In Ancient China there was a rule: the health of the body is based on the harmony of body and soul. In those days there was not such a variety of products that we can find in the store today. However, for those who want to be in a good mood and go to bed without feeling overeated, you should try preparing a light dinner throughout the week.
Nutritionists say that the evening meal must contain protein. This means that you can include meat, milk, beans and eggs in the preparation. The daily menu should be designed so that most of the protein comes from breakfast and lunch.
Getting ready for a light dinner in advance
To avoid overeating in the evening, you should rationally plan your meals throughout the day.
Breakfast must be hearty and balanced; it is your energy boost for the rest of the day. During the working day, do not ignore lunch and have small snacks every 2-3 hours. Consuming the recommended amount of fluid throughout the day will help you better control your appetite in the evening. The norm is at least 2 liters or 30 mg/kg body weight. Drink most fluids evenly throughout the morning before 4 p.m.
If you stick to this plan, when you return home after work, a light dinner will be enough for you.
Why should dinner be easy?
In the afternoon, metabolism begins to slow down and insulin sensitivity increases. During a night's rest, the digestive system of a healthy person works at half capacity, so some of the food may not be completely digested, and its undigested remains remain in the intestines longer, and some begin to be absorbed into the blood and poison the body.
And instead of digestion, food rotting processes occur. By eating at night, you do not allow your body to fully rest, forcing your internal organs to work actively.
However, starving yourself and going to bed with an empty stomach is not the best solution. To ensure you feel light after dinner, your evening meal should contain a minimal amount of carbohydrates and a moderate amount of protein.
When to have dinner?
You can and should eat after 6 pm, but eating right before bed is detrimental to both your fitness results and your overall health.
Those calories and nutrients that the body did not have time to consume and spend will be stored “for the future” in fat cells. Therefore, time your evening meal based on your bedtime.
This rule also applies to a light dinner. Nutritionists say that it is ideal to have dinner three hours before bedtime, and you need to get up from the table with ease in your stomach after eating. After all, sleeping with an empty stomach is a session of detoxification and cleansing of the intestines, while excess dinner turns the night into a self-poisoning procedure.
If the rule of not eating after six o'clock in the evening is too sacred for you, then you need to go to bed around 21-22 o'clock. However, the modern rhythm of life dictates its own rules and most of us come home from work quite late and go to bed around midnight.
If you plan to continue not having dinner after 18:00 at this rate, there are two options for the development of events in your body:
- You courageously keep this vow in the name of a slim waist, but somewhere around midnight your presence of mind betrays you. As a result, the food regime is disrupted, you experience much stronger hunger, you break down and start eating everything that is in the refrigerator. Then the blood rushes to the digestive organs and you fall asleep. The result is overeating and extra pounds.
- The second option is not much better: you demonstrate willpower by refusing even a light dinner, and maintain the regime by falling asleep on an empty stomach. This decision will also not bring you any benefit, since in this case your body gets used to irregular eating and begins to store excess calories for future use.
Going to bed around midnight? Have dinner at eight pm. If your hunger doesn't subside, drink a glass of low-fat kefir or eat something low-calorie before bed.
A healthy, balanced diet leads to a slim body. And sleeping on an empty stomach is no better than overeating at night - both of them upset the balance of the daily diet.
Without liver
If you think that dinner and meat are incompatible things, then you are deeply mistaken. You should only avoid fatty pork, a piece of which will give you 491 kcal, and lamb (209 kcal). In the evening, you can indulge in white chicken meat containing healthy protein, veal or beef. Ideally, they should be boiled or grilled - this way they will not lose their beneficial qualities and will not gain extra calories. As for offal (liver, kidneys, heart, ventricles), you should be more careful with them. Despite the fact that they contain few calories, they can greatly harm the body. After all, in animals, like in people, all waste is deposited in the kidneys and liver. So, if the cattle were fed low-quality products or antibiotics, do not expect anything good from dishes made from such offal. There are no restrictions with seafood. Prepare shrimp, squid, octopus and mussels. And don't be afraid of fatty fish. It contains Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, which promote weight loss. According to recent studies, if you introduce salmon, tuna, and halibut into the diet of a person on a low-calorie diet, he will lose half a kilogram of excess weight per day.
