Every year the number of obese people is growing. Russia was no exception, where over the past year the proportion of men who are overweight has grown by 27%, and women - by 30%. Excess body fat leads inexorably to health problems.

The cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, musculoskeletal systems suffer, which significantly affects the quality of life. Due to such a sad trend, a huge number of diets have appeared, each of which has its adherents and opponents.

One of the most controversial is the mono-diet. But before you opt for it, you must carefully weigh the pros and cons.

The principle of operation of mono-diet

Do not believe the stories, as if some product has magical properties and burns extra pounds. In fact, any mono-diet works only due to a calorie deficit. Fruits, proteins and carbohydrates cannot fill the daily human need with fruits and raw vegetables alone.

Also, this method of losing weight has some features that make a person's body weight noticeably decrease in a short time.

  1. Diuretic effect. Most mono-diets do not mean salt in principle in the diet. Edible salt perfectly retains water in the body, causing frequent swelling. Therefore, after the exclusion of this ingredient from food, excess water begins to be actively removed from the body.
  2. Laxative effect. As a rule, a mono-diet is built around vegetables and fruits, in which there are a lot of fibers and fiber.Accordingly, their daily intake increases sharply, which stimulates the active work of the intestine. In addition, stress due to a change in nutrition, a large amount of water consumed, and an increasing volume of the food lump are also affecting. All factors combined lead to diarrhea and frequent stools. Especially if the basis of mono-diets are watery vegetables - watermelons, cucumbers, zucchini.
  3. Weight loss due to muscle mass. Protein is the main "building" element of the muscle system. Of course, with any mono-diet, it is impossible to use the daily norm of adult protein in order to at least maintain the already existing muscle volume. When the body ceases to receive the elements necessary for life, it begins to extract them from its own tissues. The main source of protein in the human body is muscle tissue, which is actively destroyed over time.

The benefits and harms of weight loss

Surely, people who decide to do weight loss are concerned about their own health, and therefore are interested in all the possible consequences.

Experts note the pronounced benefit of monodiet:

  1. These are the best diets for quick weight loss. It is worth recognizing that mono-diets really work almost lightning fast. On average, weight loss rates range from one kilogram in two days to five in a week. This can be useful for people who urgently need to lose weight for some kind of emergency surgery.
  2. Consumed products are beneficial. As a rule, the diet in such cases is built on the basis of one, quite valuable product, in which there are vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
  3. Cleansing the body as a whole and the intestines in particular. Adherents of mono-diet often argue their choice with the healing effect of such a diet. A large amount of water and dietary fiber stimulate the activity of the digestive system, forcing it to get rid of all unnecessary.

It is also worth talking about the harm that a mono-diet can bring:

  1. It must be understood that in the human body there are continuous metabolic processes, for the maintenance and implementation of which a wide variety of substances are needed. A single product is not able to satisfy all the needs of the body, since not a single ingredient contains the daily intake of minerals, vitamins, fats, proteins, carbohydrates and amino acids. So after prolonged starvation, reactions are launched aimed at splitting the body’s own tissues, especially muscles, because they contain valuable protein.
  2. Mono-diet can lead to a sharp jump in weight after graduation. The human body is structured in such a way that with a significant lack of daily calories, it slows down all processes. That is, during the diet period, he adapts to the new regime, and after the end begins to actively replenish the lost and stock up on a new one. All this leads to a sharp jump in mass, and the weight becomes more than before losing weight.
  3. Long and irrational mono-diets negatively affect women's health. Almost all of them imply an almost complete rejection of fats, while lipids are the main component for the synthesis of hormones, including sex. So low body weight in combination with poor nutrition can lead to menstrual irregularities, lack of menstruation, infertility.

In addition, each individual diet leads to certain disorders in specific organ systems:

  • rice increases the chance of formation of stones in the gallbladder, and also reduces the level of hemoglobin in the blood, causes constipation
  • oatmeal can cause anemia;
  • buckwheat is fraught with dizziness, constipation, depressive disorders;
  • kefir leads to disorders of the stool, pain in the stomach;
  • apple becomes the cause of stomach problems, stool disorders, disorders of the endocrine and nervous systems;
  • cottage cheese provokes increased gas formation, allergies, stool disorders;
  • banana disrupts the intestines, delaying toxins in the body.

A high carbohydrate content causes a sharp increase in blood glucose, which negatively affects the functioning of the pancreas.

Advantages and disadvantages

Despite the large amount of harm that mono-diets can do, they still have several advantages:

  1. Simplicity. No need to calculate calories, create a menu and schedule of training. With mono-diet, you just need to choose your favorite product and consume it for several days
  2. Impressive results. The loss of extra pounds in such a short time is really discouraging, which means it makes the mono-diet the most effective in the eyes of those who are losing weight.
  3. No restrictions on the amount of food. With mono-diet, you can use the selected ingredient as much as you want and anytime, which, theoretically, will help get rid of hunger.

