Greek diet for weight loss: menu, rules, reviews and results

Greece, as they say, has everything, but only for Greeks. Contrary to this statement, anyone can benefit from the Greek Diet.

Today, a very popular way to lose extra pounds and improve your health is through diet.

The word diet itself is translated from Greek as a way of life or diet, that is, a list of foods that can be consumed or better excluded from your diet.

And who, if not the Greeks, who are less susceptible to obesity and are in full health, would know better which dishes to give preference to and which to avoid.

The Greek diet and its history

Greek cuisine has been faithful to its traditions for more than three thousand years. According to medical research, Greeks are not obese and have low rates of cardiovascular disease. Nutritionists say that all this is thanks to a balanced diet. The original method of eating food of the Mediterranean inhabitants has its own name - the Greek diet. Following her recommendations permanently gets rid of excess pounds completely painlessly, improves the condition of the body, and is suitable for all people who want to be thin and control their food intake.

The basis of the Greek diet

The Greek diet has long been known as one of the healthiest in the world, but it is not just a way of eating, but a way of life.

The great Greek thinker Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, said: “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” It was this ancient Greek physician's refusal to believe that illness was due to the intervention of divine or supernatural forces that laid the foundation for the development of medical theory.

He argued that illness and disease were not the consequences of punishments imposed on people by the gods, but were a product of environment, diet and living habits. The Mediterranean diet is associated with overall health.

The Greek diet is rich in sun-grown fruits, vegetables and herbs, cheeses and meats. Fresh meat and seafood complement the pure local produce that graces Greek tables during meals, and this diet has changed little over the centuries.

Peculiarities

Vegetables come first in this technique; they are used as a side dish, in salads and as an independent dish. One of the most popular fruit crops is olives, and the most favorite is eggplant. They are used in casseroles and salads, and stewed. Artichokes and tomatoes, carrots and grape leaves, onions and garlic, celery and cinnamon are not a complete list of vegetables that diversify your diet and make dishes healthy and tasty. Thanks to the proximity of the sea, the diet includes an abundance of seafood: octopus and squid, shrimp and mussels, cuttlefish and lobsters, eels, red mullet and other seafood. Meat dishes are prepared from lamb, less often from pork, with preference given to chicken. The basis of preparation is olive oil; freshly squeezed lemon juice is also added. All products are divided into three subgroups: No. 1 - products that are not prohibited from being eaten daily:

black flour bread or whole grain bread;
cereals, rice (use brown);
peas or beans;
potatoes, carrots, eggplants, zucchini, etc.;
all kinds of fruits, nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds;
1 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil;
Dairy products – milk, yogurt;
dry red wine (no more than 3 glasses);
drink up to 1.5 - 2 liters of plain water daily.

It is advisable to include products from group No. 2 in the diet up to 4 times a week:

fish and seafood – 3 times a week;
eggs – 2 to 4 times a week (if you do not have an allergic reaction to the white or yolk);
a little sweet - dark chocolate or honey is better.

Products from group No. 3 can be on your table only 3 times a month:

chicken;
lean pork;
mutton;
chicken meat.

You should not eat flour, smoked or fatty foods. Flour products can be replaced with dried fruits and unsalted nuts. You should limit your intake of salt and sugar. But on the contrary, increase the amount of water; tea and coffee are not prohibited. For snacks, it is better to use fruits or berries.

Reviews

Like any other, the Greek diet collects not only positive reviews. But we must give the method its due; all the negative aspects usually relate to the high cost of the diet.

Irina:
“I really like to eat delicious food, I can’t stand extreme diets at all.
One day on the forum I came across a description of the Greek diet. In principle, I can easily tolerate the lack of meat, especially since it is still possible a couple of times a month. I am very pleased with the results of the Greek diet, although it should be noted that I stretched the 14-day diet over 23 days. In three weeks, eating tasty and healthy food, I managed to lose 6 kg.” Elena:
“I love fish very much, and I absolutely adore seafood, so when I was faced with the question of choosing from all kinds of diets, I did not hesitate to choose the Greek one.
There’s no need to go hungry, of course, so far I’ve only managed to lose 3 kg, but I intend to continue working on my weight.” Olga:
“I was very confused by the presence of bread and pasta in the diet. Therefore, at my own discretion, I still reduced their number to a minimum. I have already managed to lose 3 kg in a week. As long as I’m happy with everything, we’ll continue.”