Salads
Salad is a universal dish that can be prepared quickly and tasty for dinner, spending a minimum of money and effort on cooking. Considered as a main item or in addition to the protein part of the final meal.
Light salad with sun-dried tomatoes
The dish turns out light and sophisticated thanks to the piquant taste of sun-dried tomatoes. Suitable for a romantic dinner.
Salad with sun-dried tomatoes
Recipe No. 1
Cooking method:
- Wash the arugula and dry it on a paper towel.
- Boil the chicken fillet, cut into small cubes.
- Boil hard-boiled eggs, peel and cut in half.
- Cut mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces at random.
- Dressing: mix vinegar with soy sauce, olive oil.
- Salt the salad, add herbs, ground pepper, season and mix.
Ingredients: - chicken fillet - 500 g; — onions – 30 g; - mozzarella cheese - 2 large balls; - arugula – 100 g; — chicken egg – 2 pcs.; — sun-dried tomatoes – 60 g; - olive oil - 3 tbsp. l.; - soy sauce - 1.5 tbsp. l.; - balsamic vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.; - dry herbs - optional; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Light cucumber salad
When you need to whip up dinner, cucumber and egg salad is just what you need. Cooking time – 12 minutes.
Cucumber salad
Recipe No. 2
Cooking method:
- Wash, chop the onion, drain the water from the peas. Finely chop the garlic.
- Cut the cucumbers into strips or semicircles.
- Boil hard-boiled eggs, cut into cubes.
- Mix all prepared ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add yogurt and mix thoroughly.
Ingredients: - fresh cucumbers - 350 g; – canned green peas – 100 g; — chicken egg – 3 pcs.; - yogurt without additives 1.5% - 80 g; - garlic - 2 cloves; - green onion - 1 bunch; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Red Cabbage Salad with Apple and Cinnamon
The combination of sweetness and sourness of the salad will highlight the main meat dish, and the bright colors and aroma will be interesting even for a child who does not like vegetables.
Red Cabbage Salad with Apple and Cinnamon
Recipe No. 3
Cooking method:
- Wash the cabbage, remove the top leaves, and dry. Cut into 4 parts, removing the stalk. Finely chop.
- Peel the onion, finely chop into half rings. Fry in a tablespoon of olive oil until translucent. Add cabbage, fry for 5 minutes.
- Wash the apples, remove the peel and core. Cut into cubes and add to cabbage along with salt and pepper.
- Add bay leaf and cinnamon to the mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes without closing the lid. Stir occasionally. At the end, remove the added spices.
Ingredients: - red cabbage - 600 g; – red onion – 60 g; - sour or sweet and sour varieties of apples - 350 g; - vinegar (balsamic, wine, apple) - 3 tbsp. l.; - olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.; — bay leaf – 1 pc.; - cinnamon - 2 sticks; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Salad with cherry tomatoes and shrimp
When the question is what to cook for a holiday dinner, a light salad with cherry tomatoes and shrimp will amaze weight-conscious guests.
Salad with cherry tomatoes and shrimp
Recipe No. 4
Cooking method:
- Boil shrimp until tender with bay leaf until tender, peel.
- Wash the salad, dry it on a paper towel, and tear it randomly with your hands.
- Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
- Boil hard-boiled eggs, cut into cubes.
- Mix all ingredients, season with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. To stir thoroughly.
Ingredients: - shrimp - 150 g; — cherry tomatoes – 6 pcs.; — chicken egg – 2 pcs.; — Iceberg salad – 150 g; — hard cheese – 50 g; — lemon juice – 1 tsp; — bay leaf – 1 pc.; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Light salad for dinner with radishes
The salad is easy to prepare, rich in vitamins and aroma reminiscent of spring.
