If you think that to lose weight you must follow a strict diet, then you are mistaken. It is enough to build your daily diet from the right dishes, and your weight will immediately begin to decrease. Learn to prepare dietary salads for weight loss from vegetables, chicken, fish, but without adding mayonnaise. They always turn out delicious, try it and see for yourself.
Principles of preparing dietary salads
Cooking dietary meals is significantly different from preparing regular food. To reduce calories, follow simple rules:
- use light dressings. Forget about mayonnaise, even the product that is called “light” or dietary contains killer calories, so you won’t be able to lose weight with it. There are many alternatives: all kinds of cold-pressed natural oils (olive, sesame, flaxseed, sunflower, pumpkin), natural yogurt, sour cream. When purchasing fermented milk products, pay attention to the fat content: it should be no more than 15%;
- choose vegetables that are low in carbohydrates. These include eggplants, tomatoes, green peas, and cabbage. But the consumption of potatoes and corn needs to be reduced;
- do not fry in oil. If the recipe calls for frying any product, use a grill or non-stick frying pan. Vegetables, meat and fish can always be baked in the oven in foil, then the juice will be preserved inside;
- Boil the meat with the addition of spices and vegetables. If, when cooking the broth, you add an onion, carrots, bay leaves and black peppercorns, the breast will turn out tastier than usual.
Always give preference to raw vegetables; they contain more vitamins than stewed and boiled ones. Heat treatment destroys beneficial compounds with vitamins.
Tips box
Well-known experts in the field of nutrition willingly share the secrets of preparing vegetable delicacies for those losing weight. Basic tips and recommendations can be presented in a short list:
- Prepare the dish immediately before consumption to preserve maximum nutrients.
- Also add gravy or salad dressing before use.
- Cook only from fresh ingredients.
- Dried fruits and herbs can be added to dietary dishes.
- Nutritionists advise limiting salt intake; it slows down the process of water-salt metabolism.
Diet salad dressings should exclude mayonnaise and ketchup so as not to add extra calories. For the fastest results, do not forget to work on your body, maintain a drinking regime and be in a cheerful mood.
Light salads with chicken
Chicken meat is a favorite product of all those who are losing weight. Boiled chicken breast contains 130 kcal and a little more than 20 g of pure protein. The product quickly eliminates the feeling of hunger, leaving a pleasant feeling of fullness for several hours. However, chicken meat itself quickly gets boring, so try experimenting and prepare nutritious but low-calorie salads based on it.
Chicken salad with cucumber
While losing weight, you need to have a light dinner so that the food has time to digest during the evening. An ideal option even for a late dinner is a vegetable salad with chicken. It couldn’t be easier to make; it won’t take more than half an hour to prepare.
100 g of the finished dish contains 120 kcal.
Compound:
- chicken breast;
- 2 fresh cucumbers;
- 3-4 lettuce leaves;
- tbsp sour cream;
- 1 garlic clove;
- tsp mustard.
How to cook
Boil the chicken breast until tender with the addition of spices. Turmeric, curry, paprika, and pepper go well with chicken. Add salt and bay leaf to the broth at the end of the boil, then remove the chicken breast, wait until it cools slightly and separate the meat from the bones. Do not throw out the remaining chicken broth; it will still be useful for cooking soup.
Cut the cucumbers into thin strips; if the skin is thick, remove it first. Tear lettuce leaves into a large cup with your hands, add cucumber and diced chicken fillet there.
Make the dressing mixture in a separate bowl. Mix tbsp. low-fat sour cream with mustard, add a little salt to taste and squeeze a clove of garlic into the mixture for flavor. Pour the dressing over all the ingredients in the cup, stir and serve.
Attention: When preparing dietary dishes, use salt to a minimum; it accumulates fluid in the body, so the process of losing weight will be very slow.
With tomatoes and cheese
If you are watching your figure and health, then prepare a salad of fresh vegetables for lunch with the addition of hard cheese and chicken. Take fillet or breast, they have less fat, but a lot of healthy protein that will quickly satisfy your hunger.
