If you want to lose weight, the first step is to reconsider your eating habits and give up high-calorie snacks in favor of healthy foods. The summer-autumn period, with its priceless gifts for humans - vegetables and fruits, is the most favorable time for such a transition. There are many options for preparing dishes for weight loss from various vegetables, including tasty and healthy eggplants. But the main thing is to prepare them correctly, and then dietary eggplant dishes will diversify your diet and help make the path to slimness easier and tastier.
Eggplant is a herbaceous plant of the nightshade family, which came to the European continent during the Middle Ages from India. In Middle Eastern countries, eggplant is called a vegetable of longevity and they prefer to eat it constantly.
Eggplant diet: useful tips
In order for eggplant dishes to allow you to achieve the desired result in losing weight, as well as satisfy your taste, you need to remember the following:
- Only young fruits are suitable for preparing dietary dishes;
- eggplants will be more tasty if, before cooking, the already peeled and chopped vegetables are kept in salted water for a while, this will remove the bitterness;
- so that the dishes are truly dietary and low-calorie - forget about the frying pan and sunflower oil, and think about the oven - almost all recipes that require frying can be repeated by replacing this process with baking
- stick to moderate calorie intake, this figure should be within 1200-1400 kcal/day if your goal is weight loss (the recommended calorie intake is calculated individually);
- In order for the results to last, along with eggplant dishes, only healthy foods should appear on your menu.
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Contraindications
The fruit contains oxalates in small quantities. Therefore, the product is undesirable for people suffering from kidney and gallbladder diseases.
Be careful when choosing eggplants. Do not use overripe fruits in recipes, as they contain toxic substances. It is preferable to eat young fruits without traces of rot.
It is not recommended to eat the vegetable for dinner, as it contains a lot of fiber, which takes several hours to digest.
Blue rolls
This delicious holiday dish will be a real find for young ladies who are watching their weight and are forced to limit themselves in consuming various delicacies. To prepare it you will need:
- 2 blue ones;
- 2 tomatoes;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 150 g low-fat cheese;
- salt and vegetable oil.
The washed eggplants are cut into longitudinal slices and baked in a preheated oven. After ten minutes, they are cooled and greased with low-fat cheese combined with crushed garlic.
Each plate is decorated with tomato slices, lightly salted and rolled into rolls. The resulting blanks are sent to a preheated oven for five minutes.
Menu for every day
The menu is the same on all days of the diet.
Breakfast:
- Vegetable salad with eggplant;
- Coffee with milk without sugar.
Dinner:
- Eggplant soup;
- Green tea without sugar.
Dinner:
- Baked eggplants with garlic or vegetable stew;
- 2 slices of rye or Borodino bread;
- 1 glass of low-fat kefir.
The best cooking methods: in a frying pan, in the oven, in a slow cooker
There are several ways to prepare eggplant, but not all of them are suitable for people who are losing weight:
- In a frying pan: vegetable pieces are fried individually or with other vegetables with the addition of vegetable oil. If you are on a diet, avoid fried foods as they are too high in calories. Frying also contributes to the formation of carcinogens, which increase the risk of cancer. A better alternative to frying in oil is grilling.
- In the oven: baking allows you to preserve maximum nutrients in fresh fruits. This cooking technology is considered the most preferable if you are losing weight. Before baking, it is advisable to cover the dish with foil so that it remains juicy after cooking.
- In a slow cooker: stewing allows you to get a juicy and tasty vegetable dish containing a maximum of nutrients. Also, stewed food is easily digested by the gastrointestinal tract. When preparing a product in a slow cooker, you do not need to add vegetable oil.
Important! For people on a weight loss diet, recipes for eggplant dishes prepared in the oven, grill and slow cooker are more suitable. You should not cook the vegetable in water, as it loses its taste.
Reviews and results of losing weight
Olga, 66 years old, Krasnodar : “Eggplants helped me lose weight when I retired. My weight began to increase, but I can’t fast – I have chronic diseases. It was suggested by an experienced doctor who knew that we had a dacha. I began to cultivate this vegetable and prepare delicious dishes from it. After them you don’t feel like eating for a long time, so we managed to cut our daily diet in half. The result is minus 10 kg over the summer without a hunger strike.”
Victor, 35 years old, Omsk : “I always loved fried eggplants, but when I found out that you can lose weight on them (and I was about 20 kg overweight, the doctors diagnosed me as obese), I became interested in how much I could lose on this vegetable. I was impressed by the reviews from those who had lost weight and started this diet.
He didn’t exhaust himself with hunger, he cooked caviar, stews, salads himself and ate them every day. Despite the small portions I was always full. My achievement is that 10 kg disappeared without a trace in a few months, in addition, blood sugar decreased and cholesterol returned to normal.”
