Lentil dishes for weight loss - dietary recipes with photos

Is it possible to eat lentils while losing weight?

This type of legume contains dietary fiber, so eating dishes with it will reduce cholesterol levels. In addition, soluble fiber blocks carbohydrates, so blood sugar levels do not fluctuate, which is important for diabetics. Eating lentils is not only possible, but also necessary, because the fiber it contains saturates the body quickly and for a long time. The beneficial substances in the product improve metabolism, which is also important for those who are on a diet.

Calorie content

To speed up the process of losing weight, you need to change your diet - instead of high-calorie foods, take lighter ones, those that contain a minimum of calories. This type of legume is ideal for this. So, the calorie content of lentils is 116 kcal per 100 grams. A special feature of the product is that the finished portion contains a minimum of fat - only about 2 g, carbohydrates 53 g and 35 g of protein.

How are lentils beneficial for women and men?

Women who are breastfeeding or expecting a baby should add lentils to a balanced diet. It will help restore adequate levels of iron in the body, which helps prevent anemia.

Since lentils are full of fiber, consuming them can prevent constipation and subsequent hemorrhoids, which are common during pregnancy. The isoflavones contained in lentils prevent the development of breast cancer and help reduce the symptoms of menopause. And the presence of folate helps prevent defects and malformations of the fetal nervous system and protects against premature birth.

Lentils are rich in the antioxidant molybdenum. It helps the body destroy harmful substances and is also necessary for the prevention of impotence, especially in older men.

Why is it useful?

Lentil cereals, found in the human diet in any form, have a beneficial effect on the body. Lentils are good for weight loss because they:

• has low calorie content;
• rich in protein, due to which the body spends a lot of energy on its absorption;
• saturates the body with folic acid, micro- and macroelements, vitamin B6;
• There are several varieties, due to which even the dietary menu will always be varied.

Lentils contain soluble and insoluble fiber. Eating soluble fiber will help ensure that, while eating delicious food, you will also strengthen your immune system and normalize digestion. Insoluble fiber also has a beneficial effect when losing weight - it stimulates intestinal motility, promoting the gentle elimination of toxins and even stagnant waste.

Some cooking features

In addition to the substances mentioned above, beans contain special inhibitors that suppress the process of grain germination in the absence of sufficient moisture in the environment. Once in the stomach, these substances block its enzymes, thereby inhibiting the digestive process. Naturally, for a healthy gastrointestinal tract, if the product is not systematically taken, there will be no harm.

But if you have problems with your stomach, it is advisable to soak the lentils for at least 3 hours before cooking, preferably overnight.

It is advisable that the vessel with soaked beans be in a warm place; the process of converting nutrients into forms more accessible to the body will speed up.

Dishes

There are several varieties of this group of legumes, but for weight loss, many women choose red lentils: they are peeled, boil faster and, compared to other varieties, have a milder taste. Remember that before cooking, the cereal needs to be immersed in cold water for 5 hours to swell - this will speed up the cooking process. Having decided on the variety, reproduce recipes for lentil dishes for weight loss - the result will not only be beautiful shapes, but also tasty and healthy food for the body.

Red lentils

At the market or in the supermarket today you can find cereals of almost all colors of the rainbow. All of it is certainly healthy and tasty. The red version of lentils requires more delicate handling. It boils quite quickly: its cooking time is about 20 minutes, while its other colorful counterparts need to be kept on the fire for at least half an hour.

Because of this feature, red cereals are most often used in pureed soups and casseroles. It creates an incredible creamy texture that is difficult to achieve with other varieties.

What goes with red lentils? Its spicy taste can attract attention when served with meat, so this type of side dish is usually used for all types of vegetable dishes. A sauté of onions, mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini is an excellent companion on a plate for boiled or stewed red lentils.

If the vegetarian menu is not to your taste, then try liver cutlets or different types of smoked meat as a main dish. It is advisable to serve this combination of products with a neutral salad of fresh vegetables.

Puree

• Cooking time: 50 minutes.
• Number of servings: 2 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 109 kcal.
• Purpose: for breakfast.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty of preparation: easy.

To prepare dietary puree, you will need black or red lentils, because these varieties have a more pleasant taste. The bean product must be pre-soaked - this will significantly reduce the cooking time. Lentil puree is very filling and nutritious, so it will help women lose weight and at the same time prevent them from starving.