The calorie content of the finished dish is about 150 kcal per 100 g.
Compound:
- chicken fillet - 150 g;
- 3 lettuce leaves;
- a handful of cherry tomatoes;
- 2 small fresh cucumbers;
- bell pepper - 1 pc.;
- greens (arugula, spinach, cilantro, parsley) - a bunch;
- 2 tbsp. low-fat yogurt;
- 50 g hard cheese;
- salt to taste.
How to cook
Rinse the lettuce leaves with warm water and blot the moisture with a towel. Tear into a large cup with your hands. Wash the tomatoes and cucumbers, remove the stems from the tomatoes, and cut off the ends of the cucumbers. Cut the vegetables into slices and add to the salad. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut into rings.
Boil the chicken fillet in vegetable broth until tender (you can add onions and carrots for taste). If you don’t want to cook, bake the chicken in foil in the oven with some seasonings. The meat will retain its juiciness and absorb the aroma of the spices. Cut the finished fillet into large cubes and place in a cup with the rest of the ingredients.
Season the salad with yogurt, lightly add salt, and top with sprigs of herbs and grated cheese. You can serve the dish in layers, then place peppers with tomatoes, cucumbers on whole lettuce leaves, then fillet with herbs, sprinkle with cheese and pour over yogurt, but do not mix. The dish is ready, bon appetit!
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With Chinese cabbage
For those who like to have a tasty and satisfying lunch, even while on a diet, a salad recipe made from fresh vegetables and chicken meat is suitable. It is suitable for those people who adhere to proper nutrition, since only natural ingredients are used for preparation.
The calorie content of one serving does not exceed 250 kcal.
Compound:
- 1/2 fork Chinese cabbage;
- 200 g boiled chicken breast;
- 3-4 quail eggs;
- large tomato;
- sesame seeds for sprinkling;
- half a lemon;
- tbsp olive oil.
How to cook
Boil the quail eggs until tender, you can use chicken eggs, then one egg is enough. Remove the shells and cut in half so that half of the yolk remains in the white. Cut the boiled chicken breast into large pieces, making sure that no small bones get into the meat.
Place all ingredients in separate bowls; do not mix them yet. Remove the stem from the tomato and cut into slices. Wash the Chinese cabbage and tear it with your hands. Now you can start assembling the salad.
Place cabbage on a plate, then chicken, tomatoes and chopped eggs. Sprinkle with lemon juice, sprinkle with sesame seeds and season with olive oil, the dish is ready.
On a note!
For cooking, use varieties of tomatoes with dense pulp, then the slices will retain their shape well when cutting.
Diet salad with chicken and prunes
One of the best combinations in salads is chicken and prunes. The dish turns out to be satisfying, so it is suitable for a full lunch. However, don’t worry about your figure, because prunes, on the contrary, have a beneficial effect on the digestive process and even have a mild laxative effect. Many people know about the positive qualities of dried fruit; it is very good for health and tastes good.
Compound:
- 2-3 large potatoes;
- carrots - 2 pcs.;
- chicken fillet - 150 g;
- a handful of prunes;
- garlic clove;
- 3-4 tbsp. sour cream;
- tsp mustard;
- salt to taste.
How to cook
Boil the potatoes and carrots in their jackets until fully cooked. Remove the skins from the cooled vegetables, then grate them on a medium grater and place on separate plates. The salad must be laid in layers.
Boil the chicken, wait until the meat has cooled, cut into medium-sized pieces. Rinse the prunes; if the fruits are too hard, then keep them in hot water for 5 minutes, they will become soft.
Prepare the dressing: mix mustard with sour cream, add squeezed garlic, a little salt, and your favorite spices.
Lay out the layers one by one, observing the following sequence: potatoes, carrots, chicken fillet, prunes. Spread each layer with sour cream dressing. Now put the salad in the refrigerator for 1 hour so that it is well soaked in the sauce. Bon appetit!
