Pumpkin for weight loss: features of use, 8 recipes for dietary dishes

• Benefit
• Harm
• Weight loss plans
• Sample menu
• Recommendations
• Recipes

Nowadays the craze for this vegetable is gradually fading, although from time immemorial it fed entire families all year round.
The fruits are well stored, which allowed peasants to prepare delicious dishes from them both in winter and summer. And you can cook anything: porridge, smoothies, soups, salads, baked goods. Modern nutritionists are trying to revive interest in this unique product. Given its low calorie content (only 28 kcal) and beneficial properties for human health, it becomes clear why pumpkin is used in many diets.

General rules

The popular pumpkin diet has a lot of positive reviews, primarily due to its simplicity: you can cook any dishes, use a variety of recipes, and drink dietary juice from the vegetable. According to nutritionists, with the help of a pumpkin menu, even in just a few days you can cleanse your body of toxins , waste, get rid of extra pounds and get enough of vitamins and microelements . Pumpkin has a unique vitamin composition. A properly grown vegetable without the use of nitrates is rich in:

• vitamins: PP , E , K , A , B , C , T ;
• proteins;
• carbohydrates;
• microelements: calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, copper;
• omega-3.

Traditional medicine has long used pumpkin for hypertension , atherosclerosis , liver cirrhosis , anemia , impotence, and depression .

Is it possible to eat pumpkin on a diet?

The main advantage of pumpkin for weight loss is its low calorie content - 22 kcal in its raw form and 25 kcal after heat treatment. Pumpkin pulp contains almost no fat, but is rich in carbohydrates and proteins, which the body needs so much for saturation. The vegetable is rich in fiber, which perfectly cleanses the digestive tract and quickly removes excess fluid from the body. The pulp and seeds of the orange vegetable are suitable for cooking. What causes weight loss:

• acceleration of lipolysis;
• activation of metabolism;
• improved digestion;
• increasing endurance and performance, which leads to stimulation of physical activity and additional burning of calories;
• quick saturation due to fiber, which allows you to reduce the size of portions;
• improving mood, which eliminates overeating and eating problems.

Plant fiber, like a sponge, cleanses the digestive tract, liver system, kidneys, and blood. The raw product is famous for its mild laxative effect.

Is it possible to eat pumpkin on a protein diet? Baked pumpkin on a diet

This option for preparing this vegetable is very convenient, not only because the process itself takes a little time and effort, but it is also a light snack. It would be good if this low-calorie dish was served for dinner.

As you know, the last meal of the day should not overload the gastrointestinal tract of someone losing weight, since at this time physical activity is noticeably reduced. It is better to prepare for bed without a heavy stomach.

There are two ways to bake pumpkin. The first option looks like this:

1. Cut the vegetable into slices approximately 0.7 centimeters thick (300-400 g). They are laid out in a baking dish, pre-greased with olive oil. Sprinkle the pumpkin pieces with a mixture of paprika, turmeric and garlic pressed through a press. They also need to be drizzled with a little olive oil.
2. The dish is prepared in the oven for 35 minutes. Before serving, it is sprinkled with finely chopped dill, parsley or basil. You can also garnish the baked pumpkin slices with lettuce leaves.

The sweet version is prepared like this:

1. Pumpkin is cut into medium pieces (400 g). In a deep plate, combine honey (2 tbsp.) with vegetable oil (1 tbsp.). Dip all the vegetable pieces into this mixture and place them in a baking dish.
2. Cook the dish for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees. After removing from the oven, sprinkle the baked pumpkin pieces with sesame seeds.

Varieties

One-day fasting day on pumpkin

During the day, 5 meals are expected. You can only eat pumpkin boiled in water (1 kg of pulp for the whole day). This diet is considered strict due to its low calorie content, so it can be used no more than once every 2 weeks. After a fasting day, try not to eat salty foods to avoid retaining excess fluid in the body.