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Ingredients:

• lentils – 1 tbsp.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• oil (vegetable) – 1 tbsp. l.;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Pour water into a saucepan and place on the stove over high heat. When the liquid begins to boil, add a glass of cereal and boil the beans until soft over low heat.
2. Chop the onion and grate the carrots.
3. Pour a tablespoon of oil into the pan and sauté the vegetables for 2 minutes.
4. Add stewed vegetables to the finished porridge, boil everything together for another 5 minutes, add spices, and then stir the mass and turn off the gas.
5. Place the mixture of cereals and vegetables into a blender and beat until thick.

Black lentils

Beluga is one of the names of black lentil grains. It is considered the most nutritious and healthy of all varieties known to mankind. This product contains almost all vitamins and minerals, which, most importantly, do not change their properties under prolonged heat exposure.

The taste of black lentils is also interesting: it is spicy, rich and has nothing to do with nuts, peas or legumes. This grain is best suited to complex meat dishes of turkey, chicken, pork or beef with a wide variety of sauces.

When cooked for a long time, black lentils may partially lose their color, so culinary experts strongly advise steaming them for at least 40 minutes: this way you will preserve the color and taste.

Sandwiches with butter, tomatoes and cereal are considered a delicious cold snack. At first glance, the small black beads are difficult to distinguish from caviar, but the taste will speak for itself.

Soup

• Cooking time: 40 minutes.
• Number of servings: 2 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 68 kcal.
• Purpose: for lunch.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty of preparation: easy.

When considering lentil recipes for weight loss, you should pay special attention to liquid dishes. Some people prepare this soup with chicken or meat broth, but if you want to get rid of 2-3 extra pounds, use vegetable broth. Dietary lentil soup will have a wonderful smell if you sprinkle it with herbs. To make the dish more satisfying, you can additionally add croutons grated with garlic to the plate.

Ingredients:

• allspice – 3 peas;
• salt – 1 tsp;
• bay leaf – 1 pc.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• tomato paste – 1 tbsp. l.;
• black pepper - a pinch;
• red lentils – 200 g;
• olive oil – 1 tsp;
• rice – 2 tbsp. l.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the peeled onion into cubes. In a frying pan with olive oil heated, fry the cubes until golden brown.
2. Add a spoonful of tomato paste to the onion and simmer for another 3 minutes.
3. Boil the rice and lentils for 10 minutes, pouring them into boiling water.
4. Add onions stewed in paste to the prepared cereals, add spices to the future dish, add salt. Having brought to a boil, turn off the gas.
5. You can pour the soup into a bowl and serve, garnished with a sprig of parsley.

Lentil diet for weight loss

This weight loss method is designed for seven days, but if after this time no special weight loss effect appears, then it is recommended to repeat this diet after about thirty days.

• Breakfast: drink half a glass of natural low-fat yogurt, eat any fresh fruit;
• Second breakfast: drink a full glass of any juice;
• Lunch: eat two tablespoons of pre-cooked boiled lentils, the same amount of brown rice, you can season it all with a little soy sauce, and it is also recommended to add 10 milliliters of olive oil. Or you can use tomato paste;
• You can replace brown rice with pearl barley, millet or barley porridge. It is not forbidden to put a small amount of herbs in the dish, it can be fresh parsley, dill or cilantro, at your discretion, and you can also season the food with lemon juice;
• Afternoon snack: prepare lentil soup - puree. For one serving you will need two tablespoons of this legume, which should be boiled in 300 milliliters of boiling water, after which the mass is passed through a blender, you can add fresh parsley and a little salt to taste;
• Dinner: prepare a vegetable salad and eat 200 grams of boiled lentils;
• At night, it is recommended to drink a glass of low-fat kefir.

As you can see from the menu, the diet contains only vegetable protein, so you can additionally take amino acid supplements, of course, if you actively train daily.

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Warm salad

• Cooking time: 35 minutes.
• Number of servings: 2 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 82 kcal.
• Purpose: for lunch.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty of preparation: easy.

If you want to treat yourself to a tasty but low-calorie dish, you can make lentil salad. The dietary dish is made using green cereals, because they contain more fiber than red ones. A warm salad can be made with bacon, but it will be healthier and more suitable for weight loss if you add pumpkin and Feta cream cheese.

Ingredients:

• oil (olive) – a few drops;
• Feta – 200 g;
• pumpkin (fresh) – 300 g;
• boiled lentils – 200 g;
• Provençal herbs – 1 tsp;
• spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the pumpkin into cubes, sprinkle them with Provençal herbs, and fry in oil.
2. Boil a glass of lentils, soaked in advance (5 hours before cooking), add spices.
3. Cut Feta cheese into cubes.
4. Mix all ingredients, season further if desired.

