The problem of excess weight has long troubled the minds of a large number of people around the world. In some countries it has received national status, and therefore it is not at all surprising that today there is an impressive selection of weight loss diets for every taste. Finding the perfect one for you is no easy task. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with such a method of gaining harmony as the petal diet - perhaps this method of getting rid of the hated pounds will be more effective in your case.
History and features of the weight loss system
The method discussed in our article is the brainchild of Swedish nutritionist Anna Johansson. It is also known by other names: "flower diet", "chamomile diet", "6 (7) petal diet". Such an original name for the author's nutritional system, aimed at burning fat deposits, is due to the fact that Anna presented her development in the form of a flower with seven petals. The number of the latter is equal to the number of days for which the unusual diet was created. However, often people who use this weight loss technique in practice neglect to observe the seventh diet day.
The essence of the "6 petals" diet is that you can only eat a certain product every day. In this regard, each petal of an improvised flower - which, by the way, for convenience, it would be good to draw on a sheet of paper - should contain the name or image of the type of food indicated for consumption in a daycertain. . It is very important to stick to the order in which you consume the foods allowed by the diet:
- On the first day, you must satisfy your hunger exclusively with fish (which depends on you);
- on the second day you can eat only vegetables;
- on the third day you can eat nothing but chicken fillet;
- the fourth day prescribes to eat only cereal porridge;
- food of the fifth dietary day - natural curd;
- the sixth day is devoted to eating a variety of fruits;
- on the seventh day you can drink only water (that's why many people ignore it).
Anna Johansson did not specify the amount of each of the above products allowed for consumption. This deficiency has been corrected by other nutritionists: they recommend eating no more than 500 g of chicken, fish and cottage cheese per day; up to 1. 5 kg of ripe vegetables and fruits, maximum 300 g of cereals.
The rules of the Swedish method of weight loss
- The products included in the petal diet should not be mixed with each other. If this principle is violated, the process of reducing body weight will not be complete and, therefore, it will be difficult to achieve good results.
- You should eat 4-5 times a day. It is advisable to maintain equal time intervals between meals.
- Food should be chewed very well.
- A variety of culinary dishes can be prepared from one product.
- Favorite types of food cooking are boiling, stewing, baking in the oven, steaming and grilling. It is strictly forbidden to eat fried foods.
- Sweets and foods containing them should be completely excluded from the diet.
- The petal diet allows you to replace the chicken fillet with turkey or quail meat. In any case, it is necessary to remove the skin from the carcass.
- When choosing a product for a fish day, you should give preference to pink salmon, salmon, cod, cod, perch, trout and pike. It is allowed to diversify the fish menu with seafood (squid, shrimp, mussels) and seaweed, but their part in the diet of the first day of the diet should be minimal.
- A grain day will be ideal if you eat buckwheat porridge, brown rice, corn and wheat flour, as well as oats. Side dishes with white rice and oatmeal are strictly prohibited. In addition to cereal dishes, you can enjoy various flour products (not rich), but without fanaticism.
- Low-fat, low-fat cottage cheese is ideal for the petal diet. This dish can be supplemented with a glass of natural yogurt without sugar with fruit and berry additives and 1% kefir. All other fermented milk products cannot be included in the diet of this weight loss method.
- For vegetables, it is better to eat different types of cabbage, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic and various greens. The inclusion of dishes with corn, legumes, potatoes and eggplant in the vegetable diet of the "6 petals" diet should be abandoned. Plant foods can be eaten raw, roasted, boiled, steamed, slow-cooked or stewed. It is not forbidden to prepare soups from vegetables; drinking freshly squeezed vegetable juices is also welcome.
- It is allowed to enjoy absolutely any fruit, with the exception of those particularly high in carbohydrates, namely bananas, mangoes, melons, figs and grapes.
- If the menu of any day of the petal diet seems too monotonous to you, add some boiled mushrooms, some soft-boiled chicken eggs (as an option - an omelet).
- It is allowed to wash food with herbal decoction, flowers and green tea, as well as infusion of rose hips. Drinking carbonated drinks (especially sweet ones), alcohol, coffee and even regular black tea is out of the question.