Pumpkin oil diet

Pumpkin oil has a positive effect on the functioning of the intestines and the entire body as a whole, which has a beneficial effect on the weight loss process. The oil has a rich vitamin and mineral composition, with pronounced antisclerotic, antiparasitic, antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects.

Pumpkin seed diet

Pumpkin seeds are included in the diet menu for patients who suffer from kidney disease and diabetes . Despite its high calorie content (550 kcal per 100 g), this product is simply necessary when losing weight, because... compensates for the lack of proper fats and does not allow the body to go into energy saving mode and slow down metabolism . Pumpkin seeds can normalize carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. If vegetable oil is present in the diet menu, then it is enough to consume only 20 grams of seeds per day. During vegetable and fruit diets with the complete exclusion of any fat, it is recommended to consume 50 grams of pumpkin seeds daily. They can replace a snack, and sometimes an entire dinner, while following a weight loss diet.

Pumpkin juice for weight loss

You can make an excellent diuretic from pumpkin pulp, which helps get rid of toxins and swelling .
To start the weight loss process, it is recommended to consume 200 ml of freshly squeezed pumpkin juice for 21 days. Juice is contraindicated if you are prone to diarrhea, low acidity of gastric juice, or diseases of the pancreas.

Important aspects of diets

1. The function of drinks can be taken over by: compotes, fruit drinks, mineral water, green tea, pumpkin juice.
2. A three-day diet can easily be transformed into a 12-day diet, for which you just need to “repeat it 4 times.”
3. You can lose weight according to the principle of the “Six Petals” diet (6 one-day mono-diets).
4. Sugar, salt and fats are prohibited, as well as a whole list of other foods and drinks (canned food, sausages, strong tea, coffee, cocoa, fatty meat, etc.).
5. Pumpkin diets are contraindicated for people with problems with the gastrointestinal tract, as well as for those who regularly subject their bodies to enormous physical stress.
6. The frequency of the 12-day diet is once every 2 months, the 3-day diet is once a month.

Authorized Products

The pumpkin diet is considered quite easy due to the ability to use a very varied menu to suit your taste. The meat should be low-fat. You can eat fish, honey, vegetables, low-fat cottage cheese and a small amount of sweet fruits. It is also possible to consume protein foods to maintain muscle mass. Portion sizes are not limited, and you can eat as many dishes from permitted foods as you want. Food should be consumed 3 times a day, snacks are not allowed. The drinking regime is slightly limited: green tea, freshly squeezed pumpkin juice and plain still water are allowed.

Table of permitted products

Chemical composition and calorie content of pumpkin

The “Queen of the Garden” pumpkin brings real benefits to the body; it is not without reason that it is called a “natural multivitamin.” Almost all the substances included in its composition do not lose their properties when exposed to temperature, with the exception of vitamins.

Do not worry - during the heat treatment, vitamin-like substances are partially destroyed. The peel, which accounts for 17% of the total weight of the fruit, is unsuitable for use. Although, if desired, you can make candied fruits from it.

The pulp in the pumpkin is about 75%, but the seeds are no less valuable, they can become a source of vitamins and PUFAs during the period of vitamin deficiency. Calorie content is only 22 kcal/100 g, and peeled seeds are 560 kcal/100 g.

Nutritional value, chemical composition of pumpkin pulp and seeds are shown in the table

Fully or partially limited products

All sweets and alcohol-containing drinks, fast food are prohibited. It is recommended to cook dishes without salt. Sugar is also prohibited. Consumption of fatty foods, various smoked meats and pickled dishes is not allowed.

Table of prohibited products

Pumpkin benefits. What are the benefits of pumpkin

The health benefits of pumpkin are invaluable. Its chemical composition contains a variety of macro- and microelements, carbohydrates, vitamins and acids. It is an indispensable product in the diet. The vegetable should be consumed in recommended quantities and taking into account individual restrictions.

Benefits of pumpkin

The nutritional value

Pumpkin, like zucchini, is one of the low-calorie foods. Energy value: about 22 calories per 100 g.

Calorie content varies within acceptable limits depending on the type of consumption.