Greek diet for 14 days

The peculiarity of this diet is that it consists of alternating menus: one day is “protein”, the second is “vegetarian”, sugar and beer are completely excluded. Sample menu: First day

Breakfast: toast with a piece of cheese and a drop of olive oil, black coffee, no added sugar.
Second breakfast: a glass of plain yogurt without additives with a drop of honey.
Lunch: a piece of fried chicken, red onion and bell pepper, 400 ml of mineral water.
Afternoon snack: the same as for breakfast.
Dinner: grilled sea bream, herbal tea.

Second day

Breakfast: vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce), black coffee.
Second breakfast: Vegetables.
Lunch: vegetable soup prepared with kefir, baked potatoes or eggplant, 2 tbsp. mineral water.
Afternoon snack: Greek salad.
Dinner: zucchini baked with tomatoes and cheese, herbal tea.

The third day

Breakfast: 150 – 200 g of cottage cheese, coffee with milk.
Second breakfast: chopped cucumbers with onions, dressed with olive oil.
Lunch: a small piece of fried fish, a few tomatoes and green onions, mineral water.
Afternoon snack: feta cheese with tomatoes in lavash.
Dinner: eggplants with minced meat and onions, baked in the oven.

Then we return to the menu of the first day and so on for 14 days.

For every taste: types of techniques

The Greek diet for weight loss includes several types of menus, from which everyone can choose the most suitable one.

For a three days

To unload and cleanse the body for three days, you need to eat feta cheese. Since it contains a lot of salt, it must first be soaked in water. With this diet option, you can lose 1-2 kilograms.

The food during these three days is approximately the same.

For breakfast you can eat a piece of bran bread or a toasted slice of black cheese, feta cheese (30g) and a cup of green tea without sugar.
An excellent option for lunch is a vegetable salad (serving no more than 250 grams), 100 grams of feta cheese and berry jelly or freshly squeezed juice.
For an afternoon snack, a glass of kefir will help satisfy your hunger.
In the evening (for dinner) it is recommended to eat 100 grams of feta cheese and a cup of rosehip decoction or unsweetened tea.

However, this diet is not suitable for people suffering from hypertension and problems with the cardiovascular system.

For 5 days

The 5-day version of the Greek diet is suitable for quick weight loss. The diet is quite limited and strict, but in 5 days on the Greek diet you can lose up to 7 kg of weight.

For breakfast you can have a cup of unsweetened green tea and fresh fruit.
You can snack on a couple of oranges.
Lunch consists of sliced vegetables and cheese.
Dried fruits are suitable for an afternoon snack.
Dinner includes stewed or boiled vegetables.

For 2 week

The peculiarity of the Greek diet menu during these 14 days is the alternation of vegetarian and protein days. The basis of the diet is a three-day menu, which is repeated throughout the entire period.

The first day:

Greek diet of Aphrodite

The goddess Aphrodite is the standard of female beauty. The Aphrodite diet improves the condition of the skin, has a beneficial effect on the structure of hair and nails, and is therefore very popular among women. It contains only two products: goat cheese and cucumbers. These foods must be eaten for two weeks; after this time, they also begin to eat meat and various greens. During the diet, it is necessary to monitor any changes in the body. If your health does not worsen, then continue to eat only two foods. At times you experience weakness and noise in your ears, which means that such a diet is not suitable for you, you need to look for another one, which will contain more varied foods. Drinking plenty of fluids is one of the conditions of this diet. It is recommended to drink at least 1.5 liters of water or unsweetened herbal tea. After a course of diet, you cannot suddenly change your diet; it can be varied with milk, boiled meat and steamed fish, dairy products and oat bran. Limit the amount of fruits because they contain excessive amounts of carbohydrates. You can’t eat porridge, exclude nuts and corn, all kinds of sweets, even honey from your diet. The Aphrodite diet is not suitable for people who have gastrointestinal problems, acute gastritis, pregnant and nursing mothers, teenagers, and people after surgery.

Exit

Adhering to the classic version of the Greek diet, it is not necessary to leave it if opportunities permit. To get out of more stringent versions of this diet, you should follow these rules:

Continue to eat food slowly and chew thoroughly.
Maintain drinking regime.
When expanding your diet with meat products, you should eat plenty of raw vegetables, herbs and fruits to ease digestion.
Prohibited products must be controlled; their abuse is guaranteed to contribute to the return of lost kilograms.

Greek salad diet

This seven-day diet will help you lose weight by 2 - 4 kg. During the diet course, there must be a Greek salad on the table. Menu for the week (suitable for every day):

Breakfast: any food of your choice.
Second breakfast: some nuts and fruit.
Lunch: Greek salad, stewed vegetables and a small piece of boiled chicken.
Dinner: any vegetable dish.

