If you've tried to lose weight in the past, there's a good chance you've tried (or at least heard of) some form of crash dieting. It is usually a restrictive diet plan that claims huge results in a short period of time. Although these diets can produce some results, they are short-lived and unsustainable. Is there a way to reach your weight loss goals while making sustainable and healthy eating choices? The answer is yes.
A balanced approach that can provide effective results is the UN Diet's three-month weight loss plan. The 3-month plans combine the best of sustainability and tangible results and can be approached in a way that enables weight loss through sound science. This is actually the key to successful weight loss.
Generally, 3 months is enough time for our choices to become habits and for significant weight loss to occur naturally.
What exactly is the UN diet?
This diet is based on the principle of separating certain food groups in order to speed up metabolism and thus improve digestion.
Strict implementation of this diet leads, in addition to weight loss, to metabolic changes so that the lost weight does not return. The diet should be followed for 90 days, during which weight loss of up to 15 kilograms is expected.
People who want to lose less weight can stop the diet after reaching their desired body weight, but there will be no change in their metabolism.
The UN diet is designed to divide food into four days. It always starts with a protein day, followed by a starch day, a carbohydrate day and a fruit day (vitamin day). The sequence of four consecutive days is repeated and must not be skipped or changed.
How does the UN diet work?
As we already mentioned, the UN diet has 4 days, and every 29th day is a water day. As for meal times, there are a few guidelines. Breakfast should be finished by 9 am, followed by lunch between 1 pm and 2 pm.
As we can see, five hours should pass between meals. Dinner is best eaten between 19:00 and 20:00. This time may vary slightly, but not significantly. In any case, dinner should not be served after 10 pm.
Water should be consumed in large quantities, and unsweetened tea and coffee are also allowed. You can also consume sparkling water. If you are not a fan of unsweetened drinks, artificial malt is allowed. Apart from half a glass of red wine between meals, alcoholic beverages are also prohibited.
Protein Day – UN Diet
Breakfast
Breakfast is identical every day except for the water day. It must consist of one type of fruit OR neutral food (without any spices or additives). It is allowed to add a spoonful of honey to your morning coffee or tea. If you are hungry, you can have breakfast more than once a day, but at least two hours must pass between meals.
Mixing different types of fruit or vegetables for breakfast is not recommended. One type of fruit or vegetable counts as one meal, including the intake of fruit or vegetable juices.
Some fruits, such as apples, irritate the stomach when eaten as the first meal of the day. We advise you to try another fruit or vegetable breakfast, if you experience these symptoms.
Lunch
Eat foods rich in protein, such as meat, fish, seafood, tofu, eggs or dairy products. Different protein sources should not be combined: meat, fish, seafood, eggs or dairy products should be consumed separately. In addition, you can take a piece of bread (preferably whole grain bread), as well as a large salad with fresh herbs and a little olive oil (without any other dressing). After a meal, drink 300 ml of broth without spices.
Broth should be prepared using the type of products included in lunch. Soup cubes are not suitable because they contain too much fat, salt and spices.
Try to consume a variety of foods by eating different types of protein on each protein day. Calcium intake is quite low during the diet period, because you have to choose between meat, dairy products, eggs and fish on protein days, so you have to compensate by choosing other foods that contain calcium (almonds, apricots, broccoli...) . Check out the list of foods that can be consumed on protein days for additional ideas.
Leave at least 4 hours between lunch and dinner.
Dinner
Eat smaller amounts of the same type of protein and skip the bread and soup from the previous meal. If you had meat for lunch, have meat for dinner. If your lunch was dairy-based, your dinner should also be dairy-based. This is not absolutely necessary, but is recommended for better results.
Starch Day – UN Diet
Breakfast
Breakfast is identical every day except for the water day. It must consist of one type of fruit OR neutral food (without any spices or additives).
Lunch
Carbohydrates rich in starch should be consumed, such as beans, peas, soybeans, lentils, rice, potatoes, okra, buckwheat, barley, millet, cereals. Unlike protein days, during starch days a combination of several products (for example rice, peas, corn, etc.) is recommended.
You can add a piece of bread to lunch (whole grain bread is recommended), as well as a large salad with fresh herbs and a little olive oil (without any other dressing). The salad should contain only neutral food. Try to eat a variety of foods - consume different products on different days.
Dinner
Eat the same type of food you had for lunch, but cut the amount in half and skip the bread.
Carbohydrate Day - UN Diet
Breakfast
Breakfast is identical every day, except for water days. It must consist of one type of fruit OR neutral food (without any spices or additives).
Lunch
Eat vegetarian food prepared from flour, such as corn or buckwheat flour, couscous, eggless pasta, oatmeal and bran, flour and semolina from various grains, dough products, meatless pizza, bagels, savory buns or pancakes, savory pastries. You can also eat a salad of only neutral foods.