Ingredients (per 100 g):

• 1 g protein;
• 0.1 g of organic acids and fats;
• 4.4 g carbohydrates;
• 2.0 g dietary fiber;
• 91.8 g water;
• 0.6 g of ash.

Pumpkin pulp, like carrots, contains an increased amount of beta-carotene (30%).

Percentage of substance content from the daily norm:

• ascorbic acid – 8.9;
• pantothenic acid – 8;
• pyridoxine – 6.5;
• folates – 3.5;
• RR – 3.5;
• thiamine – 3.3;
• riboflavin – 3.3;
• alpha tocopherol – 2.7;
• choline – 1.6;
• phylloquinone – 0.9;
• biotin – 0.8.

The beneficial properties of pumpkin lie in the large quantity and variety of macro- and microelements. Percentage of substance content from the daily norm:

• silicon – 100;
• copper – 18;
• cobalt – 10;
• potassium – 8.2;
• molybdenum – 6.6;
• chromium – 4;
• magnesium – 3.5;
• phosphorus – 3.1;
• calcium – 2.5;
• iron – 2.22;
• fluorine – 2.2;
• zinc – 2;
• manganese – 2;
• sulfur – 1.8;
• chlorine – 0.8;
• iodine – 0.7;
• selenium – 0.5;
• sodium – 0.3;
• a small proportion of aluminum, boron, vanadium.

Of the carbohydrates in the chemical composition of pumpkin, there are mono- and disaccharides, glucose, sucrose, fructose and starch. The acids include saturated fatty acids (0.052 g), omega-3 (0.003 g), omega-6 (0.002 g).

About the benefits of pumpkin

The vegetable has healing properties

Vegetables, depending on the type of preparation and use, can bring different healing properties to human health.

At the same time, they consume the pulp, pumpkin leaves, and seeds.

Usually the peel is not used for food purposes.

pumpkin leaves

The benefits of pumpkin leaves have long been proven. It is used in folk medicine in the following cases:

• Against cancer. Phenolic compounds and chlorophyll, tannins and flavonoids, glycosides and saponins are essential components in the fight against cancer. They have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and delay the formation and development of cancerous tumors.
• For cosmetic purposes. Foliage rich in ascorbic acid has a rejuvenating effect on the skin, providing it with a healthy appearance. Infusions and decoctions from the leaves have wound-healing properties and activate the regeneration of tissue cells. The beta-carotene content supports healthy teeth and gums when used in infused rinses.
• For diabetes control. Decoctions and infusions, due to their hypoglycemic effect, help diabetics maintain and control blood glucose levels. Aqueous extracts with pumpkin ethyl acetate and polysaccharides are an effective folk antidiabetic remedy.
• For the immune system. An increased content of vitamin C is a source of developing and maintaining a high level of immunity and is a prevention of ARVI.
• Against cramps. Lotions with decoctions prepared from pumpkin leaves significantly relieve convulsive conditions.

Pumpkin diet, menu for 4 days

Day I

Day II

Day III

Day IV

The cycle can be repeated until a comfortable weight is achieved.

Is it possible to eat pumpkin while losing weight? Options for weight loss

Pumpkin for weight loss can be used in many ways.
We bring to your attention the simplest but most effective ones. Fasting day for weight loss on pumpkin

There is an opinion that for effective weight loss you need to replace all the main products in your diet with pumpkin, but this is hardly worth doing. Fasting days can be carried out in this way, no more than once a week.

It is better to steam the pumpkin (the lowest-calorie option) - 700-800 g, and eat it during the day, in 4-5 servings. You can add freshly squeezed juices of apples, carrots or oranges, and drink at least 1.5 liters of clean water.

Three day diet

If you want to extend the fasting period, try a three-day weight loss option with pumpkin, with the obligatory inclusion of complete proteins. Pumpkin, prepared in the form of puree, soup or salad, or simply baked in the oven without any additives, is combined with low-fat cottage cheese or homemade cheese, vegetables (not potatoes), unsweetened fruits, brown rice (buckwheat, millet).