Blueberry pate
This recipe will certainly be a good help to those who are wondering what and how to cook from eggplants quickly and tasty. The dietary pate can be safely spread on low-calorie bread and taken with you to work. To prepare it you will need:
- 3 boiled eggs;
- 2 blue ones;
- 1 red onion;
- 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
- salt and spices.
The washed eggplants are baked whole in the oven, and then peeled and processed in a blender, not forgetting to add eggs and sautéed onions.
At the final stage, add salt to the finished pate, season with spices and mix gently.
Benefit
Eggplants contain a huge amount of fiber, so they are perfect for preventing and treating constipation. Fiber also helps as a cholesterol remover from blood vessels.
A large amount of potassium will help support our heart and prevent swelling.
For people who want to quit smoking or are quitting, eggplant will make this process more comfortable due to the nicotinic acid it contains.
This wonderful berry, due to its dark color, contains anthocyanins. They are anti-cancer, anti-tumor nutrients, as well as an antioxidant that protects our cells from destruction.
Top low-calorie recipes
Dukan boats
To prepare the dish you will need:
- several eggplants;
- bulb;
- 150 grams of ham and cottage cheese;
- salt, spices to taste.
Core the vegetables and shape them into boats. Do not throw away the pulp, as it will be needed in cooking. Cut the vegetables, onions, and ham into cubes. Place the onion and ham in a frying pan without oil and fry. After 5 minutes, add the peeled eggplant cubes. Add salt and pepper. Stuff the eggplant boats with the resulting minced meat. Add cottage cheese and bake for 20 minutes in the oven.
Snack according to Dukan
Products:
- several medium-sized eggplants;
- 2 sweet peppers;
- garlic and parsley to taste;
- a teaspoon of oil;
- vinegar;
- salt.
Cut the peeled vegetables into cubes. Grind pepper, garlic and herbs. Salt the vegetable cubes, cover half with water and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Set aside and mix with sweet pepper, herbs and garlic. Salt, add a little vinegar and vegetable oil. Before serving, leave the dish in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Avocado salad
Ingredients:
- 2 eggplants;
- one tomato, sweet pepper, avocado;
- parsley, salt, olive oil to taste.
Cut the blue ones into rings of medium thickness. Bake the pieces for 15 minutes in the oven. Remove and cut into strips. Add chopped vegetables according to the recipe to the eggplants, add salt and oil.
Salad with peas and apple
Components:
- 2 eggplants;
- bulb;
- apple;
- boiled egg;
- 100 grams of young peas;
- 0.5 cups low-fat sour cream;
- crushed clove of garlic;
- a teaspoon of mustard and lemon juice.
Cut the peeled fruits into slices. After adding a little olive oil, place the product in a slow cooker and simmer until done. Add the chopped onion, stir and turn off the multicooker. Cool and add peas, chopped apple and egg. Prepare a sauce from sour cream, juice, and garlic and season the finished salad with it, mixing everything thoroughly.
Vegetable caviar
Ingredients:
- 3 eggplants;
- 2 tomatoes;
- one carrot, sweet pepper and onion;
- a tablespoon of tomato paste and apple cider vinegar;
- a clove of garlic.
There are 2 recipe options:
- Grind all the vegetables on the list in a meat grinder or blender. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes, adding a little water. Season with salt and add a spoonful of tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add apple cider vinegar according to the recipe.
- Cut the vegetables into 2 or 3 pieces. Bake for half an hour in the oven. Judge, chop and simmer for 10 minutes in tomato paste. Add garlic, seasonings and puree in a blender.
Baked in yogurt
Components:
- 2 eggplants;
- zucchini;
- yogurt;
- salt, spices.
Cut the vegetables into cubes. Place in layers in a baking dish and lightly salt each layer. Cover with natural yoghurt. Bake for 40 minutes at 180 degrees. Before serving, sprinkle with low-fat hard cheese.
With chicken in pots
What you need for the recipe:
- 300 grams of boiled chicken breast;
- 150 grams of champignons;
- eggplant;
- Bell pepper;
- one carrot, one onion;
- juice from two tomatoes;
- clove of garlic.
Cut the chicken, mushrooms and eggplant into cubes. Cut the pepper into strips, and chop the onion and carrots into any pieces. Mix all products with tomato juice, garlic and salt. Place the ingredients in baking pots. Add a little water to each and bake for 30 minutes.
Veal soup
Products:
- 250 grams of veal;
- 2 large potatoes;
- one sweet pepper, eggplant, carrot, onion, tomato;
- salt, pepper, spices, bay leaf.
Boil the veal, cool and cut into cubes. Peel the vegetables according to the recipe and cut into cubes. Place these products in a saucepan, add water and cook over moderate heat along with pepper and salt. A few minutes before cooking, add the diced eggplant, tomato and meat. You can add chopped herbs to the finished soup.
