Losing weight with broccoli - benefits for the body, dietary recipes with photos and diet menu

There are lean seasons for broccoli and cauliflower, when they do not set their heads, and all the strength of the plants goes into the leaves (tops). In this case, most gardeners only sigh heavily, uproot the “failed” specimens from the beds and send armfuls of foliage to the compost or for animal feed.

Do you do this too? But in vain - broccoli and cauliflower leaves are delicious vitamin-rich greens, in no way inferior to cabbage heads in the culinary sense, suitable raw, boiled, pickled or fried for preparing various soups, vegetable purees and stews, appetizers, salads, main courses and side dishes. These leaves go well with meat, fish and other vegetables. For cooking, it is best to take juicy young tops of broccoli and cauliflower. However, large adult foliage (hard and fibrous) will do, you just need to prepare it first - freeze it, pour boiling water over it, or finely chop it.

Moreover, this information is not new - the leaves of any cabbage have long been used as food all over the world. “Grey cabbage soup”, “shchanitsa”, “kroshevo”, “khryapa” - these dishes are hundreds of years old! Why don’t you today, for a change, cook their analogues or experiment with long-familiar dishes by adding broccoli and cauliflower leaves to them instead of cabbage leaves or spinach.

So how do you cook broccoli and cauliflower leaves deliciously? Write down recipes.

Broccoli - beneficial properties for weight loss

Before you begin your path to slimness, it is worth studying the properties of broccoli for weight loss. Almost all of the beneficial substances included in its composition are actively included in the metabolic processes of the body, including fat. Due to their acceleration, gradual weight loss begins. How is this ensured? Weight loss occurs thanks to:

1. Vitamin C and calcium. There are a lot of them in the composition. These substances are catalysts for metabolism - it accelerates and does not allow waste, toxins and fat deposits to linger in the body.
2. Low calorie. 100 g of this vegetable contains only 30 kcal, but at the same time it has high mineral and vitamin value, which makes the vegetable a valuable product for weight loss.
3. B vitamins. They interact with dietary fiber and chlorophyll, which leads to complete cleansing of the body.
4. Coarse dietary fiber filled with water. Their content can help to quickly satisfy hunger, and for a long time.

Vitamin composition

The beneficial properties of broccoli, including in relation to weight loss, are due to. The composition of broccoli is superior to many foods in terms of microelements and vitamins. In this case, the calorie content of the product is considered negative. One small inflorescence contains:

• macroelements – phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sodium, calcium;
• vitamins – groups B, A, E, PP, C;
• microelements – manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium.

With shrimp and cheese

A delicious first course with a delicate creamy taste. The presented culinary composition is perfect for the arrival of unexpected guests. An original way to cook something unique, healthy and memorable.

Grocery list:

• Cabbage – 220 gr.;
• Shrimp – 260 gr.;
• Potatoes – 220 gr.;
• Rice - half a glass;
• Processed cheese – 360 gr.;
• Sunflower oil – 35 ml;
• Garlic – 1 small head;
• Carrots – 80 gr.;
• Onion (large) – 1 pc.;
• Parsley, dill, salt.

Cheese soup with broccoli and shrimp: step-by-step recipe

Step-by-step preparation:

Add rice to the boiling broth and cook for 7-8 minutes. Then add the peeled and diced potatoes. After 5-6 minutes, add cabbage and cook for 2-3 minutes. At the same time, fry the onions, carrots and garlic together. Then add the shrimp to the frying pan and fry the mixture for two or three minutes.

The next step in making broccoli delicious is preparing the cheese. Grate it, you will need to freeze it first. Throw the fried mass of shrimp, carrots, onions and garlic into the soup, where potatoes are cooked with rice and cabbage. Finally, add grated cheese. You need to wait for it to completely melt and get a homogeneous mass. The soup can be decorated with herbs. If you prefer creamy soups, run the soup through a blender.