Radish salad
Recipe No. 5
Cooking method:
- Wash the vegetables, dry them, finely cut them into half rings or strips. Chop the greens.
- Mix the ingredients, add salt, pepper, season with yogurt. To stir thoroughly.
Ingredients: - fresh cucumber - 200 g; — radish – 300 g; - green onions - 2 bunches; - yogurt without additives 1.5% - 150 g; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Vegetable salad with tofu
The prepared dish will appeal to tofu lovers (LINK) and will be a discovery for those who have not yet tried the product.
Vegetable salad with tofu
Recipe No. 6
Cooking method:
- Wash vegetables and herbs and dry.
- Tear lettuce leaves randomly with your hands.
- Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into slices and place in a deep plate along with the salad.
- Marinade for soy cheese: mix olive oil, paprika, Provençal herbs.
- Cut the tofu into cubes and marinate.
- Place cheese and olives on vegetables. Mix the remaining marinade with soy sauce and lemon juice, adding salt and pepper.
- Season the salad and mix.
Ingredients: - cucumbers - 250 g; — tomatoes – 300 g; – tofu – 50 g; - leaf lettuce - 1 pot; — pitted olives – 15 pcs.; - olive oil - 2 tbsp. l.; - lemon juice - 2 tbsp. l.; - soy sauce - 2 tbsp. l.; - paprika, herbes de Provence - 1 tsp each; — sesame seeds – 1 tsp; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Salad with chicken breast and yogurt
A traditional healthy dinner is a combination of chicken fillet (LINK) and cucumbers. The yogurt makes the salad tender, offsetting the dryness of the breast.
Salad with chicken breast and yogurt
Recipe No. 7
Cooking method:
- Boil chicken fillet, chop.
- Thinly slice the celery and core the apple. Chop the garlic.
- Mix all ingredients, season with yogurt.
Ingredients: - chicken fillet - 250 g; - sour apple - 70 g; — dill – 1 bunch; - celery - 4 stalks; - garlic - 1 clove; – cucumber – 40 g; — thermostatic “Activia” — 90 g; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Salad with mint and cauliflower
Cauliflower with a hint of mint will help make a refreshing dinner for the whole family.
Salad with mint and cauliflower
Recipe No. 8
Cooking method:
- Boil the cabbage, cool, cut into medium pieces.
- Cut the eggs into slices.
- Mix the ingredients, adding mint leaves, salt, pepper.
- Add yogurt and stir.
Ingredients: - cauliflower - 500 g; - hard-boiled chicken egg - 3 pcs.; — mint – 40 g; - yogurt without additives 1.5% - 100 g; - salt, pepper - to taste.
No bananas
Summer dinners are simply impossible to imagine without fruits and berries. First of all, it's delicious. Secondly, it's useful. But in order for them to remain exclusively a source of vitamins and microelements, and not become the cause of extra pounds, you will have to give up some of them in the evening. First of all, you should put bananas aside until the morning. Just 200 grams of this fruit provide 90 kcal, the same amount we get from mashed potatoes with milk (100 g). Also, you should not overuse grapes in the evening: in addition to the fact that they can lead to bloating, these berries are not the lowest in calories (64 kcal). Be careful with peaches (especially canned ones), cherries, kiwis and cherries. If you're a lover of grapefruits, strawberries, cranberries and currants, you're in luck. You can eat these fruits and berries with virtually no restrictions - they have very few calories. True, this takes into account the fact that you will not add sugar. It almost doubles the energy value. Also, do not replace fresh fruits with canned fruits and jam. Any processing carries additional calories. Compare: 200 g of fresh apples contain only 66 kcal, if baked with sugar, it turns out to be 120 kcal, in jam - 266, and in apple pie even more - 330 kcal.
Hot vegetable side dishes
In addition to salads, hot vegetable dishes are served to complement the prepared protein.
Cauliflower Casserole
An alternative to salads is a tender cauliflower casserole with cheese.