Greek salad recipe:

onion – 1 small head, cut into rings;
tomatoes – 2 pcs. any cutting shape;
cucumbers – 2 pcs. slices or cubes;
bell pepper – 1 pc.;
Feta (cheese) or feta cheese – 150 g;
olives – 10 pcs.;
some greenery;
3 tbsp. spoons of olive oil;
Sprinkle everything with wine vinegar, add salt and pepper.

Makes 3 servings, calorie content of salad – 155 kcal. For 100g.

The main advantage of the Greek diet is that it can be followed throughout life, because it does not contradict the principles of healthy eating. By sticking to it for a short time, you can lose weight in the same way as what happens on proper nutrition or some options for a carbohydrate diet up to 4 kg per month.

For 3 days

Day	Breakfast	Snack	Dinner	Snack	Dinner
1	Oatmeal with fruit filling	Handful of dried fruits	Pasta with seafood	Berry smoothie with chia seeds	Boiled chicken with green peas
2	Oatmeal baked with berries	Fruit salad	Lasagna with veal Bolognese sauce	Kefir with bran	Fish baked with vegetables
3	Granola with yogurt.	Candies made from nuts, dried apricots and raisins	Brown rice with vegetables	Yogurt, 2 whole grain breads	Lentils, fresh vegetable salad

For 5 days

Day	Breakfast	Snack	Dinner	Snack	Dinner
1	Oatmeal with banana	Cottage cheese with berries	Lentils, Greek salad	Kefir	Pasta with seafood
2	Buckwheat porridge, hard-boiled egg	Milk pudding with banana and chia seeds	Beans stewed in tomato sauce	Citrus	Rice with vegetables
3	Oatmeal pancakes with orange	Handful of nuts	Mushroom stew	Yogurt, kiwi	Steamed fish and vegetables
4	Rice porridge with raisins	Energy bars made from nuts and dried fruits	Mashed potatoes, vegetable salad	Vegetable salad	Vinaigrette with green peas
5	Apple lavash strudel	Marmalade	Vegetable stew	Tomato juice	Chicken cutlet, ratatouille

For 14 days

Day	Breakfast	Snack	Dinner	Snack	Dinner
1	Buckwheat porridge, omelette	Fruit salad	Vegetable soup	Milk pudding with banana and chia seeds	Fish cutlet, stewed vegetables
2	Rice pancakes with cottage cheese	Berry smoothie	Puree soup from different types of cabbage	Greek yogurt	Chicken cutlet, lentils, cucumbers
3	Oatmeal charlotte	Banana	Ratatouille	Kefir with berries	Cabbage stewed with turkey
4	Carrot cake with curd cream	Handful of dried fruits	Rice with vegetables	Milk jelly	Grilled vegetables and seafood
5	Oatmeal with berries and honey	Energy bars	Lentils, Greek salad	Cottage cheese with bran	Veal steak, beet salad
6	Rice porridge with dried fruits	Handful of nuts	Chicken fillet baked with vegetables and cheese	Curd mousse with cocoa	Vegetable stew
7	Pancakes made from rice and corn flour	Baked apples stuffed with cottage cheese	Buckwheat porridge, vinaigrette	Citrus, Greek yogurt	Lasagna, tomato and herb salad
8	Buckwheat porridge, hard-boiled egg	Fruit salad	Veal steak, Greek salad	Kefir with chia seeds	Rice with seafood
9	Banana Pie	Candies made from dried fruits, seeds and nuts	Fish soup	Fruit salad dressed with yogurt	Vegetable stew with mushrooms
10	Lavash and custard cake	Cheesecakes with raisins	Mashed potatoes, steamed turkey cutlet	Tomato juice	Beans stewed in tomato sauce
11	Rice flour muffins with peanut butter	Fruit puree	Cabbage stewed with mushrooms	Vegetable salad	Chicken cutlet, grilled vegetables
12	Oatmeal with raisins	Energy bars	Stew with beans	Sandwich made from whole grain bread with feta cheese or feta cheese and cucumber	Caprese salad, baked red fish
13	Oatmeal with vegetables	Any fruit	Chicken broth, Greek salad	Carrot puree	Fish casserole with broccoli
14	Omelet with tomatoes, cheese and spinach	Bran pancakes with berries and honey	Pasta with seafood	Vegetable salad	Baked vegetables

Useful qualities of the diet

The Greek diet significantly improves health and helps to gradually lose excess weight. Everyone can choose products to suit their taste and create a convenient meal schedule. It is necessary to follow certain rules when creating a menu. Firstly, all high-calorie foods are allowed to be consumed for breakfast; as nutritionists say, all food rich in carbohydrates before lunch is completely digested and absorbed, and is not stored in fat deposits. Therefore, at breakfast you can eat bread, pasta, cereals, naturally within normal limits, without overeating. For dinner, cook vegetables, fish or poultry. Secondly, to achieve results, you need to be patient; losing weight on the Greek diet is slow. And most importantly, take it as a way of life and then the results will last for a long time.