Disadvantages, in addition to the listed harmful and dangerous consequences, also include:

  1. The complexity of compliance. No matter how tasty the product on which the mono-diet is based, it is difficult to use it for several days in a row not only physically, but also psychologically.
  2. Irritability and mood swings. Psychological pressure, stress caused by a sharp change in diet, a desire to break away, a breakdown, constant fatigue - all this affects the mood and general well-being of a losing weight person.
  3. Imbalance. Mono-diet exposes the body to tests and excessive loads that can cause exacerbations of chronic diseases, or lead to their complications

Allowed and Prohibited Products

In principle, anyone who is not on the list of prohibited products may be allowed products.

The list of unwanted ingredients is not so big:

  1. Ready-made store juices and sweet drinks, as they contain a lot of sugar.
  2. Canned foods. Sodium contained in preservatives actively traps water in the body.
  3. Flour products, pastries made from wheat flour. These foods are high in calories and are absorbed very quickly.
  4. Mayonnaise, cream, sour cream. Such foods are very fatty and high in calories.
  5. Breakfast cereals, instant cereals that contain a lot of sugar.
  6. Chips, crackers, salted crackers and snacks. The high salt content provokes the appearance of edema and the retention of excess water in the body.
  7. Products fried in batter. During cooking, the flour absorbs a large amount of oil, which at times increases the calorie content of the dish.
  8. Alcoholic drinks. No matter how strange it sounds, alcoholic beverages are very high in calories and at the same time do not carry any nutritional value.

In addition, all these products increase appetite and provoke overeating.

The most effective methods of losing weight

Despite the large number of opponents of mono-diets, it is impossible to deny their effectiveness. To minimize unpleasant consequences and avoid health problems, it is worth preparing for a diet in advance.

It is necessary to gradually reduce the amount of fats and thermally processed foods in the diet, switch to lighter foods and reduce variety. Experts also recommend taking multivitamins and omega-3 fatty acids during the diet.

If all the recommendations are followed, the most effective methods will bear fruit without any consequences.

  1. Rice mono diet. The most popular technique. It consists in eating small portions of rice at regular intervals. Preference is given to unpolished rice. Beginners are allowed to add two or three apples to the diet during the day.
  2. Buckwheat mono-diet. The technique is very simple: during the day for four meals you need to eat a small pan of buckwheat porridge, washed down with freshly squeezed juices.
  3. Kefir monodiet.For a day you need to drink one and a half liters of low-fat kefir. Variety of the diet is allowed with fresh fruits and vegetables.
  4. Cucumber mono-diet. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, you should eat a salad of two cucumbers, low fat sour cream and herbs. Before going to bed, fruit is allowed.
  5. Apple mono-diet. During the day you need to eat no more than 1.5 kilograms of apples.

Carbohydrate mono-diets

This diet is based primarily on complex carbohydrates, which are slowly absorbed.

To lose weight, you must follow the basic rules:

  • eat up to 6 times a day in small portions (you should not allow feelings of hunger);
  • drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day;
  • Last meal no later than seven in the evening.

With this diet, the use of beans, cereals, cereals, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, dietary meat, whole grain bread is also allowed.

Protein

A protein diet is the most potentially dangerous, since a large number of peptides in the diet are fraught with damage to the liver, kidneys, and can also cause severe intoxication. Therefore, the duration of such a diet should be no more than ten days, after which a break of six months is necessary.

The necessary conditions:

  • drink up to two liters of fluid daily;
  • take a complex of multivitamins;
  • consume enough calories;

Allowed foods, according to nutritionists:

  • meat;
  • fish;
  • offal;
  • egg white;
  • whole wheat bread;
  • skim milk products (cottage cheese, kefir);
  • vegetables and fruits.

Fruit and vegetable

The name of the diet speaks for itself. The diet includes only vegetables and fruits. This diet can be turned into a mono-diet. To facilitate the transition, experts advise changing the diet gradually, that is, introduce vegetables and fruits first in the form of snacks, and then replace them with a meal.

Exit mono-diet

You need to exit the mono-diet very carefully and gradually. You can not immediately switch to high-calorie foods, you must enter into the diet for two or three new ingredients to avoid stress for the body.

Contraindications

Of course, not everyone will be able to use a mono-diet, since observing it is not easy. Therefore, before use, it is necessary to consult a specialist. This is especially true for people with concomitant chronic diseases, since the occurrence of exacerbations, the development of complications and urgent conditions are quite likely. Mono-diets are a strict restriction in food, and this is definitely stress for the body. Therefore, they can be practiced very rarely, in case of emergency.

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