Cauliflower Casserole
Recipe No. 9
Cooking method:
- Boil the cabbage in salted water, place in a baking dish, greased with a drop of olive oil.
- Beat eggs and milk.
- Grate the cheese on a coarse grater, chop the garlic. Add to the egg mixture with salt and pepper.
- Pour over the cabbage and place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with chopped dill.
Ingredients: - cauliflower - 600 g; — chicken egg – 2 pcs.; — milk 1.5% — 100 ml; — hard cheese – 60 g; - garlic - 1 clove; - dill - optional; - salt, spices to taste.
Ratatouille or baked eggplant
Ratatouille is a dish that will complement a romantic diet dinner for two, immersing you in the atmosphere of the best French restaurants.
Baked eggplants
Recipe No. 10
Method of preparation:
- Wash the eggplants and cut into thin slices. Place in a deep bowl and add salt. Leave for 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Rinse, drain in a colander.
- Rinse the zucchini. If the peel is thick, peel it. Cut into thin rings, like eggplant.
- Cut 3 tomatoes like the previous vegetables.
- Pour boiling water over 2 tomatoes and remove the skins. Cut into small cubes.
- Wash the pepper, remove the core and seeds. Grind into cubes. Do the same with onions and garlic.
- Sauce : diced tomatoes, peppers, onions in a blender until smooth. Pour the sauce into a baking dish.
- In the form, vegetables are laid out alternately in rows on top of the sauce: zucchini - eggplant - tomato. Until the form is completely filled out.
- Sprinkle vegetables with garlic, salt, Provençal herbs, and pepper. Coat the surface with olive oil using a silicone brush. Cover the pan with foil.
- Place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Remove the foil and leave the ratatouille to brown for 15 minutes.
Ingredients: - zucchini - 1 pc.; — eggplant – 1 pc.; - tomatoes of identical diameter - 5 pcs.; — bell pepper – 1 pc.; — onion – 1 pc.; - garlic - 4 cloves; - olive oil - 3 tbsp. l.; — Provençal herbs – 2 tsp; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Zucchini stew
A meatless dish that is easy to prepare. Goes great with beef.
Zucchini stew
Recipe No. 11
Method of preparation:
- Wash and dry vegetables.
- Cut the zucchini into cubes. Carrots, bell pepper - into strips. Cut onions and tomatoes into half rings.
- Pour oil into a deep frying pan with a thick bottom, heat it and add the prepared vegetables. Simmer for 20 minutes, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Chop the garlic and herbs and add to the stew along with salt and pepper at the end of cooking.
Ingredients: - zucchini - 350 g; — carrots – 80 g; — tomatoes – 120 g; — onion – 60 g; — bell pepper – 80 g; — parsley – 1 bunch; - garlic - 2 cloves; – olive oil – 20 ml; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Cauliflower puree
Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that can replace the usual mashed potatoes, reducing the calorie content of the dish. This is exactly what you need for an easy dinner!
Cauliflower puree
Recipe No. 12
Method of preparation:
- Boil the cabbage until tender, drain in a colander, and drain.
- Puree using an immersion blender. Add salt and milk, continue beating until a homogeneous consistency is formed.
Ingredients: - cauliflower - 600 g; — milk 1.5% — 120 ml; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Diet dinner recipes for weight loss
Grilled meat is a quick option for a light dinner. You can also cook delicious chicken wings. To do this, you need to prepare the marinade in advance and leave the wings in it for 24 hours. For the marinade you need 50 ml of soy sauce, a clove of garlic, spices (about 5 tsp).
When it's time to prepare a diet dinner, preheat the oven and place the wings in a dish. Grill on each side for 5-10 minutes. Before eating, remove the skin from the chicken. As a side dish you can prepare stewed vegetables and just a light vegetable salad.
What other quick recipes will you find useful?
Chicken cutlets with zucchini and cottage cheese
An evening meal must include a meat dish, the main thing is that the meat is lean. An excellent option for a light dinner would be chicken cutlets with zucchini and cottage cheese; 100 g of this dish contains only 90 calories.
