Protein-free diet: nutritional features, menus and recipes

When is a protein-free diet necessary?

To use such a power supply scheme, the following reasons are required:

• oncological diseases;
• pathologies of brain lymphoid tissue;
• kidney and liver diseases.

In the presence of the listed diagnoses, a special diet is required, excluding heavy foods, fatty, fried foods, marinades, canned food, and pickles. The basic list of foods on a protein-free diet consists of fresh, boiled vegetables, whole grain cereals and vegetable fats.

Reducing proteins in the menu is justified from a medical point of view. Limiting or completely avoiding foods high in this substance reduces the load on the lymphatic system. At this time, previously accumulated reserves are actively used up. As a result, the body is cleansed of waste and toxins, and immunity increases.

Basic rules of a protein-free diet

Completely eliminating protein from the diet is prohibited. According to WHO, an adult needs 0.75 g of the substance per kilogram of weight. In case of kidney disease, the norm decreases to 0.55 g.

The key principles of the low protein system include the following:

1. Minimum use or complete exclusion of salt and hot spices from the diet.
2. Reducing water consumption to 0.8-1 liters per day. It is better to use bottled water without gas.
3. Acceptable methods of heat treatment of food are boiling, stewing, steaming, baking. Using frying or smoking is unacceptable.
4. Eat small portions - 250-300 g. During the day there should be 4-6 meals. Dinner is allowed no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Strength training and vigorous physical activity will also have to be postponed. Limited protein intake leads to gradual breakdown of muscle tissue. The body begins to use muscle structures to provide the necessary energy to all vital systems.

The resulting effect

A protein-free diet is classified as therapeutic, so its effect is to restore kidney function. This process is lengthy, accompanied by the use of numerous medications. Patients are often prepared for major surgical interventions using a protein-free diet.

Weight loss is one of the consequences of a protein-free diet, but kilograms are lost only due to the destruction of muscle tissue and the removal of excess fluid. Adipose tissue does not disappear anywhere under such restrictions. Patients lead a sedentary lifestyle, so the calorie content of the menu is low.

After such a diet it will take a long time to recover. It is absolutely not suitable for a healthy person. If you just want to lose weight, you need to use more effective and safe methods.

Look at the same topic: Features of the coffee diet and menu

Protein-free diet: list of products

In its strict form, a protein-free diet excludes almost all components of animal origin, replacing them with mixtures and essences containing the necessary complex of amino acids.

Most nutritionists create a more gentle and balanced version of the diet, where some animal proteins are present.

Authorized Products

Prohibited Products

The importance of proteins for the body

They are complex organic compounds in which amino acids are the main building blocks. The latter are found in up to 80 species, but only 22 are the most common. Amino acids are divided into two main groups:

• Replaceable - those that can be synthesized in the body from other substances.
• Irreplaceable. They are not produced themselves and can only be replenished with food.

Depending on the composition, the following types of proteins are distinguished:

• Full-fledged. They contain all 10 essential amino acids. These mainly include food of animal origin.

• If a substance does not contain at least one essential or conditionally essential amino acid, it is called inferior. Most often this is plant food.

When people talk about proteins, they mean products of animal origin, since they are the ones that are most effectively absorbed during digestion. Plant substances are absorbed by 60-80%, and animal substances by 90%.

Protein-free diet: menu for the week

In this version of the diet, fats of animal origin, dairy products with a high percentage of fat content, ordinary bread and salt are excluded.

Dish recipes

We invite you to try preparing various dishes from protein products: here there are recipes for soups, salads and main dishes. With such diversity, this weight loss system can hardly be called a hunger strike.

First meal

Do you think that making soups exclusively from protein products is impossible? Indeed, traditional first courses are a combination of protein (meat and fish broths) and carbohydrates (a variety of vegetables, cereals, pasta, noodles). But nutritionists never tire of repeating that liquid food improves weight loss results, so it cannot be excluded from diets. So let's learn how to cook first courses from protein products.

• Spinach soup

Remove the skin from the turkey breast or drumstick. Boil, remove from broth, let cool. Finely chop a package of spinach (frozen product will not spoil the dish), cook in broth for 10 minutes. Separate the meat from the bones, finely chop it, and return it to the broth. Cook the spinach and turkey together for another 10 minutes. Cool the soup, use a blender to puree it, adding 50 ml of skim milk, spices, and 2 cloves of garlic. Eaten hot.

• Salmon with milk

Pour boiling water over 4 medium-sized tomatoes, remove the skin and finely chop. Peel and chop a large onion. 1 PC. grate carrots. Fry the carrots and onions, adding tomatoes at the end. Place in a saucepan with a liter of cold water and boil. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Cut 450 grams of salmon fillet into cubes and add to the broth. After 5 minutes, add 500 ml skim milk. After boiling, add spices. Leave for 20 minutes.

