : rice, pasta or bread, prioritizing the whole grains because in addition to being more nutritious, they will be more satisfying. And finally, proteins , which are also going to help keep us satiated and preserve muscle mass. We will finish filling ourselves by accompanying this main meal with a dessert such as a serving of fruit or a dairy, which will be skimmed and without sugar so that it has fewer calories.
Carbohydrates are found in cereals such as rice, oats, quinoa, legumes such as lentils or chickpeas, tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes or cassava, bread and pasta. Protein is also found in legumes, meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, and dairy. To know in what approximate quantities we can eat these foods, we recommend using the plate method as a reference .
2. Choose healthy cooking methods
What types of cooking should we prioritize in our recipes? Basically the iron, the oven, the papillote, steaming, the wok, soft and sautéed stews that take advantage of the water released by the vegetables during the sauté over low heat. It is not a question of surviving by cooking and boiling because we have a wide variety of techniques to make our menus healthy and tasty.
3. Use low calorie recipes
If you choose healthy foods, low in fat and sugar and use them in the approximate amounts recommended by the plate method, you don’t need to focus on counting calories. For this reason, in our recipes we do not talk about calories: We talk about food, cooking and specify the protein and carbohydrate rations. The quantities of the vegetables would not be specific, they can be unlimited. The amounts of carbohydrates and proteins are approximate because weight loss diets are customized based on the goal, gender, activity and constitution of each person.
Chickpea recipe with spinach and cod
Ingredients: 50g chickpeas, 200g cod, spinach, red pepper, olive oil, salt, garlic and parsley.
Recipe: The spinach and cod are steamed on a steamer or rack suitable for steaming. Another option is to cook them with very little water. On the other hand, the peppers are roasted in the oven. It can be used to roast several peppers or vegetables in the same batch. In a pan greased with a teaspoon of olive oil, sauté the chickpeas and cooked spinach with a little garlic and parsley. It is plated by serving the sauteed, the cod and the roasted red pepper on the same plate.
Tips: Chickpeas can be cooked at home, after keeping them to soak or canned chickpeas can also be used. If you opt for the latter, it is recommended to rinse the chickpeas before serving. Canned chickpeas are a perfectly healthy processed if among its ingredients there are only chickpeas, water, salt and perhaps a preservative that you can eliminate by rinsing the chickpeas with water.
Squid recipe with broccoli and potato
Ingredients: Onion, squid, white wine, potato, broccoli, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Recipe: In a frying pan, pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté ¼ garlic and ½ chopped onion. Add 150 g of cleaned and cut squid and a splash of white wine. Cook 15 minutes over low heat and season. You can add parsley or another spice of your liking. Wash about 6-7 broccoli seedlings and a medium potato of about 160g. Cut the potato in half and steam it along with the potato. Plate and decorate to your liking.
Salad with cheese and raspberries
Ingredients: 1-2 tablespoons of canned corn, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, carrot, 1/4 avocado, 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 skimmed fresh cheese terrine , 50-120g (cooked weight) of brown rice, 1 tablespoon tureen of virgin olive oil, 1 dash of balsamic vinegar.
Recipe: Wash and drain all the vegetables well. Cook the egg and brown rice. Plate all the ingredients and season to taste.
Tips: It is important to note that at least 1 time a day we should consume raw vegetables / vegetables, since this way we are providing a greater contribution of vitamins and minerals that can be lost or decreased with cooking. You can vary the dressing and prepare one of skimmed yogurt with lemon, salt and black pepper.
Pumpkin and carrot puree with grilled turkey
Puree ingredients: 150g approx pumpkin, 1 carrot, 80-120g potato, water and salt.
Recipe: Wash and chop all the vegetables. In a saucepan add a little oil. Add the vegetables and sauté them over medium heat for 5 minutes, add a little salt and the necessary water to cover the vegetables. Once cooked, blend with the mixer. If it is too thick, add a little water and beat again until it is a fine and homogeneous mixture.
Turkey ingredients: 120g-150g (net and raw weight) turkey, 1c / soup olive oil and Provencal herbs.
Recipe: On a very hot griddle greased with a teaspoon of olive oil, cook the grilled turkey, spiced with Provencal herbs.
Lentils With Vegetables
Ingredients: approx 75g of lentils, garlic, onion or leek, carrot, red pepper. 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spices
Recipe: Boil the brown lentils in water with a pinch of salt. Once boiled, strain them and reserve. In a frying pan, pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the garlic and the chopped onion or leek. Add the carrot and bell pepper, previously washed and chopped, and spices such as oregano, pepper or even a little curry. Once the vegetables have cooked, add the boiled legumes and mix. Plate and decorate to your liking.
Tips: Legumes have a lot of fiber and protein that will keep us satiated. The red pepper is very rich in vitamin C and favors the absorption of iron from lentils. As it is a proposal for weight loss , we are not going to include the meats and sausages with which lentils are usually cooked. If you want a similar flavor, remember to cook them with paprika and garlic.
If you want to improve your food organization, we recommend you not to miss this article that talks about weekly planning and our article about batch cooking . We also recommend complementing these meals with breakfasts and dinners to lose weight.