Dinner
Take a piece of cake or 3 small pastries, or 3 scoops of ice cream. An order of dark chocolate is mandatory. If you don't like sweets, you can have salty food for dinner and eat the same meal you had for lunch. In that case, cut the amount of food in half and do not skip the dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is a very strong antioxidant, which also reduces appetite and acts as a laxative.
Vitamin Day/Fruit Day - UN Diet
Breakfast
Breakfast is identical every day, except for water days. It must consist of one type of fruit OR neutral food (without any spices or additives).
Lunch and dinner
You can combine different types of fruit in one meal for lunch and dinner. Apart from fruits, you can also eat neutral foods on this day, but avoid mixing fruits and vegetables in the same meal. If you eat vegetables, you can season them with lemon and fresh herbs, but do not add salt or cooking oil.
You can also eat dried fruits, nuts, drink fruit or vegetable juices, eat compote (without sugar), fruit soups, baked fruits, grilled vegetables, vegetable soups (with lemon juice and fresh herbs; without salt and cooking oil).
You can use raisins or dates for sweetening. If you eat nuts, eat them raw (no salt or spices). It is allowed to consume 100 grams per day, because walnuts are rich in fat. You can divide them into 2 portions for one day.
Water Day – UN Diet
The water day comes once a month or every 29th day of the diet. He always follows a vitamin day. A water day must always follow a protein day. No food is brought in during the water day. Drink only water, coffee or tea (without sugar or other additives). If you cannot refrain from food, you can eat vegetable soup, but without salt and oil.
Water day can be skipped. In that case, the diet will last 88 instead of 91 days. So, whether you have a water day during the diet depends on your personal choice. Consider your health condition in advance and consult a doctor. Many people report feeling dizzy and tired during a water day.
There are two options in case you decide to skip the water day. The first is to skip all water days on the schedule. Another is to drink water and eat vegetable soups (boiled neutral vegetables) without any spices. The second option is considered a lighter variation of the water day.
It is recommended that you carefully consider the options and choose the one that is right for you and your health condition.
If you decide on a water day, you should be aware that it is not intended for weight loss, but for cleansing the body (detoxification). This means that even if you lose a lot of weight after a water day, some of the weight may come back over the next few days. This is considered normal and should not disappoint or demotivate you.
Neutral food/groceries - UN diet
The following list represents foods that are "neutral" - that is, these are the foods you can eat every day on the UN diet.
- Arugula
- Chinese cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Cucumbers
- Turnip
- Olives
- Zucchini
- Beetroot
- Eggplant
- Onion
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Iceberg lettuce
- Peppers
- Cabbage
- Kohlrabi
- Carrot
- Leek
- Radishes
- Cauliflower
- Lettuce
- Red cabbage
- Celery salad
- Spinach
Inspiration for the menu - UN diet
The following is a list of foods that you can eat on the appropriate days of the diet. You are not obliged to eat all the listed foods, it is only an inspiration for the menu during the 90 days of the diet.
Protein day
Yogurt and milk:
- Tzatziki (Greek salad)
- Yogurt
- Zucchini with yogurt
- Peppers with milk and cheese
Cheese:
- Greek salad
- Stuffed eggplant with onion and cheese
- Stuffed eggplant with tomato and cheese
- Tomatoes with cheese
- Stuffed peppers with cheese
- Broth with mushrooms and cheese (without meat)
- Baked broccoli with cheese
- Baked mushrooms with blue cheese
- Roasted peppers with cheese
- Grilled cheese
- Baked broccoli with cheese and cream sauce
- Stuffed peppers with cheese
- Baked avocado stuffed with cheese
- Baked tomatoes stuffed with cheese and mushrooms
- Baked mushrooms with butter and blue cheese
- Peppers with milk and cheese
Eggs:
- Spinach with eggs
- Omelette (without cheese) with peppers and mushrooms
- Omelet (without cheese) with spices
- Poached eggs
- Scrambled eggs with peppers
- Green salad with boiled eggs
- Shakshuka (with eggs)
- Tofu
Fish and seafood:
- Grilled trout
- Mackerel in tomato sauce
- Grilled fish
- Seafood
- Baked trout
- Squid
- Shells
- Cancer
- Octopus
- Crabs
Mixed meat:
- Baked stuffed eggplant with minced meat
- Stuffed eggplant with minced meat