Contraindications to the Mediterranean diet

The main prohibition for such a diet is the individual intolerance of the body to some products from the list.

Research has shown that the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are significant and numerous. Eating this way reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases, thanks to the olive oil and fish oil content in the products. The risk of developing atherosclerosis is also reduced, as the concentration of glucose, insulin and bad cholesterol decreases.

People's reviews about the Greek diet

The reviews are only positive, because everyone was able to choose a convenient and suitable method of losing weight or diet. Olga 24 years old, Moscow, Russia

I followed all the rules while eating and this is the result - 10 kg in minutes!
My body is in great shape again. Nina 37 years old, Kiev, Ukraine
My love for Greek salad helped me find the figure of my dreams.
After 2 weeks, I began to weigh 5 kg less, I did not feel hungry - I simply followed the diet recommendations. Karina 19 years old, Astana, Kazakhstan
I eat my favorite pasta, rice and potatoes without any problems!
I love it when you eat what you love and lose weight at the same time! Margot 42 years old, Minsk, Belarus
My friend has been buzzing her ears off with this diet.
Now it's my turn to try it! I just love fish! I'm sure it will give a positive result. Ivan, 60 years old, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
After a complex operation, doctors recommended losing weight, my wife and I decided to try the Greek diet, and in six months I lost about 10 kg. Weight loss is slow but steady! I recommend!

Experts' opinions

Nutritionists have a positive attitude towards the classical Greek diet, as it is a complete healthy nutritional system that contains all the necessary elements.

Nikolay, nutritionist, Voronezh. The popularity of the Greek diet is given by its varied menu. You should not expect a rapid jump in weight; weight loss will proceed smoothly. However, do not forget that fish and olive oil are quite fatty foods, so they should be consumed with caution.

Restrictions and contraindications

Any low-calorie diet from the proposed short-term ones should not be used in the presence of acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract . The following phenomena are also contraindications:

Tendency to edema;
Liver and kidney diseases;
Pregnancy, breastfeeding;
Lactase deficiency;
Cardiovascular diseases;
Oncology.

If used incorrectly, diets can cause increased gas formation (due to the high content of lactose and vegetable fiber). There are frequent cases of problems with the functioning of the digestive system (diarrhea, constipation). If edema occurs while using the diet, it is recommended to suspend its use and limit the amount of salt in the diet.

How to replace feta cheese

Typically in Russian cuisine, feta cheese is replaced with salted feta cheese; a product made from goat's milk is especially suitable.

As a last resort, you can take large pieces of processed cheese with a strong flavor of herbs or smoked meats. In this case, the salad needs a little more salt.

Another option for Greek salad is with Dutch cheese. You just need to make the pieces smaller. This recipe is no longer a classic, but it may well appeal, especially to men.

Advantages

This diet is somewhat different from the food system we are used to, and even from diets in the traditional sense of the word. You are not offered any specific menu that is clearly defined down to each ingredient - you only receive lists of products that should be correctly combined with each other in order to achieve a healthier body and weight loss.

It’s worth noting right away that such a diet will not give you instant results, but the process of losing weight will not be detrimental to your health and will be stable. Nutritionists recommend that such a weight loss system be perceived as a new style of eating, and not a temporary means of combating extra pounds. Unlike all kinds of express diets, in this case there are no restrictions regarding the duration of the diet.

Following this diet significantly improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails, as well as all functions and systems of the body as a whole.

Another advantage of the Greek diet is that you will not have to feel hungry, because your menu will be quite satisfying and varied.

No harm to health

The Greek way of eating has the following advantages:

The Greek diet menu significantly improves health;
has a positive effect on metabolism;
has a great effect on the condition of nails, hair and skin;
excess weight disappears gradually, which does not harm human health;
the diet is rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals;
there are no time restrictions on eating;
there is no constant feeling of hunger, leading to loss of strength;
Suitable for most people, as it has virtually no contraindications.

The most important disadvantage for those who want to lose weight with such a diet is the lack of quick results. If you want to urgently lose extra pounds, such a diet will not help. The second disadvantage can be considered cost - some products included in the Greek diet cost quite a lot.