You can also make a salad with pear and chicken breast.
Preparing food and utensils
Most often, raw vegetables are used to prepare low-calorie salads, which must be thoroughly washed. After this, the products are cut into cubes, slices, and strips. If heat treatment is necessary, it is recommended to boil, stew or steam vegetables, since such cooking methods preserve vitamins and microelements. Frying in oil is not recommended, as this increases the calorie content of the dish. White chicken or turkey meat is thoroughly washed, then boiled or cooked in a double boiler. Shrimp are usually boiled in salted water for about three minutes. After all the products are prepared, you can start cutting them directly into the salad.
You will need a standard set of utensils: salad bowl, saucepan, cutting board, grater, knives, garlic press. You may also need a small bowl to prepare low-calorie salad dressing.
Hearty low-calorie foods
The most satisfying are those that contain complete, pure protein. For meals, you can choose from nourishing but low-calorie foods.
List of foods with 60–120 calories per 100 grams:
- Turkey or chicken breast
- Lean white fish
- Cottage cheese with fat content no more than 2%
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Tofu
- Kefir 1% fat
- Yogurt without fillers and additives
They perfectly stabilize blood sugar levels and also speed up metabolism. That is why after eating them, you will feel full for quite a long time.
The lowest calorie foods
The lowest calorie foods are those that contain less than 40 kilocalories per 100 grams. This list included:
- cucumbers
- Celery
- Champignon
- Fresh tomatoes
- Salad greens
- Radish
- Cabbage
Delicious low-calorie foods
In addition to simply satisfying hunger, quite often we just want food to be tasty. Tasty low-calorie ones include those that contain 40–100 kilocalories per 100 grams.
Their list included:
- Pears, apples
- Mango, bananas, grapes, persimmons
- bell pepper
- Carrot
- White and red dry wine
- Melons and watermelons
- Lingonberries, raspberries, blueberries
- Papaya, pineapples, guava
Dietary salads with fish
For those who cannot imagine a daily diet without fish dishes or simply want to diversify their diet, a selection of salads with fish is presented. You can use any: pink salmon, salmon, trout, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, cod, flounder, tuna and others. Fish meat is a real storehouse of microelements necessary to support health, so in addition to the pleasure of food, you will bring great benefits to the body.
With tuna
Tuna meat is considered the most dietary. It satisfies hunger well, and the feeling of fullness will not leave you for a long time. Replace your usual dinner with tuna and vegetable salad. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare.
Compound:
- canned tuna - 80 g;
- potatoes - 1 pc.;
- green beans - 100 g;
- a bunch of lettuce leaves;
- olive oil for dressing.
How to cook
Open a can of canned tuna, drain all the liquid, and mash the meat into pieces with a fork. Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender. When the vegetable has cooled, peel it and chop it into cubes. Boil the bean pods until tender or fry in a frying pan, but only without adding oil. Wash the lettuce leaves and dry with a towel.
Place lettuce leaves on a large flat plate. Top them with chopped potatoes, pieces of tuna and green beans. Drizzle all ingredients with olive oil and take a sample.
By the way, we recommend preparing a salad with tuna, corn and cucumber.
With trout and cucumber
If you prefer red fish meat, then use river trout for cooking. It contains a lot of omega 3 and 6, minerals and other beneficial compounds. In addition, the fish has a delicate taste, so it literally melts in your mouth. Take the time and salt the trout yourself at home, but if this is not possible, buy lightly salted fillets in the store, but just pay attention to the expiration date.
Compound:
- lightly salted trout - 140-150 g;
- 2 medium cucumbers;
- a couple of sprigs of dill;
- 1/2 head of onion;
- 1 garlic clove;
- 3 tbsp. low-fat yogurt without additives.
How to cook
Separate the fish fillet from the skin; if there are bones in it, remove them, and then chop the meat into cubes of the same size and place in a cup.