- Throughout the diet, be sure to drink plenty of clean table water or mineral water, without gas. The optimal volume of fluid taken by a person losing weight during the day is 1. 5-2 liters.
- The maximum duration of the electricity supply system is seven days.
- Repeated use of the services of a weight loss method should occur no earlier than one month after the end of the Swedish weight loss system.
Caution: do not under any circumstances practice the "6 Petals" diet immediately after suffering an illness, because this is a great burden for the weakened body.
Petal diet: the pros and cons
The advantages of the Swedish weight loss method include:
- high performance - allows you to lose weight in a short time;
- ease and speed of cooking;
- the availability of food products described by the petal diet;
- lack of hunger;
- sufficient amount of protein and fiber in the diet;
- high-quality cleansing of the body from waste and toxins;
- elimination of constipation;
- normalization of the digestive process;
- no need to count calories consumed every day and eat according to a strict schedule;
- the variety of the diet, if we consider it in general - in this regard, any product prescribed by the diet does not have time to become boring for the person losing weight;
- low-calorie diet on days with carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and cereals).
The main advantage of the "6 petals" diet is the absence of harm to health with reasonable and correct practice of the nutritional system.
We cannot ignore the disadvantages of a weight loss program. This:
- the need for additional intake of multivitamins;
- the appearance of general weakness, constant fatigue and, as a result, a decrease in performance due to the low energy value of the products included in the diets of cereals, fruits and vegetables;
- quick return of lost kilograms in case of non-compliance with the petal diet;
- quite impressive cost of part of the products described by the method;
- numerous contraindications (diabetes mellitus, kidney and liver pathologies, stomach and duodenal ulcers, cardiovascular diseases, hormonal imbalance, pregnancy and breastfeeding in women; children, adolescents and the elderly).
Sample menu for the "6 petals" diet.
Petal diet for fish day
Option one:
- Breakfast - 200 g of steamed salmon.
- The second breakfast - a glass of green tea without sugar.
- In the middle of the day, eat a cup of fish broth.
- Have dinner with 2-3 pieces of boiled salmon.
Option two:
- In the morning, eat some boiled pollock (about 150 g).
- As part of lunch, they consume a cup of berry juice, prepared with no added sugar.
- They have lunch with 200 ml of fish soup made from mallard fillets.
- Dinner consists of 250 g of pink salmon, baked in the oven.
Ideally, you should stick to a portion size such that the total amount of fish consumed per day does not exceed 500g.
Vegetable day of the "6 Petals" diet.
Option one:
- Breakfast is carrot and cabbage salad (fresh vegetables are used) sprinkled with lemon juice.
- Boiled green beans are used as a snack.
- For lunch, they eat boiled vegetables, namely grated carrots and cauliflower (about 330 g).
- In the evening they eat a salad, the ingredients of which are arugula leaves, fresh tomato and sweet pepper.
Option two:
- Breakfast - chopped vegetables (200 g) and an unlimited amount of chopped greens.
- Second breakfast - grated boiled beetroot with a few cloves of chopped garlic.
- Lunch is a serving of broccoli soup.
- For an afternoon snack, eat 1 fresh cucumber.
- The last meal is zucchini boiled in vegetable oil with carrots and onions.
Chicken day petal diet
Option one:
- In the morning, eat boiled chicken breast (150 g), the mild taste of which can be improved by using your favorite spices.
- After a couple of hours, they are fed chicken baked in the oven (no more than 100 g).
- Lunch is a cup of chicken broth with chopped herbs.
- In the evening, eat skinless grilled chicken fillet (200 g).
Option two:
- In the morning they gain strength by eating two chicken kittens.
- As part of lunch, drink a cup of green or herbal tea.
- For lunch, they eat soup cooked in chicken broth with chicken pieces, but no vegetables.
- At the end of the day they enjoy roast chicken.
Cereal day of the "6 petals" diet.
- Breakfast - oatmeal, boiled in water (150 g).
- Second breakfast - brown rice cooked in a slow cooker (the same amount).
