Diet, the dinner that makes you lose weight





A soup, a second protein, abundant vegetables and a fruit. These are the ingredients of a balanced and light dinner. And if you want to lose weight, pay attention to seasonings and cooking following the advice of the OK dietician Patrizia Bollo.


To leave behind a busy and tiring day, nothing better than a balanced, healthy and rewarding dinner, which helps our body to better face the night's rest. Always with the aim of shedding a few extra pounds. After the advice on breakfast, lunch and snacks to break hunger, here is the ideal dinner menu always suggested by Dr. Patrizia Bollo, contract professor. of dietetics at the State University of Milan, where he also conducts dietary cooking courses. She recently published with Tea “How to choose the right diet for you” and with SEU “Mediterranean diet cookbook”.


What are the goals of the evening meal?


The first role that dinner plays is to complete the body's nutritional needs which for various reasons, of time or personal choice, were not met during the day. The second goal is not to burden the body so as not to compromise the quality of sleep. The third requirement that the evening meal should have is psycho-physical gratification and comfort after a day of work or study.


Which food must not be missing and which can be consumed in abundance?


Just as for lunch you need a small portion of foods rich in carbohydrates to which we combine plenty of cooked and / or raw vegetables, even for dinner there must be vegetables. In this case it is good practice, also with a view to losing a few pounds, to start the meal with a soup or puree of seasonal mixed vegetables, to which you can add herbs such as thyme, oregano, marjoram and / or spices such as pepper or chilli. Vegetable soup or cream must be prepared without adding potatoes and fats.


And what about the other courses?


At lunch we have given greater importance to carbohydrates, so at dinner a portion of foods rich in proteins should not be missing, in the form of fish, white and lean meat, eggs or cheese. As an excellent alternative to proteins of animal origin, you can opt for legumes, such as beans (Borlotti, Cannellini, of Spain, soy, etc.) or chickpeas or lentils. The important thing is that there is a rotation in the choice of foods, alternating legumes, meat, fish, eggs and cheeses (the latter no more than twice a week).

At the end of a meal, or after dinner, you can have a fruit or a hot drink. If you want to lose weight, and with the cold season just around the corner, it would be ideal to stock up on various types of herbal teas and get into the habit of enjoying a moment of relaxation before going to bed, a ritual that gratifies and "pampers" the spirit. Do not forget to hydrate yourself by drinking plenty of water and if you want to lose weight wine must be abolished (a standard glass with medium alcohol content brings about a hundred calories) while if you do not have weight or health problems you can give yourself a glass.


To lose a few pounds, which cooking method is best suited?


A light cooking that does not require the addition of fat. Eggs should be prepared soft-boiled or hard-boiled or poached, or you can cook an omelette using a non-stick pan. The latter is also perfect for preparing meat and fish, adding spices and aromatic herbs.


The fish can also be cooked in the oven or in foil, while the meat can be prepared stewed, even in the form of morsels, by adding tomato, onion or garlic. Cheeses should not be consumed in addition to other protein-rich foods and those with added milk cream (cream) should be avoided.


A different and appetizing recipe for preparing fish?


Mackerel with broccoli cream. All you need: fresh mackerel 120-150 grams (net of waste), 100-150 grams of broccoli, a shallot, a sprig of chives, a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and very little salt.  

Preparation: clean the fish well, rinse it, dry it, cut it into small pieces and steam it. Also steam the broccoli and shallots, leaving them al dente, then blend them together, adding the oil and very little salt. Arrange the fish on a plate, pour over the broccoli cream and distribute the chopped chives (recipe taken from: "Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" by Patrizia Bollo, SEU editions).