Peel the cucumbers. You don’t need to remove the skin from young fruits; it is not yet too hard and crispy. Cut the cucumbers into strips and add to the fish. Scald the onion with boiling water to remove the bitterness, then cut into thin half rings and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Squeeze a clove of garlic into the yogurt, chop the herbs, and then pour the resulting sauce over the contents of the cup, add salt and pepper to taste. Lightly salted trout salad with fresh cucumber is ready.
With salmon and mozzarella
A dish prepared according to this recipe can often be found on restaurant menus; there is nothing complicated about it. A minimal set of ingredients and a simple dressing - however, the result will pleasantly surprise you and is guaranteed to be eaten immediately.
100 g contains about 65 kcal.
Compound:
- 1 young zucchini;
- 70-80 g lightly salted salmon;
- 50 g mozzarella;
- tbsp olive oil;
- red pepper - on the tip of a knife;
- ¼ head of sweet onion;
- salt.
How to cook
Cut the young zucchini into thin slices lengthwise without removing the skin. Fry the zucchini on both sides in a frying pan without adding oil. If you have a grill at home, use it for grilling. Cut the onion into thin half rings, separate them from each other.
Cut the mozzarella into pieces or grate it on a coarse grater. Remove the bones from the fish fillet with tweezers, remove the skin and cut into small pieces.
Place fried zucchini slices on a plate, roll them into spirals, sprinkle with onion half rings, add salmon with Mozzarella, add a little salt and season with red pepper. Finally, pour olive oil over the ingredients and you can taste it. Bon appetit!
On a note!
To make the Mozzarella easy to shred, place the cheese in the freezer for a few minutes.
With tomatoes and boiled pink salmon
For preparing salads, not only fresh, lightly salted fish is suitable, but also boiled fish. When prepared, pink salmon fillet turns out delicious, and if you add fresh vegetables to it with a delicious aromatic dressing, you will get a delicious meal. For those who follow a protein diet, the recipe will be perfect, since it fully complies with its principles.
Compound:
- pink salmon (fillet) – 100 g;
- lettuce leaves – 3-4 pcs.;
- 2 tomatoes;
- half a fresh cucumber;
- 2 tbsp. grated cheese;
- lemon juice - tsp.
How to cook
You can use absolutely any part of pink salmon that you have. Pour water into the pan, wash the fish and put it in the water and put it on the fire. For taste, add a head of onion with a small carrot to the broth. Vegetables will absorb the unpleasant smell. Cook pink salmon for about 20-25 minutes. Cool and separate the meat from the bones, cut into pieces, sprinkle with lemon juice.
Rinse the lettuce leaves, blot them dry with napkins, tear them into small pieces and place on a plate. Cut the tomatoes into slices, place on lettuce leaves, then arrange the pink salmon. Cut the cucumber into slices, add to the rest of the ingredients, sprinkle with grated cheese.
On a note!
Chop the hard cheese into small cubes and roll them in dried basil, and then decorate the finished dish.
Vegetable salads for weight loss
In the summer and autumn, salads made from fresh vegetables become popular. They are distinguished by their rich vitamin composition and lightness, after which there is no discomfort in the stomach, no feeling of heaviness. Vegetable snacks replace side dishes: they can be served with meat or eaten as an independent dish, but the calorie content will please you: on average, one serving of vegetable salad accounts for about 100 kcal or less.
Tabbouleh with green buckwheat
Traditionally, tabbouleh is prepared with bulgur or used instead of couscous. We decided to experiment and prepare tabbouleh with green buckwheat. It turned out tasty, unusual and healthy. We are happy to share the recipe.
You will need:
- green buckwheat – 80 g;
- small onion - 1 piece;
- cucumber – 1 piece;
- tomato – 1 piece;
- lemon – 1 piece;
- green apple – 1 piece;
- parsley, mint – 1/2 bunch each;
- cumin, crushed into powder - 1/2 tsp;
- olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
- salt and black pepper - to taste.
Preparation:
Rinse the buckwheat. Pour a glass of boiling water. Close tightly. Cover with a towel and leave for an hour. Place the finished cereal in a colander to remove excess liquid. Dry the greens and chop finely. Cut the cucumber and tomato into medium-sized cubes. Chop the onion.