• Meatball soup

Prepare chicken bone broth. Make minced chicken breast and form meatballs from it. Drop them into boiling broth. After boiling, add 50 grams of chopped bell pepper, the same amount of green beans, and herbs. Cook for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Second courses

Main courses made from protein products are the basis of the diet. The recipes include only low-calorie ingredients - specifically for weight loss.

• Chicken in kefir

Cut 100 grams of selected, fresh chicken fillet, mix with salt, pepper, chopped herbs. Add 50 ml of low-fat kefir, 50 ml of filtered cold water. Place in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Place in a hot frying pan and simmer for 10 minutes on each side.

• Fried eggs

Break 5 eggs into a plastic container. Beat. Microwave for 2 minutes. It turns out healthy and incredibly tasty scrambled eggs. If you want to diversify your weight loss menu, you can add chopped chicken breast and herbs.

• Baked fish

Pour lemon juice over the salmon fillet, sprinkle with dried herbs and spices, and bake in the oven on foil until cooked.

Snacks

Salads made from protein products are indispensable for any weight loss system. They are nutritious, healthy, and contribute to menu diversity. They allow you to whip up dinner without putting on extra pounds.

• Protein salad

Boil 3 soft-boiled eggs, chop chicken breast (150 g), chop 50 g of squid. Mix everything thoroughly.

• Asparagus salad with chicken

Boil 3-4 cauliflower inflorescences in one container with 100 g of chopped asparagus and 300 g of chicken breast. Grind 2 medium-sized fresh cucumbers and 60 grams of celery root. Mix everything thoroughly. Add 2 tablespoons of canned green peas. Add chopped boiled and already cooled products. Season with 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar.

When choosing recipes for your protein menu, carefully look at what products are listed in them. Sometimes olive oil or lean lamb is allowed, but these should be exceptions to the rules, concessions, so that the diet does not seem completely debilitating.

But fats and carbohydrates in their pure form are strictly prohibited. So there shouldn’t be anything floury, sweet or fried in this diet.

Advantages and disadvantages of a protein-free diet

The positive aspects of using a special diet include the following:

• reduction of acidity in the stomach;
• cleansing of existing stagnation in the intestines, waste, toxins;
• reduction of disease symptoms;
• getting rid of swelling;
• reduction in body volume.

It is important to note that weight loss occurs only due to the removal of excess fluid, and is temporary. All lost kilograms will return immediately after completing the course.

The lack of sufficient protein leads to a slowdown in metabolic processes and stress. The consequences of violations may be hair loss, brittle nails, and loss of skin elasticity.

In addition to negative health consequences, the diet has many contraindications, including for women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. An unbalanced system is unacceptable for use in childhood, adolescence and old age.

Protein-free diet: weight loss results

Anna, 27 years old

“I tried low carb for about 10 days. It was not easy, but I managed to endure it. I practically didn’t eat meat, eggs, white bread or pasta. True, I couldn’t completely give up salt; I added a little to porridge and soups. I was able to lose 3.5 kilograms, but the weight began to return again. So the game wasn’t worth the candle.”

Elena Petrovna, 44 years old

“I followed a special diet for a week on the doctor’s recommendation. I have acute renal failure, I can’t do it without diet. They said you need to avoid consuming foods that contain a lot of potassium - bananas, nuts, broccoli. I ate porridge, boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini), cornmeal bread and some fish. I excluded everything salty and fatty. I even had to buy a double boiler, and now I cook everything only in it. I felt lighter and began to swell less. I want to repeat the course in six months.”

Christina, 21 years old

“Diets are a sore subject for me, I’m always trying to lose weight. I chose this one because I eat little meat and don’t like cottage cheese or cheese. But I was only able to eat like this for 5 days; food without salt turned out to be very tasteless. I didn’t want to cook anything; I ate almost nothing but raw vegetables and fruits. In recent days, my stomach has been very sick, my stool has become irregular, and I have become irritable. To my surprise, I lost 1.5 kg. But I don't plan to continue. I will look for other options.”

Artemy, 39 years old

“A low-protein diet without salt is very difficult to tolerate. Even seasonings don’t help me; the food seems absolutely tasteless. But this is how my doctor prescribed me to eat. Any canned food, marinades, fried potatoes, or store-bought semi-finished products are prohibited. Now my wife cooks for me separately, steaming everything. I’ve been following the regime for 7 days now, there’s not much left. But I feel better, that’s why I’m holding on.”