In the evenings you are allowed to drink low-fat kefir or milk. You can lose 2-3 kg: an excellent option for a quick diet for “urgent” weight loss.

Weekly weight loss with pumpkin

A weekly or longer diet requires an expanded menu. Dietary dishes are prepared from pumpkin pulp, and not only vegetables, fruits and milk are added to them, but also fish, meat, and vegetable oil. Sea fish and chicken are preferable, and with pumpkin you can cook vegetable stews, porridges, casseroles, cream soups, salads and even pancakes, adding flour only “for binding”.

You don’t have to go on diets or fasting at all, and pumpkin will still help you lose weight and improve your well-being. Remove sweet desserts, cakes, cookies and candies, too fatty and spicy foods, smoked foods and snacks, and prepare pumpkin sweets and snacks for yourself. Energy will increase, and weight will go away slowly but surely, about 1 kg per week.

Recipes for healthy pumpkin dishes

When preparing a vegetable for dietary nutrition, it is important to remember its main advantage - low calorie content. When a product is fried in oil, harmful carcinogens are released, and the calorie content of the dish doubles. That is why it is preferable to cook dishes without butter and without fat.

Pumpkin can be baked, steamed, boiled or eaten raw. Supporters of the system have invented a huge number of different recipes, thanks to which the mono-diet has become more varied and tastier. What to cook with pumpkin:

• casserole;
• salad;
• porridge with pumpkin;
• stew;
• cocktails;
• mousse;
• candied fruit;
• cream soup;
• jelly;
• baked goods (pie);
• juice.

Pumpkin puree soup

The soup can be used for lunch and dinner.

Ingredients (for 3 servings)

• pumpkin 500 g;
• olive oil 2 tbsp. spoons;
• carrots 2 pcs.;
• medium onion 1 pc.

Recipe

Peel and cut the vegetables into small pieces, add low-fat broth or water, add a little oil. Cook for half an hour covered, then beat with a blender. Cooking may take longer, depending on the type of pumpkin. Readiness is checked with a fork. Diet pumpkin puree soup can be eaten in the middle of the day, no more than once a day.

Pumpkin porridge

It is recommended to eat porridge in the morning to enrich the body with energy for the whole day. It is preferable to use low-carb cereals: brown rice, oatmeal, millet. You need to cook the dish with water, but you can add skim milk (in this case, the portion is reduced by a third to reduce calorie content).

Ingredients

• fresh pumpkin 400 g;
• cereal 1-2 handfuls.

Recipe

Place the pumpkin in a saucepan with water, after 20 minutes you can add the cereal and cook until tender. For those who like a homogeneous mass, pumpkin pieces can be mashed with a fork before adding the cereal.

Pumpkin salads

When using pumpkin raw, the dish acquires a pleasant aroma and sweetish taste, which are lost after processing. This is why pumpkin salads for weight loss are so popular. A light dish can be varied by adding nuts, other vegetables, pumpkin seeds, and fruits.

Salads can be seasoned with honey, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and low-fat cream. Pumpkin salads can be consumed without restrictions on quantity during the day. The dish gives you a feeling of fullness for a long time and enriches the body with useful microelements.

Pumpkin salad

Recipe

Grate the peeled pumpkin pulp on a medium grater or cut into strips or slices. Add additional ingredients to your taste, season the resulting mixture with lemon juice.

Pumpkin pancakes

Ingredients

• pumpkin 200 g;
• kefir 2 tbsp. spoons;
• flour 4 tbsp. spoons;
• a pinch of soda and salt;
• vegetable oil.

Pumpkin pancakes

Recipe

Mix all ingredients into a homogeneous mass, mix thoroughly. Bake like regular pancakes or pancakes.

Diet pumpkin casserole

The dish is good for breakfast with tea or coffee, or after a hard day for dinner. Adding apples will give the dish a special flavor. The casserole is a low-calorie dish.