Chicken cutlets with zucchini and cottage cheese
Recipe No. 1
Instructions for preparation:
- Grate the zucchini on a fine grater and squeeze out the excess liquid. Finely chop the garlic.
- Mix all ingredients in a deep plate. You can also add chopped, fresh herbs.
- Wet your hands in cold water and form the minced meat into cutlets.
- Heat the pan well. Fry the cutlets without oil over high heat until golden brown.
- Reduce heat, cover the pan and cook for five minutes.
- Can be served with lingonberry sauce
- These chicken cutlets can also be steamed or oven-baked.
Ingredients: - 0.8-1 kg of minced chicken; — 200 g of cottage cheese (low-fat or low-fat); - 1 zucchini (small, length approximately 15-17 cm); - 1 egg; - 1 clove of garlic; - salt, pepper to taste.
Layered casserole recipe for a diet dinner
Vegetable dishes are the basis of the diet of those who adhere to a diet or principles of proper nutrition. However, healthy vegetables are not just salads and slices.
For dinner, you can easily and simply prepare a delicious hot dish of vegetables - a puff casserole, which not only will not harm your figure, but will also leave you feeling full with a calorie content of only 90 kcal per 100 g.
Layered casserole recipe
Recipe No. 2
Cooking instructions:
- Season the fillet with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Wash the peppers, leeks and dill under running cold water. Chop the pepper into thin rings, finely chop the onion and dill.
- Beat the eggs and add chopped onion to them. Grease a baking sheet with oil and place half of the mixture.
- Now place the fish, sprinkle with dill and cover with chopped bell pepper on top. Pour the remaining egg and onion mixture over the casserole.
- Cover the baking sheet with foil. Place it in a preheated oven and bake until done at a temperature of 200-220 degrees.
Ingredients: - 1 kg fillet of any fish; - 200 g leeks; - 2-3 eggs; - 200 g sweet pepper; - dill; lemon juice; vegetable oil; - salt, coarse pepper.
Stuffed potatoes
This recipe for a light dinner dish will perfectly satisfy your hunger and at the same time diversify your daily menu. At first glance you wouldn’t be able to tell that 100 g of this dish contains only 115 calories.
Stuffed potatoes
Recipe No. 3
Cooking instructions:
- Cut the peeled potatoes lengthwise into two halves and remove the core with a teaspoon. The result should be “boats” for stuffing.
- Pour water into the pan and add salt. Fold in the potato halves and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. At this time, prepare the minced meat.
- Finely chop the onion and saute it until it becomes soft.
- Peel the tomatoes and chop them finely, let it brew and drain the water into a separate container. Grate the cheese and finely chop the parsley.
- Beat the eggs, add cheese, onions, tomatoes and parsley. Mix well and pepper.
- Place the potatoes in a mold and fill them with minced meat. Pour oil on top and place in the oven for 7-10 minutes.
- Remove the potatoes, pour the tomato juice over them and return to the oven until the dish is fully cooked.
- At this time, prepare the sauce. Mix butter, milk and flour in a saucepan and place on heat. Bring to a boil, add lemon juice, zest and herbs.
- Before serving, pour the prepared sauce over the stuffed potatoes.
Ingredients: - potatoes; - 200 g cheese; - 3 eggs; - 4-5 tomatoes; - 2-3 heads of onions; - parsley to taste. Sauce : 200 ml milk; - 2 tbsp. flour; - butter; - juice of half a lemon; - lemon zest.
Beetroot and tuna salad
You can, for example, quickly make a light salad from available ingredients.
Beetroot and tuna salad
Recipe No. 4
Cooking instructions:
- Cut the boiled beets and sour apple into cubes.
- Add olive oil and sprinkle with lemon juice.
- Mash the tuna in its own juice with a fork, add to the beets and apples.
- Cut the fresh cucumber into small cubes into the salad, add herbs.