- After 2 hours, fill your hunger with buckwheat boiled in boiling water (no more than 200 g).
- For afternoon tea, drink a glass of rose infusion.
- Dinner is a serving of boiled quinoa with dried herbs.
Petal diet: curd day
We offer two menu options to choose from:
The first option
- Have breakfast with cheesecakes cooked in the oven (150 g). It is better to eat them without sour cream.
- As part of the second breakfast, enjoy the taste of Greek yogurt without any additives (½ cup).
- The next meal is low-fat cottage cheese (200 g) and a glass of 1% kefir.
- During dinner, drink 250 ml of fermented baked milk.
The second option
- In the morning, eat low-fat cottage cheese (150 g) with a pinch of ground cinnamon.
- For lunch, they also drink low-fat milk (one glass is enough).
- For lunch they enjoy some cottage cheese without filling and chocolate glaze.
- The evening meal consists of a mixture of natural cottage cheese and unsweetened yogurt.
Fruit day of the "6 petals" diet.
It is worth noting that in addition to ripe fruits, it also includes the use of any red berries that do not have a particularly sweet taste.
There are also two sample menu options:
The first option
- Breakfast - orange-pear salad with strawberries and 1 tsp. honey
- During the second breakfast, eat 1 large green apple.
- Lunch consists of a serving of apple-peach salad and some kiwi fruit.
- For an afternoon snack, eat 1 orange or drink 200 ml of fresh orange juice.
- In the evening, recharge your batteries by drinking a fruit and berry smoothie and a cup of herbal tea.
The second option
- At the beginning of the day you get rid of the feeling of hunger thanks to a puree of two chopped apples and five apricots.
- Some tangerines serve as a snack.
- Lunch is a combination of two apples baked in the oven with cinnamon and fresh pineapple (200 g).
- At the end of the day, they allow themselves to enjoy only ½ grapefruit and a handful of prunes.
The seventh day of the diet is followed by those who prefer the "7 petals" weight loss system to the six petals weight loss method. Throughout the day you are asked to drink plenty of fluids and any food is prohibited. To maintain optimal hydrobalance in the body, you can drink not only ordinary and mineral water without gas, but also fruit juice and compote of dried berries and fruits without added sugar, fruit and berry infusions; green tea, herbal and hibiscus.
Petal diet: a smart solution
The more responsible the attitude towards this event, the greater the likelihood of stabilizing the result obtained through the weight loss technique. Here you need to focus on several points:
- During the first two to three days after the end of the nutritional system, the diet should include the foods prescribed by the diet.
- Then you should gradually dilute the menu with other foods, adhering to the principle of introducing 1-2 new treats per day.
- The energy value of the food consumed should also be increased very slowly. In general, the daily calorie content of the menu should remain relatively low for several weeks. At the end of this period, this figure should increase to 1600-1800 kcal.
- Sweets, fatty and fried foods, smoked and spicy foods can be included 14 days after the end of the petal diet. However, they should be consumed occasionally and in small amounts, then it will not affect the body weight in any way.
- They exercise moderately every day, giving priority to aerobics, gymnastics, walking and swimming.
Petal diet: results and reviews
The author of the petal weight loss method guarantees that those who lose weight will lose from 2. 5 to 5 kg of excess weight in 1 cycle (6 or 7 days). Thus, in 3-4 diet cycles, practiced intermittently, you can actually get rid of 8-12 kg of unnecessary calories.
Those who decided to try this food system themselves confirm the truth of these statements. Most people like the fact that the petal diet is not rigid, satisfying, gives quick results and does not take much time to prepare the dishes. But many do not like the monotony and imbalance of the diet, and even more so the side effect in the form of upset stools and the presence of a hungry day (when you choose the "7 petals" variant).
Reviews from nutritionists about this weight loss program are also mixed. Some experts approve such a short-term method for solving problems with excess weight, arguing that it simply does not have time to negatively affect a person's health. Others warn about the many contraindications of the petal diet and the possible negative consequences of the weight loss method for the body.
Considering all this, we recommend using this system only after consulting a doctor. This way you can avoid wasting time and health problems.