Ingredients

• fresh pumpkin 500 g;
• apples 150 g;
• semolina half a glass;
• eggs 2 pcs.;
• vanillin;
• sugar 1 tbsp. spoon;
• butter 150 g;
• a pinch of salt and soda.

Pumpkin casserole

Recipe

Peel the pumpkin, cut into pieces and place in a pan with water, then cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Check doneness with a fork. Drain the water, mash with a masher and add salt. Let the pumpkin cool. Wash the apples and peel them. Grate using a coarse grater.

Beat eggs, salt and sugar with a blender or mixer. Place grated apples, cooled pumpkin, softened butter, vanillin in a bowl and mix everything thoroughly. Add the beaten eggs and fold them gently into the dough. Line a baking pan with parchment, grease with oil, and lay out the dough. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and bake the pan for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin pie

The classic pie consists of two parts: a base of chopped dough and a filling. Prepare baked pumpkin puree, mix with eggs, sugar and cream. Add aromatic spices to taste.

Ingredients

• orange zest;
• butter;
• ground cardamom;
• eggs 3 pcs.;
• ground ginger;
• ground cinnamon;
• sugar;
• salt;
• pumpkin 1 kg.

Pumpkin pie

The oil should be cold; it is even better to freeze it first. Grind the butter into crumbs along with the flour. Add 1 egg and some cold water. Mix the dough and roll into a ball, wrap with cling film, and keep in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Carefully distribute the dough into a special form. Let sit in the refrigerator for an hour.

Peel the pumpkin from the seeds and place in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Make a puree from the pulp, add sugar, salt, spices, two eggs and zest. If the puree turns out to be too liquid, you can add flour or semolina. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place a press (such as a cereal bag) on ​​the base of the dough and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and fill with pumpkin filling. Place in the oven again at 180 degrees and bake for another 1 hour.

Pumpkin dessert recipe with photo

The choice of pumpkin for dessert should be approached in a special way: a fragrant dish is obtained only from a pumpkin of a brightly saturated color.

Ingredients

• pumpkin 450 g;
• a handful of light sesame seeds;
• liquid bee honey 2 tbsp. spoons;
• large ripe orange;
• refined oil 1 tbsp. spoon.

Pumpkin dessert with honey

Recipe

Remove seeds and peel from pumpkin. Cut the pulp into oblong pieces. In a wide bowl, combine butter and liquid honey. Remove all the zest from the orange and squeeze the juice (2 tablespoons) from the fruit. Add ingredients to butter and honey. Place pumpkin slices into the resulting mixture so that they are completely covered with the aromatic citrus sauce. Place everything in a single layer in a heat-resistant form. Bake for 45 minutes in the oven at medium temperature.

How to make pumpkin juice correctly

Making the drink at home is easy. Fruit juices are more popular, but among vegetable juices, pumpkin juice is second only to tomato juice.

To prepare the juice, take one ripe pumpkin, wash it, peel it, and remove the seeds. Then cut into small pieces and pass through a juicer. It is better to spin at maximum speed. The drink is consumed freshly prepared. To preserve it for the winter, you need to bring the resulting drink to a boil or roll it into sterilized jars.

Great combinations of flavors are obtained by combining pumpkin with other vegetables and fruits. The orange vegetable goes well with citrus fruits in a standard 1:1 ratio. If the drink seems too sour, add a little honey. Celery, carrots, parsley make a delicious vegetable mix with pumpkin. Often the orange vegetable is combined with apple, cranberry, and sea buckthorn.

Storage conditions and periods

It is best to consume the juice immediately after preparation . The maximum benefit will come from a drink drunk within 10-30 minutes after spinning. This way your body will receive all the vitamins and minerals unchanged. Further, vitamins are destroyed when they come into contact with air.

The shelf life of freshly squeezed juice is no more than a day, if stored in a closed container in a cool place.

Heat treatment also reduces the level of beneficial properties, but if you need to preserve the drink for a long time, you cannot do without it. In this case, it is necessary to maintain the sterility of jars and lids. The juice or puree is boiled. In recipes for winter preparations, sugar is usually added.