Ingredients: - beets, 200 gr; - tuna, 200 gr; - olive oil; - cucumber, 100 gr.
The ideal option is a light dinner, the recipes of which are quick and the ingredients are natural and healthy. Prepare your meals ahead of time, but if you're short on time, you can use recipes.
How to choose fish? If you want to prepare a dish with canned fish, you should choose the type of canned food where the fish is cooked in its own juice or tomato sauce.
RECOMMENDED: Preparing such light dishes for dinner does not require much time; everything can be done within half an hour. For even more recipes, check out 20 Best Easy Dinner Recipes.
Protein dishes
To prepare a light dinner, preference is given to lean beef and veal, chicken or turkey, and lean fish.
Turkey meatballs
When you get tired of chicken fillet, turkey harmoniously diversifies your diet and evening meals.
Turkey meatballs
Recipe No. 13
Cooking method:
- Chop onion, garlic and celery. Fry in olive oil.
- Grate the zucchini on a coarse grater and squeeze out the water.
- Pass the turkey fillet through a meat grinder/blender and combine with the prepared ingredients. Add bran, salt and pepper. Mix.
- Chop the tomato and onion into cubes and simmer in a deep frying pan with a little water under the lid.
- With wet hands, form minced meatballs and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
Ingredients: - turkey fillet - 600 g; - zucchini - 150 g; — oat bran – 30 g; — onion – 50 g + 50 g for frying; - garlic - 1 clove; - celery - 3 stalks; – tomato – 80 g; – olive oil – 15 ml; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Frittata with spinach and tomatoes
Frittata is an Italian dish made with eggs and vegetables. In other words, an omelette. To reduce the calorie content of the dish, egg whites are added.
Frittata with spinach and tomatoes
Recipe No. 14
Method of preparation:
- Beat eggs and whites. Grind the greens and spinach, salt and pepper, add to the eggs.
- Cut the cherry in half.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan, pour in the egg mixture, place the tomatoes on top, pressing lightly. Cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes over medium heat until the eggs are set.
- Remove the lid and sprinkle with coarsely grated mozzarella. Place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 5 minutes.
Ingredients: - chicken egg - 2 pcs.; – egg white – 2 pcs.; - fresh or frozen spinach (thawed) - 150 g; - green onion - 1 bunch; — cherry tomatoes – 80 g; — mozzarella – 40 g; - olive oil - 1 tbsp. l; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Cod with yoghurt sauce
The yoghurt makes the cod tender. It is not recommended to increase the serving of yogurt to avoid the formation of excess liquid.
Cod sauce
Recipe No. 15
Method of preparation:
- Rinse the fillet and dry it on a paper towel. Coat with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in cling film and leave for 30 minutes.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the fish (remove the film). Sprinkle with rosemary.
- Cover the fish with yoghurt. Place in a preheated oven at 190 degrees for 20 minutes. After turning off, leave in the oven for 15 minutes.
Ingredients: - cod fillet - 400 g; - yogurt without additives 1.5% - 100 g; – lemon juice – 20 g; – olive oil – 15 ml; - dried rosemary - optional; - salt, pepper - to taste.
Dessert
Dessert and light dinner are compatible concepts when low-fat dairy products are the main ingredient. Cottage cheese saturates the body for a long time without causing a feeling of heaviness.
Strawberry protein soufflé
The addition of strawberry protein gives the dessert an incredible taste and saturates with protein.
Strawberry soufflé
Recipe No. 16
Method of preparation:
- Beat cottage cheese, milk and protein in a blender.
- Dilute and prepare gelatin according to instructions, add to the curd mixture.
- Pour into molds and place in the refrigerator until completely set.
Ingredients: - cottage cheese 1.8% - 60 g; — milk 0.5% — 100 ml; – strawberry protein – 30 g; – gelatin – 5 g.
Tofu ice cream
The taste of tofu in the dessert is not felt due to the ability to absorb the taste and aroma of additional ingredients. Due to the protein, ice cream is indistinguishable from real ice cream.