Broccoli diet

The recommended duration of the broccoli diet is 10 days. During this time you can lose about 5-8 kg. It all depends on your weight - the higher it is, the more extra pounds you will lose. You can stick to the menu described below, but if you simply replace your dinner with cabbage, it’s also easy to lose weight even in a shorter period. The broccoli diet for effective weight loss includes 5 stages, each of which lasts two days. The main condition is to eat cabbage daily, albeit in small quantities. It is also worth drinking as much water as possible - pure or still mineral water.

For 10 days

The first phase of the diet lasts 6 days. This stage is considered the main one. The second lasts only 4 days. This amount of time is required to consolidate the results of weight loss. The broccoli diet for 10 days involves the diet described in the table. There are only three meals, but you can also have small snacks.

Authorized Products

The list of products for this diet is strictly limited:

• boiled (stewed) and fresh broccoli in portions from 100 to 250 g;
• boiled low-fat fish in the amount of 100-150 g;
• beef, boiled chicken fillet 100-150 g;
• broccoli soup with chicken broth 200-250 ml;
• eggs in the amount of 2 pieces;
• rye bread, two slices;
• tomatoes, lettuce peppers, garlic, onions, carrots on certain days;
• olive oil no more than 2 tablespoons in dishes on allowed days;
• low-fat fermented milk drinks, 2-3 glasses per day;
• green and black tea without sugar, tomato juice, purified water.

Table of permitted products

How to cook broccoli for weight loss

It is important not only to use broccoli when losing weight, but also to cook it correctly. For frying, it is better to use olive oil, because it does not emit harmful carcinogens. It is better to stew, boil or steam the inflorescences. This processing will preserve more nutrients in the vegetable, and even without sunflower oil, the food will be much healthier and suitable for dietary nutrition.

For a couple

All models of multicookers have a steam cooking mode. To do this, water is poured into their main bowl. The products themselves are placed in a container for steaming. It turns out something similar to a water bath. Steamed broccoli in a slow cooker is prepared according to the same principle:

1. Wash the inflorescences and divide them into smaller ones.
2. Place them in a steaming container and sprinkle lemon juice or lemon-garlic sauce on top.
3. Fill the main bowl of the multicooker with water.
4. Turn on the “Steam” mode. When the water boils, place a container with vegetables on top and cook for about 40-50 minutes.

Baked

Another useful way to prepare any food is baking. In this case, the products also retain most of their constituent vitamins and microelements. Broccoli baked in the oven is no exception. It can be cooked in its pure form or supplemented with eggs, cheese, garlic - you will still get a dietary dish. The cooking principle is as follows:

1. Wash the inflorescences, divide into small ones and blanch in boiling water for a couple of minutes.
2. Next, transfer them to an oiled baking sheet; you can sprinkle cheese on top or sprinkle with soy sauce.
3. Send to bake for 1 hour at 160 degrees.

Boiled

The simplest and most accessible method of preparation is boiling. It is important not to exceed the recommended time. Boiled broccoli is cooked in slightly salted water for no more than 3 minutes. If the inflorescences remain harsh, then you can increase this value to 5-7 minutes. It is important not to pour too much water - it should be slightly higher than the level of the contents in the pan.

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Preserve taste and color

Like any green vegetable, broccoli requires delicate processing. It is important not to overheat it, so as not to destroy the chlorophyll, which gives it color and partly taste. If you overheat broccoli, it will become limp, ugly, and tasteless, because chlorophyll is destroyed by prolonged heating.

When you cook broccoli, you need to put it in boiling water (after disassembling it into inflorescences, which should be approximately the same), cook until the stalk of the inflorescence is ready, and then put it on a sieve and lower it into cold water. It's even better to add ice to this water. This will stop the cooking process and this way we will not overheat the vegetable. Cooking time depends on the size of the inflorescences.

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Blanch or boil. Secrets of cooking cauliflower After a cold bath, broccoli can be added to a salad, put in a storage container and put in the refrigerator, or it can be fried or reheated along with the main dish, to which we will serve it as a side dish.