What are lentils and what is their history?

Lentil is the common name for a small shrubby plant, Lens culinaris, in the legume family. It is characterized by thin, branched stems and edible lens-shaped seeds growing in short, flat pods.

Lentils come in several varieties that vary in color, texture and taste. Some of the most common types of lentils include:

• Black - Also known as beluga, it is famous for its resemblance to caviar. They are often prepared in both cold and warm salads;
• green - is the most widely available variety; they are often added to side dishes and soups;
• Red varieties (can be red, yellow or gold) are widely used in Indian cuisine. Red lentils often break down to a puree-like consistency after cooking, making them a good ingredient for soups.

Lentils have been consumed by humans since prehistoric times and are believed to have originated in Central Asia. Traces of the earliest use of lentil seeds are found in 8000 years ago at archaeological sites in the Middle East.

For thousands of years, lentils have traditionally been consumed with barley and wheat. It is believed that these three products originated in the same region and spread throughout Africa and Europe during migrations and exploration of cultural tribes. Lentils were introduced to India before the 1st century AD.

It is now one of the most important components of traditional Indian cuisines. In many countries, lentils are the main food for Catholics during Lent. Currently, the leading producers of lentils are Canada, India, Nepal and the United States.

Stewed

• Cooking time: 50 minutes.
• Number of servings: 2 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 71 kcal.
• Purpose: for lunch/dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty of preparation: easy.

In a diet for weight loss, lentils can be used in any form: boiled, stewed, baked, steamed. For example, stewed lentils will serve as an excellent side dish for meat cutlets or mushroom dishes, and they are so nutritious that they can replace bread. This legume goes best with vegetables. Find out how to prepare such a healthy and flavorful dish.

Ingredients:

• lentil cereal – 200 g;
• hot red pepper – 1 pc.;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• bell pepper – 2 pcs.;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• parsley or cilantro - 1 bunch;
• olive oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
• tomatoes – 3 pcs.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• spices - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse a glass of lentil cereal and drain the water until it runs clear. Boil the product until cooked.
2. Chop the onion and fry.
3. Chop the garlic cloves, cut the bell pepper and other vegetables into cubes.
4. Send the vegetable preparations to fry with the onions.
5. Chop the tomatoes finely, add them to the pan, and fry for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the prepared cereal to the vegetable mixture, sprinkle with spices and herbs. Simmer the food for another 2 minutes.

Green lentils

And yet, not everyone will agree to chew empty cereal, no matter how tasty it may be. Today there is no shortage of products to choose from, so it can and should be used as a side dish to the main dish. And it can be very, very diverse.

So what goes with lentils as a side dish? This primarily depends on the type of cereal you decide to use. The most versatile of all varieties is green. It can be safely served with all types of meat and vegetables. In addition, this is the only lentil cereal that can be combined with fish. Both products will only benefit from such proximity. Stewed, baked and even boiled seafood with lentils is an excellent nutritious dinner option. Garlic or “white” cream sauce should be used as a dressing.

Hot dishes are not the only option for preparing green lentils. What does this grain go with in salads? First of all, with cheese and feta. Boil 50 grams of aromatic porridge, cool, add chopped sheep or goat cheese, some fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes - and the delicious snack is ready. This salad can be placed in small portioned bowls or baskets made of unsweetened shortcrust pastry.

Diet

Those who want to lose weight with lentil dishes should know that there are two types of diet based on this legume:

1. The classic lentil diet is when lentil dishes are consumed once or twice a day. The rest of the menu (the same applies to breakfast) can consist of any other products. When following the classic version of the diet, it is recommended to exclude sweets from the diet and limit the consumption of fatty foods.
2. A strict diet is when lentil dishes replace all others. The duration of a strict diet should not be more than 7 days, and the number of meals should be at least 4 times a day. The result of this diet will be a loss of about 3 kilograms of weight.

Brown lentils

When purchasing grains, most people assume that they will end up with a boiled porridge that tastes like chickpeas or peas. This is fundamentally wrong. What goes well with brown lentils? This grain has the most nutty flavor. At the same time, its specific taste is practically indistinguishable in casseroles and cutlets.

Boiled pureed lentils should be mixed in a 1:1 ratio with any type of minced meat, add an egg, finely chopped onion, form small flattened balls and roll them in breading flour. A healthier variation of cutlets can be baked in the oven at 180 degrees.

Those who like a crispy crust can fry the resulting meatballs in a mixture of butter and vegetable oil. These cutlets can be served with any side dish, including all types of lentils.