Chicken/duck/turkey:
- Chicken breast
- Chicken skewer
- Chicken with leeks
- Grilled chicken leg
- Grilled chicken
- Fresh salad with chicken
- Chicken with sauerkraut
- Chicken with mushrooms
- Chicken in salt
Beef and veal:
- Boiled beef
- Beef stew (without potatoes)
- Beef with vegetables
Pork:
- Pork steak
- Roasted pork ribs
- Pork with sauerkraut
- Pork with leeks
- Pork chops with mushrooms
Starchy day
Rice:
- Boiled rice with vegetables
- Rice with leeks
- Vegetarian stuffed peppers with rice
- Rice with spinach
- Grape leaves stuffed with rice
- Vegetarian sushi with rice
- Stuffed eggplant with rice and tomatoes
- Risotto with vegetables
- Zucchini with rice
- Nettle soup with rice
- Rice with spinach
- Sauerkraut with rice
- Oven-baked rice
Potatoes:
- Vegetarian moussaka with potatoes (without meat)
- Potato salad
- Mashed potatoes
- Vegetarian stuffed peppers with potatoes
- Stewed potatoes
- Baked new potatoes
- Potato stew
- Baked potato
Green beans:
- Green beans with potatoes
Beans:
- Vegetarian stuffed peppers with beans
- Grape leaves stuffed with beans
- Bean salad
- Bean soup
- Bean soup
Lens:
- Lentil meatballs
- Lentil soup
- Stewed lentils
Quinoa:
- Quinoa with tomatoes
Peas:
- Stew with peas
Corn:
- Green salad with corn
Chickpeas:
- Chickpea salad
Other:
- Cauliflower soup
- Cream of vegetable soup
- Mixed vegetables in a pan with soy sauce
Carbohydrate day
Meal recipes for lunch or "salty" dinner:
- Vegetarian pizza
- Spaghetti with tomato sauce
- Couscous with mushrooms
- Tomato and cucumber couscous salad
- Polenta (without cheese)
- Noodles (without cheese)
- Pasta (without eggs and cheese)
- Pancakes with mushroom filling (without eggs and milk)
- Pasta
- Pretzel
- Savory pastries
- Savory croissants
- Pie with cabbage and onion
- Savory vegetarian cakes
- Pita bread
- Pita bread with garlic
- Bread with baking soda
- Italian salad with bread (Panzanella)
- Penne pasta with tomatoes and olives
- Pasta with pepper and olives
- Mushroom porridge and bread
- Pasta with tomato sauce and mushrooms
- Spinach and mushroom soup (with bread)
- Vegetable noodle soup (without potatoes and peas)
- Romaine salad with couscous pasta
- Polenta with herbs
- Croissants with butter
- Zucchini pancakes
- Garlic bread
- Ciabatta with spinach/olives and mushrooms
- Pasta with pesto and tomatoes
- Spinach pie
- Meal recipes for a "sweet" dinner:
- Pancakes with honey/chocolate/
- Muffins with jam or chocolate
- Cookies/Biscuits/
- Cake
- Pumpkin pie
- Donut
- Lemon cake
- Gingerbread cookies
- Panettone
- Croissants
- Slice of bread with chocolate
- Chocolate puff pastry
- Apple pie
- Waffles
- Chocolate eclair
- Lava cake
- Carrot cake
- Sweet noodles (without cheese)
- Sweet pasta (without cheese and eggs)
Vitamin Day/Fruit Day
- 2 oranges
- 2 kiwis
- 3 apricots
- 1 banana
- 2 apples
- 1 mango
- 1 cup strawberries
- 2 apples
- 8 dates
- 8 figs (soaked the night before in 300 ml of water, you can drink the water)
- 300 ml compote of your choice
- Half a fresh pineapple or canned pineapple
- Puree of 1 apple and 1 carrot
- 1 cup blueberries
- 3 tangerines
- 1 cup raspberries
- 2 peaches
- 1 papaya
- Half a medium-sized melon
- 4 fresh plums
- 1 grapefruit
- 2 nectarines
- 2 slices of watermelon
- 1 cup of fruit juice
- 1 cup of carrot juice
- A small banana and a small orange
- 1 cup cherries
- One piece of neutral vegetable
- 100 g of raw walnuts (eat throughout the day)
UN diet – experiences
On online forums and platforms, there is a positive opinion about the UN diet. Many people say that they used it several times, that they did not feel hunger, weakness and that they did not regain the weight. One woman says it took her 7 years to regain the weight after following this diet.
As for how long it takes to lose weight, everyone has a different experience. For the most part, most people say that they were able to reach their desired weight in about two months if they included a water day in their diet. People who cut out the water day stayed on the diet a bit longer, but most of them said they were happy with the results after about 70 days. A lot of people share their honest opinion about which recipes are the tastiest for them during this diet, and which recipes they didn't like.
Overall, the consensus is that the UN diet is highly effective and quickly becomes a routine.
On the other hand, preparing meals according to the rules of the UN diet can be a time challenge. For this reason, FitProTeam has created a special program ByeBye Weight with which you will lose weight quickly, without giving up food, and the kilos will not return even years later.
