Properties and uses of lentils for weight loss

Every year there are more and more supporters of a healthy lifestyle - people are trying not only to get rid of bad habits, but also to monitor their weight. To gain a slender figure silhouette, nutritionists recommend eating lentils. This crop from the legume family has a low calorie content, but at the same time contains a large amount of vegetable protein and balanced vitamin and mineral complexnecessary for human health.

Lentils are equally useful in losing weight for both women and men. It has properties that improve the activity of the stomach and intestines, liver, gallbladder and pancreas.. Vegetable fiber, which is a large part of this product, stimulates digestion and intestinal peristalsis, naturally cleansing the body of toxins.

Diets conducted with the use of lentils save us from extra pounds for the following reasons.

1. The product is low in calories. 100 g of boiled lentils contains only 120 kcal.
2. With the help of these beans, it is possible to compensate the body for the lack of vitamins and valuable trace elements in the shortest possible time.
3. The abundance of vegetable fiber makes this product satisfying.
4. The product is rich in vegetable protein, but does not contain cholesterol. When assimilated by the body of such a protein, a large amount of energy is expended, which is an important condition in the process of losing weight.
5. Dishes from this culture have a low glycemic index, so on a diet with lentils, insulin surges do not occur, which cause bouts of acute hunger.
6. This product is able to normalize blood glucose levels. Lentils can be used in the diet for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Thanks to the use of lentils, you can improve your figure without exhausting physical training and diets. This product greatly not only heals the human body, but also improves well-being. If you regularly eat these beans, then problems with the work of the heart and blood vessels can be avoided, and in addition, against the background of the product the level of cholesterol in the blood will also decrease. Lentils normalizes metabolism, therefore, those who like to eat it are not threatened with obesity and diabetes.

Despite the many positive properties, not all people can use lentils in their diet. There are contraindications in which beans can harm the body.

1. Vegetable protein does not provide the necessary amount of "building material" and amino acids, so it cannot replace meat. This is one of the reasons why pregnant women and children under adolescence do not include lentils in their regular diet.
2. Women of mature age need a lot of calcium, vegetables and fruits to maintain health.Transferring them to a lentil diet is not recommended, as the product will not be able to provide their body with the necessary amount of nutrients needed during menopause.
3. With gout, urolithiasis, as well as in the presence of stones in the gallbladder, lentils are not recommended for food. The product contains oxalate salts in its composition, which will only aggravate the course of these diseases.
4. With a low level of blood pressure, it is impossible to use lentils in the form of a mono-diet. As a rule, with such diets, salt and sugar may be absent in ready-made dishes, which will lead to even more severe hypotension.

Another disadvantage of this legume is that when it is consumed, an increased amount of gases is formed in the gastrointestinal tract, which causes bloating of the intestines and is accompanied by unpleasant sensations. For people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such a side effect is undesirable, since it can provoke an exacerbation of their diseases.

During the passage of a therapeutic diet, lentils are used in boiled or sprouted form. It is believed that the sprouted grains of these beans contain the largest amount of components useful for humans than in dishes that were prepared from dry grains. XAlthough nutritionists note that soups and side dishes made from dry lentils are more satisfying.

A diet with this product can be like classical, and strict. Both of these methods are good, but they have important differences.

• Classic diet with lentils - a dish made from lentil grains is replaced with a full lunch or dinner. Otherwise, the diet does not change and you can eat other foods, but exclude fried, smoked and fatty foods. Doctors believe that it is best to stick to the nominal classic version of the diet for weight loss, since it causes the least stress on the body, which means that there will be more health benefits from it. The duration of the diet is at least 14 days, during which there is a gradual weight loss of 2-3 kg.

A feature of the classic version of the diet is that it contains there is no ban on the use of salt, spices, as well as vegetables or fruits that are additionally included in the composition of dishes.

Gastroenterologists believe that the classic diet, including the use of lentils, is the basis of a healthy diet and can be used even for a very long time. Usually, it is possible to put your weight in order, thanks to a diet, after 1-3 months.

• A strict lentil diet is a complete replacement of any meals with lentil food. The frequency of meals in this case should be at least 5 times a day. The duration of the diet leaves no more than 3-5 days. The result of nutrition will be a weight loss of 3 kg. During the diet, it is permissible to use boiled lentils for food, while salting it is impossible, since salt will help retain water in the body. Daily it is supposed to eat up to 500 g of the finished boiled product. Such an amount is sufficient not to feel hunger, but to a large extent unload the body and its digestive system. During the diet, it is allowed to drink pure water, as well as green tea without added sugar.

Those who can stay on such a diet for just over a week will be able to lose 5-7 kg of excess weight. But nutritionists do not advise sticking to such extreme methods, since lentils will not be able to cover the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals that a person needs. Therefore, the choice of diet is best determined in conjunction with a nutritionist, based on your state of health.

Dietary restrictions for weight loss, when you can only eat certain foods in limited quantities, should not be harmful to health. Losing weight on lentils is much easier than on other products. Dishes made from these beans can be used for both lunch and dinner. Although it should be remembered that a monotonous diet can lead to the fact that the gastrointestinal system will begin to work at its limit. The body digests legumes for a long time, for this reason, their excessive consumption can provoke an exacerbation of existing chronic diseases.

Options for weight loss using lentils can be as follows.

A diet based on lentils can be full or partial. It is known that additional products in a partial diet help to fill the body's needs for vitamins and minerals, which are not in the structure of the lentil product.

As an example, let's take a diet composed for 5 days with the addition of lentils to the food.