Tofu ice cream
Recipe No. 17
Cooking method:
- It is recommended to choose medium-bodied tofu. Place in a blender along with protein, vanillin, and sweetener.
- Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Place the mixture in the mold and place in the freezer.
Ingredients: • tofu – 300 g; • chocolate protein – 30 g; • vanillin – optional; • sweetener – to taste.
Dinner is an important meal that should not be skipped. Pay careful attention to the choice of dishes: give fatty and heavy ones to the enemy, keep only light, dietary, tasty protein dishes for yourself. Bon appetit and be healthy!
Without dietary cottage cheese
Next in the ranking of healthy and light foods are fermented milk products, namely cottage cheese and yogurt. The latter is especially respected by young ladies who are losing weight and completely switch to it. In principle, yogurt can restore slimness, but it must be correct. Only the label will help you understand the abundance of yogurt. Under no circumstances take cream yoghurts, biogurts, yoghurts, and so on. They are a pathetic parody of the real product, which is proudly called simply “yogurt”. This rule does not apply only to products with the prefixes “bio” and “prebio”. Such products are real yoghurts, but they additionally contain beneficial living microorganisms.
With cottage cheese things are even more complicated. It would seem that if you want a light dinner, go to the shelf with low-fat fermented milk products, and success in parting with extra pounds is guaranteed. In fact, recently nutritionists are increasingly leaning towards cottage cheese with normal fat content. The fact is that a substance called “CLA” was recently discovered in this product. According to scientists, it is this that prevents the deposition of fat in the body. And the most interesting thing is that the higher the fat content of the cottage cheese, the more CLA it contains. By the way, with a 9% product you will eat 155 kcal, with an 18% product - 229 kcal. Ideally, cottage cheese should be eaten “clean”, but almost no one does this. To make the dish truly tasty and healthy, do not put jam or marmalade in it. They are sources of “bad” sugar, which will definitely end up on your thighs. It’s better to put some berries in the cottage cheese: 2 tbsp. spoons of raspberries, 1 tbsp. spoon of currants and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of blueberries - this will add only 15 kcal to the cottage cheese. Women should not give up fermented milk products at all, because they are champions in calcium content. And this means not only healthy hair and nails, but also the absence of cellulite. The fact is that calcium limits the accumulation of fat, which means it also fights unpleasant bumps.
What products are suitable for a light dinner menu?
Dinner should account for no more than 1/4 of the daily calorie intake. It is recommended to receive 3/4 of calories before 17.00, when carbohydrates are actively consumed by the body, and at night their excess is transformed into fat reserves. Therefore, the bulk of your daily carbohydrate intake should come from breakfast and lunch, but in the evening it is better to have a light protein dish for dinner.
Add healthy fiber to it - vegetables or herbs - to improve digestion. These can be boiled vegetable mixtures, which can be found in any supermarket today. But cereals and potatoes are not suitable as a side dish.
Avoid heavy, fried, fatty and too rich foods. Although it seems to you that in the evening after work you have neither the energy nor the time to prepare complex dishes, this does not mean at all that you can have dinner with the first product that comes to hand. You can prepare an easy and healthy dinner quickly and without much effort!
When creating recipes for your easy dinner, keep the following ingredient requirements in mind and you'll end up with delicious and nutritious meals!
Useful principles for creating a dinner menu
The evening meal should contain an average amount of protein and a minimum amount of carbohydrates. You shouldn’t forget about carbohydrates entirely, since they activate substances that reduce the excitability of nerve cells. This is why milk with honey is so relaxing.
Include in your light dinner recipes containing foods containing vitamins B3 (bran bread or cheese) and B6 (vegetables, liver, lean pork), antioxidants (fruits and green tea), as well as calcium (cottage cheese), copper (seafood) and magnesium (pumpkin seeds, fruits, greens, figs, legumes) - they improve the metabolism of brain cells and have a calming effect.