In a blender, combine the apple (you must first wash it, remove the peel and seeds), lemon juice, olive oil and cumin. In a bowl, mix vegetables, herbs and buckwheat. Add sauce and spices. Stir. Tabbouleh with green buckwheat is ready!
Vegetable salad with flaxseed oil
Nutritionists never tire of saying that vegetables must be included in a healthy diet. At the same time, the less vegetables are subjected to heat treatment, the better. Therefore, do not be lazy and be sure to prepare and eat salads. However, in order to get the maximum benefit from vegetables, it is advisable to consume them with vegetable fats. We offer you a salad recipe that meets all these requirements.
You will need:
- medium-sized tomatoes – 3 pcs.;
- green bell pepper – 1 pod;
- greens (dill, green onions, lettuce or iceberg);
- linseed oil – 15 ml;
- spices (salt, black pepper) - to taste.
Preparation:
Wash vegetables and herbs thoroughly and dry. Cut the tomatoes into 4 parts and then cut into slices. Pepper - into strips. We specifically noted that the pepper should be green. This vegetable contains the maximum amount of vitamin C.
Chop the dill and onion finely and the lettuce/iceberg coarsely. You can even tear it with your hands.
Mix all ingredients. Add spices and oil. Flaxseed oil can be replaced with olive oil or unrefined sunflower oil, as they are also considered very healthy. Place in a salad bowl and serve immediately. Bon appetit!
Salad "Panzanella"
Agree, quite often there are pieces of bread left that you no longer want to eat, because they have become stale and cannot be thrown away. What to do? Prepare a delicious salad originally from Italy under the beautiful name “Panzanella”. The recipe is simple and the ingredients can be found in any refrigerator.
You will need:
- yesterday's bread - 2-3 slices;
- tomato – 1 piece;
- bell pepper – 1 piece;
- dill - several sprigs;
- mint - a couple of leaves.
For the sauce:
- Dijon mustard – 1 teaspoon;
- lemon juice – 1 teaspoon;
- olive oil – 3 tablespoons;
- garlic – 2 cloves.
The classic version involves the presence of olives, but we did without them, since many do not like them.
Preparation:
Cut the bread into rectangles approximately 2x3 cm and lightly fry in a dry frying pan. Cut the pre-washed and dried tomatoes into small cubes. Pepper - into strips. Chop the greens.
Combine ingredients for sauce. Pass the garlic through a press. Mix thoroughly. By the way, you can use balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice.
Combine bread, vegetables and herbs. Season with prepared sauce. Place the salad in the refrigerator for half an hour to an hour so that the bread is soaked in the sauce and juice of the vegetables.
You may be interested in a menu for 1200 kcal per day with recipes for a week using simple products.
How to stay slim
Many are convinced that in order to easily lose weight, it is necessary to consume a small amount of calories or not consume them at all. This is not really a solution to the problem. Because in this case, the body receives a signal that you are “starving”, and your metabolic processes slow down. Maya Plisetskaya’s principle “you need to eat less” (sorry for the directness) does not always work - someone may misunderstand the interpretation and get into the habit of eating three fatty chops, half a loaf, or sitting on one salad dressed with a liter of mayonnaise. You definitely won’t be able to lose weight and feel good with this routine.
It would be nice to replace a “calorie bomb” like a bun with custard with a healthy human breakfast - cottage cheese with berries and herbal tea. Instead of frying meat in a frying pan, cook it in the oven or steamer. And according to Soviet canteen standards, lunch includes soup, salad and hot dishes; it is quite possible to exclude hot dishes.
Calorie content of products:
in the first course - 370 calories, 13 g of fat, in the second - 370 calories, 11 g of fat.
Let's look at examples of options for breakfast, lunch or dinner with calculating the calorie content of foods. Believe me, it is very easy to find an alternative to high-calorie and useless products!