• 1st day - for breakfast, use 1 glass of low-fat kefir and a cup of boiled lentils. During lunch, lentil soup and pasta with vegetable stew are used. For dinner, steamed chicken breast is used in combination with grilled vegetables.It is allowed to eat 30 g of wheat flour bread with bran per day.
• 2nd day - For breakfast, milk and lentil salad are used. For lunch, rice and vegetable soup is used, as well as lentil cutlets. For dinner, they eat meat soufflé and vegetable salad.
• 3rd day - for breakfast they prepare coffee with milk and 3 toasts with cottage cheese and finely chopped greens. For lunch - lean lentil soup and boiled fish with vegetables. For dinner, you can eat lentil vegetable stew and 30 g of rye bread.
• 4th day - For breakfast, lentil porridge and green tea without sugar. For lunch - pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and vegetable soup. For dinner, you can eat lentil salad and boiled fish.
• 5th day - For breakfast, use low-fat kefir and lentil cakes. Lunch is lentil risotto and coleslaw. For dinner - lentil stew and 30 g of rye bread.

This easy diet option can be used once a week.. It is most convenient to do this on a day off, when you have enough time to cook low-calorie meals. In the process of cooking lentils, salt and hot spices are not used, and to improve the taste of the dish, you can add thyme, dill or oregano to it.

Unloading day option on lentils:

• breakfast - eat a salad of vegetables and sprouted lentils and drink a glass of low-fat yogurt;
• dinner - prepare lentil soup with mushrooms and vegetables, and also use boiled chicken breast and green tea without sugar;
• dinner - lentil porridge and light fruit salad, acidophilus is used as a drink.

Not only lentils are involved in the process of weight loss. Proper nutrition and exercise are an important basis for losing weight.

To maximize the effect of the diet, you will need to follow the rules of the PP.

1. It is advisable to consume lentils in the morning or in the afternoon. For dinner, this product can be used by those who are actively involved in sports.
2. Morning lentils are good to combine with lean meats.
3. It is not recommended to combine lentils and butter. Preferably vegetable oil.
4. In one meal, you can combine lentils and fresh herbs, as well as vegetables.

By adhering to the rules for eating lentils, you can significantly enhance metabolic processes, which are just the basis of weight loss.

There are many different recipes for cooking dishes with the addition of lentils. The lentil diet can be very tasty and healthy when prepared with low-calorie options.

Fragrant soups with beans can be prepared with or without the addition of meat ingredients. For dietary soups, chicken or rabbit meat is used, but without skin.

• Chicken soup with lentils – Soak 200 g of brown grains for 30 minutes in water and rinse. Chop a medium-sized onion and carrots, add 1 clove of chopped garlic and 1 sweet pepper to them. Place vegetables, cereals and 300 g of chopped chicken breast into the multicooker bowl, pour 2 liters of water. The soup is cooked in the "stewing" mode for about 30-40 minutes.Next, salt and fragrant, but not spicy spices are added to the soup and boiled for another 5 minutes.

• Cream of lentil soup - 300 g of red cereals are soaked for 60 minutes, then washed. Chop the medium onion and carrot. In 1.5 liters of water, you need to boil cereals and vegetables, the cooking time is 40 minutes. 50 g of tomato paste and 20 g of olive oil are added to the broth. You can also add mint, parsley and thyme leaves. Separately, 30 g of fried flour are mixed with a small amount of water. Then this composition is slowly introduced into the broth. Bring to a boil and leave to infuse until tender for another 20 minutes. After the composition is crushed with a blender and again brought to a boil.

Lentils boil well, so crumbly side dishes are prepared from it.

• Vegetable stew with lentils - 250 g of cereals are soaked in water for 6 hours and washed. Onions, carrots and sweet peppers, as well as parsley and basil, are peeled, chopped and sautéed in a saucepan with vegetable oil. Grains are added to the vegetables, a little water is poured in and stewed until tender. The finished dish is salted and flavored with herbs.

• Italian recipe for lentils - 200 g of red or yellow lentils are washed, poured into 600 ml of water and boiled over low heat. The carrots are crushed and added to the lentils. The onion is cut into 4 parts and also sent to the cereal for cooking. When water boils, add bay leaf, salt and spices, as well as 2 tbsp. l. olive oil. The cooking process is continued for another 20 minutes. Remove the onion and, if necessary, add a little more water to obtain the desired consistency. After 10 minutes, the dish can be removed from the heat and served.

Lentil vegetable salads can be prepared from boiled or sprouted grains.

• Vegetable salad with sprouted lentils - 200 g of broccoli is placed in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then transferred to cold water with a slotted spoon (this way the product will retain its color and shape). Tomatoes (100 g), peeled pumpkin pulp (80 g), 1 clove of garlic and half a lemon are crushed, chopped broccoli and half a glass of sprouted lentils are added to them. The salad is dressed with olive oil mixed with 2 tbsp. l. soy sauce. Salt is added to taste.

• Lentils with apples and spinach - 100 g of green lentils with a piece of chili pepper, a pinch of thyme are boiled in a small amount of water for 45 minutes. Spinach leaves are washed and dried, apple and tomatoes are cut into slices. Next, 20 g of apple cider vinegar, 40 g of sour cream, salt, pepper and 60 g of olive oil are mixed. Chili peppers are removed from lentils, boiled cereals are mixed with vegetables and poured with salad dressing. The salad is decorated with herbs.

According to nutritionists, the most intense weight loss occurs in the first days of the diet. The results can be quite impressive - with a healthy diet and physical activity, people managed to lose up to 3-5 kg. Those who themselves have gone through a diet based on taking lentils claim that not only excess fat is removed from the body, but also congestive edema.

According to the observations of gastroenterologists, good results are achievable with a combination of lentils with mushrooms, vegetables and fruits. But it should be noted that when unloading the body, one should not consume alcoholic beverages and other products that are unhealthy.

The following video provides a recipe for a delicious lentil soup for weight loss.