Contraindications

• gastritis with low acidity;
• bloating , flatulence ; _
• diabetes;
• hypertonic disease;
• ulcerative lesions of the digestive tract;
• intestinal obstruction;
• allergic responses to pumpkin and other components of the diet;
• active sports (excessive consumption of pumpkin during intense physical activity slows down metabolism, which leads to the loss of muscle mass, not fat deposits).

Healthy pumpkin for losing weight

The orange fruit makes people happy with its bright color, which means it helps fight depression. In addition, the low calorie content of any pumpkin dish will appeal to the fair sex. Vitamin cocktail product:

• group A, E, C, B, T;
• iron, calcium, zinc;
• pantothenic and folic acid.

Carnitine contained in pumpkin helps speed up metabolism, burns fat, accelerates weight loss and strengthens muscle mass.

Advantages and disadvantages

Important Terms

You can get the maximum benefit from pumpkin if you adhere to certain rules for consuming vegetables as part of diets and fasting days. These simple rules will help you achieve results faster and avoid negative side effects:

• Choose a vegetable with pale yellow flesh rather than bright orange.
• In the morning, on an empty stomach, you can drink a glass of pumpkin juice or eat a handful of pumpkin seeds. Getting into the digestive tract at the very beginning of the day, these products guarantee a powerful antioxidant effect and maximum removal of toxins and waste.
• The most dangerous product is raw pumpkin. Despite all its benefits, it can provoke flatulence, bloating, and in some cases, diarrhea. In its raw form, the vegetable can be eaten between meals in very limited, small quantities.
• For weight loss, the optimal daily caloric intake is 1500 kcal for men and 1200 kcal for women.
• It is unacceptable to consume sugar and salt if you are using the pumpkin diet to lose weight. The same goes for marinated fried foods.
• If you're feeling hungry, you can snack on a small slice of raw pumpkin.
• It is mandatory to adhere to the dietary regime - up to 2 liters of clean water per day.
• The last meal is at 18:00, later is not allowed.
• Pumpkin dishes should be low-calorie; try not to use oil to prepare them.
• Exiting the diet should be smooth and gradual.

It is important not to forget that you can speed up the process of getting rid of extra pounds through physical exercise. Be sure to play sports. Moderate physical activity will help avoid bloating and flatulence.

Reviews and results of losing weight

The benefits of juice in the fight for a slim body are invaluable. It is worth including it in your daily diet or as a dietary supplement if you have an acute desire to lose weight. Our readers share the results. You can leave your comment at the end of the article.

Ignat: “I have accumulated extra pounds over the winter. I decided that I needed to reset it. I started trying to lose weight with pumpkin juice. In addition to drinking juice, I cut down on eating fatty and sweet foods. I managed to lose 5 kg in 3 weeks.”

Elena: “I always grow pumpkins in my garden. I plant a lot so that it lasts until spring. Although it is inexpensive, you can buy it in the market. In the fall I often lose weight by eating pumpkin. My diet is like this - for 4 days I eat only it. You can’t even imagine how many different recipes there are based on it. So, in 4 days I can lose 2 kg!”

Alena: “After giving birth, I gained a lot of weight - by 15 kg. I read about the pumpkin diet. I started trying. I also included pumpkin juice in my diet. I drank half a glass in the morning and evening. The truth is that someone who has stomach problems should not drink it. It must be diluted with water. I followed the weekly diet easily and tried to lose weight. My result is minus 3.5 kg. I’ll take a break, then try again.”

Adviсe

During the diet you may experience:

• severe loss of muscle mass;
• dehydration of the body;
• disorders, digestive disorders;
• metabolic disorders;
• allergic responses.

Pumpkin is rich in plant fiber, which has a powerful effect on the digestive tract and organs of the urinary system. Along with excess fluid, waste and toxins, beneficial substances can also be removed from the body. That is why, to correct the figure in case of serious pathology of the digestive and urinary tract, it is better to choose a different, safer diet.