The amino acids taurine and tryptophan are essential for proper sleep. They are found in dried fruits, especially dates, milk, cheese, and bananas.
Add spices to your dishes: cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg - they improve digestion, regulate acidity and prevent intestinal spasms.
Remember that the lightness and energy value of your dinner depends on how you ate during the day. The calorie content of dinner should be 1/4 of the nutritional value of the total diet.
The food you prepare for your easy dinner in these or any other recipes should not be heavy. Therefore, it should be steamed, boiled, baked or stewed, but under no circumstances fried. The side dish should also be light - you shouldn’t cook porridge or potatoes, which take a long time to digest, it’s better to cook vegetables.
Have a light dinner, prepared according to your favorite recipes, 3 hours before bedtime. And after 17:00, give up tea, coffee and chocolate, since the effect of caffeine contained in these products lasts about 5 hours. However, if your body responds to caffeine with drowsiness, then this is an excellent option for an evening meal, the main thing is not to overdo it with chocolate.
Even if you have a full 3 hours before bed, you shouldn't overeat during dinner. At night, our digestion does not work at full capacity and excess food cannot be completely digested. Overeating can make it difficult for your kidneys, heart, and other organs to function, and instead of getting proper rest and recovery, you force your body to work. Explore and experiment with ideas for what your ideal light dinner should be.
No potatoes
What associations arise when you hear the phrase “low-calorie foods”? Of course, vegetables and fruits. These are indeed some of the lightest representatives of the food basket, but among them there are also insidious “accumulators” of fat. For example, potatoes. The fact is that this tuber, beloved by the residents of our country, contains fast carbohydrates, which instantly affect the waistline. If you decide to pamper your family with fried potatoes, then from 100 g of the dish everyone will receive 163 kcal. And that's not to mention deep frying. This dish will immediately give you 270 kcal. Next on the list of not the easiest vegetables are peas, garlic, sorrel and horseradish. True, it is simply impossible to eat more than 100 grams of these green representatives. The rest of the vegetables: cabbage, carrots, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers and zucchini - green light. The main thing is to cook them correctly. Keep in mind that the more butter, sour cream or mayonnaise you add, the more calories you make your dish. For example, just chopped cucumbers (100 g) and tomatoes (100 g) provide 38 kcal. As soon as they are seasoned with mayonnaise, the energy value increases to 140 kcal. You shouldn't fry vegetables either. The ideal heat treatment for them is stewing, steaming and boiling.
How should you have dinner?
We all use different amounts of energy throughout the day, which means we all need different nutritional values for dinner.
For office workers with a low level of activity, as well as other knowledge workers, nutritionists recommend focusing on protein dishes: fish, chicken, beef, cottage cheese, plus a vegetable side dish. The main requirement is that the food is not fried or heavy.
Those who spend a lot of energy during the day doing physical labor need to have a light and at the same time more nutritious dinner. During increased physical activity, it is permissible to fill part of the plate with a carbohydrate side dish of potatoes or cereals, for example, rice or buckwheat porridge, or half a serving of spaghetti. If you are gaining muscle mass, follow your diet.
Dinner is an important meal and should not be skipped under any circumstances. Have an evening meal no later than 3 hours before bedtime, and be careful about your choice of dishes. Give the fatty and heavy dinner to the enemy, and keep only light and dietary protein dishes for yourself.
What to eat for dinner to lose weight
Products are capable of burning fat mass if they have zero calorie content, i.e. These are those foods for which the body spends more energy to digest than it receives from them. It is this kind of food that will allow you to reduce weight, and you should take it not only for dinner, but periodically dilute your daily diet with the right foods throughout the day.
Proper nutrition for a light dinner includes the following list of products:
♦ light proteins (lean meats and fish, beans, low-fat cheeses, low-fat dairy products);
♦ vegetables (more cruciferous vegetables, i.e. cabbage, preferably fresh);
♦ greens (has a high fiber content, which is low in calories);
♦ spices (natural types to speed up metabolism).