It is enough to add cooked broccoli to meat or fish in the last minutes of cooking. The inflorescences will warm up and become saturated with the smell of the main dish. This is the easiest way to cook broccoli.

Dietary broccoli recipes

There are a variety of recipes for losing weight with broccoli, so your diet will not be so monotonous. It is used to prepare soups, light salads or side dishes for cereals and meat. An unusual option is a smoothie drink, which also turns out very tasty. Smoothies are a great snack option between meals. The salad is suitable for a light dinner, and the soup is suitable for lunch.

Soup

To make broccoli soup for weight loss, you will need a simple list of ingredients. This list includes:

• cabbage inflorescences themselves – 350 g;
• potatoes – 350 g;
• onion – 2 pcs.;
• chicken broth – 1.6 l;
• leek – 35 g;
• bay leaf - to taste;
• garlic – 1 head;
• water – 2 l;
• celery – 170 g;
• carrots – 180 g.

Instructions on how to prepare the soup:

1. Place the peeled onion in a saucepan with water, add 2/3 of the celery and a whole carrot.
2. Cook until boiling, then simmer over low heat for another half hour.
3. Divide the cabbage into florets, cut the leeks and remaining celery into cubes. Repeat the same with potatoes.
4. Place these vegetables in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
5. Discard the onion from the vegetable broth. Finely chop the carrots and celery and add them to the broth.
6. Season with bay leaf, boil the dish for 5 minutes, let cool and process the ingredients until pureed in a blender.
7. Place the resulting mixture into the broth.

Smoothie

If you don’t know what to snack on, then make a broccoli smoothie for weight loss. It is prepared very easily and quickly. To do this, take 150 g of inflorescences, rinse them and divide them into smaller ones. Next, boil for 5 minutes, then add basil sprigs and 200 ml of ayran. The resulting mixture is brought to a homogeneous consistency using a blender.

Salad

Another quick recipe is broccoli salad for weight loss. It is prepared in just 20 minutes, and the calorie content of the dish does not exceed 60 kcal per 100 g. For the salad you will need:

• bell pepper – 1 pc.;
• salt - to taste;
• wine vinegar – 2 tbsp;
• olives – 150 g;
• olive oil – 1 tbsp.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the inflorescences thoroughly under cold water, then separate them into smaller ones and blanch for about 3 minutes.
2. Wash the pepper, remove its stem and seeds, cut into strips.
3. Mix chopped vegetables, add olives cut in half.
4. Season with oil, vinegar and salt.

Buckwheat with broccoli

Buckwheat is considered one of the most dietary cereals. Even with a low calorie content, it is very healthy, so losing weight with it does not cause much harm to the health of a woman or man. Buckwheat with broccoli for weight loss is a popular dish with excellent taste. To prepare it you will need:

• salt - to taste;
• buckwheat – 500 g;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• water – 4 tbsp.;
• broccoli – 200 g;
• onions – 2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil – 40 g.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the cereal in several waters, remove any debris, then add water and cook.
2. Wash the carrots, cabbage and onions, and chop them as desired.
3. Add all the vegetables to the buckwheat, cook for about 20 minutes, add salt and oil when finished.

Puree

To make a side dish puree or creamed broccoli soup, I recommend using a saucepan with a wide, thick bottom. You need to disassemble the cabbage into inflorescences, heat the pan on the fire, pour oil and fry the broccoli well, adding a little garlic, salt and pepper. Roasting enhances the vegetable flavor of the product. Fry until golden brown and then add hot water. And here we need to take exactly enough water to subsequently obtain the desired consistency of the soup. For puree soup, this is approximately 1.5 liters of water per 1 kg of broccoli.

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The water has boiled, we cook the cabbage for 2 minutes, then puree everything with a blender or rub it through a sieve - that’s it, the soup is ready.