Cereals in the fight against excess weight: does buckwheat help you lose weight and how to use it correctly for this purpose

When the numbers on your home scales are far from what you want, you want to lose weight urgently. An effective and quick way to lose extra pounds is to go on a buckwheat diet. By eating this grain, you won’t have to exhaust yourself with a lot of exercise or extreme food restrictions.

It is possible to reduce weight by 10 kg and not feel hungry. How buckwheat is useful for weight loss and how it affects the body - we will tell you further.

Does buckwheat help you lose weight?

Buckwheat is a great way to lose weight. If you follow all the rules of the diet, the result will not be long in coming: you can lose a kilogram on the first day of the diet.

The principle of action of cereals in the fight against excess weight

The principle of operation is the negative calorie content of the product: the body spends more energy on digestion than it receives from the product.

Buckwheat contains complex carbohydrates. They are absorbed slowly, but a person becomes saturated with them quickly. At the same time, the body does not have enough calories. To get energy, the body breaks down fat, which is why weight loss begins.

Buckwheat contains fiber, which is not completely digested in the stomach. Entering the intestines in partially digested form, it passes like a brush, cleansing it of toxins. This is how weight decreases on a physical level.

Calorie content of buckwheat

Losing weight on a buckwheat diet is due to the low calorie content of the cereal: 100 g of raw buckwheat contains 330 kcal.This is 13.2% of the daily requirement of an adult, who should receive 2500 kcal per day.

BJU

Proteins, fats and carbohydrates in buckwheat, in comparison with other cereals, are in an optimal ratio for the body.

Its composition (per 100 g of product):

• proteins – 12.7 g (this almost equates it to meat);
• carbohydrates – 62.2 g (complex);
• fats – 3.4 g.

Benefits and harms

The biochemical components of buckwheat are in balance. This makes the cereal easily digestible. If you eat it daily, it brings benefit to the body:

• removes toxins from the intestines;
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
• reduces cholesterol levels;
• regulates glucose levels;
• strengthens the immune system;
• relieves anxiety and helps with depression;
• improves the condition of hair and skin;
• increases endurance;
• improves potency in men.

The harm of buckwheat

Any product, if used incorrectly, can cause harm to the body. There are situations in which buckwheat won't be useful. Buckwheat consumption should be limited to those who have frequent headaches, varicose veins, and bleeding disorders.

Cereals can be harmful to those who have problems with digestion – stomach cramps and bloating, as it increases gas formation.

Attention! An allergy to protein is a contraindication for consuming buckwheat. The content of this component in buckwheat is high – 12.7 g per 100 g.

In case of increased stomach acidity, diarrhea, chronic renal failure, do not use buckwheat with kefir, since this combination causes exacerbation of chronic diseases.

Which buckwheat is best for weight loss?

Buy for weight loss kernel premium quality, unsteamed - it retains all the beneficial properties. The highest grade buckwheat will not contain impurities or broken grains.

Green buckwheat also suitable for weight loss. Buy it in health food stores. It looks greenish in color and has a nutty smell and taste. It is not boiled, but soaked, steamed or sprouted.

Attention! Chopped grain (heavily crushed grain) and buckwheat (crushed grain) are not suitable for weight loss. Flour, salt and sugar are added to dishes with these types of cereals, which contradicts the concept of the buckwheat diet for weight loss.

How to cook buckwheat for weight loss

Boiled cereals are not suitable for the buckwheat diet - vitamins, macro- and microelements are lost during the cooking process. Heat treatment leads to better absorption of BJU and increases the calorie content of the kernel.

If you nevertheless decide to cook buckwheat, then before cooking, remove the black grains from it and rinse until clean water. To reduce calorie content, the cereal is poured with water and left for 6-8 hours, then boiled. 3-4 minutes after turning off the stove, the porridge will be ready.

Important! When losing weight on boiled buckwheat, limit the total amount of food eaten per day - no more than 800-1000 g.

How to steam in boiling water and kefir

Cooking buckwheat raw is the basis of many buckwheat diets; this method is more helpful for weight loss.

It is better to steam buckwheat in a thermos. The daily dose is poured into it, poured with boiling water, proportion 1:2. After half an hour, the porridge is ready to eat.

Preparation with kefir: 100 g of raw buckwheat, pour 300 ml of low-fat 1% kefir, leave overnight in the refrigerator. After 8-10 hours the porridge is ready.

Options for using buckwheat for weight loss

If you eat buckwheat every day in any form, you can lose weight. Choose one of three options.

As a meal

Eat boiled buckwheat in its pure form without salt, sugar and other foods for breakfast.The serving size is not limited, eat until you are full. Be sure to wash it down with a mug of warm green tea without sugar. This breakfast gives you energy for the whole day. Buckwheat can be eaten every morning.

Advice. The feeling of hunger during the day between meals can be suppressed with a buckwheat ball. Roll it out of boiled buckwheat and take it with you. It will stick together well if you overcook the porridge for 2-3 minutes.

As a fasting day

Usually carried out on buckwheat with kefir once a week for two months. Buckwheat for a fasting day is prepared as follows: wash 200 g of grains, pour into glass or ceramic dishes, pour in 500-750 ml of kefir, cover with a lid and put in the refrigerator overnight. After 8-10 hours, the kernels will absorb kefir and become soft. The mixture can be eaten.

Basic rules for unloading on buckwheat with kefir:

• the dish is prepared in the evening before the fasting day;
• In the morning, buckwheat is divided into 5-6 servings;
• Buckwheat norm per day is 200 g (weight of raw cereal);
• the norm of 1% kefir is 1 liter per day;
• buckwheat is eaten every 3 hours;
• between meals drink warm green tea without sugar;
• An hour before bedtime, drink 1 glass of kefir at room temperature.

As a diet

If you don’t lose weight during fasting days or a mono-diet is not suitable (3 days only cereal and water), then use other options for the buckwheat diet.

Diet for 3 days

1st day.

• Breakfast: fresh tomato salad with bell peppers, green tea without sugar.
• Lunch: carrot, onion and pumpkin soup, steamed buckwheat with boiled chicken breast, tangerine, herbal tea.
• Dinner: buckwheat cooked in milk, freshly squeezed juice.

2nd day.

• Breakfast: oatmeal.
• Lunch: tomato soup, buckwheat steamed in water, chicken meatballs, apple, tea.
• Dinner: salad of fresh tomatoes with bell peppers, buckwheat steamed in water, freshly squeezed juice.

3rd day.

• Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese, tea.
• Lunch: soup with chicken meatballs, steamed buckwheat with stewed cauliflower, 2-3 slices of pineapple, tea.
• Dinner: buckwheat with water or kefir, grapefruit, a glass of 1% kefir.

Diet for 7 days

Monday Wednesday.

• Breakfast: steamed buckwheat, 1 glass of 1% kefir, buckwheat bread.
• Lunch: boiled buckwheat, two buckwheat cutlets, 2 glasses of 1% kefir.
• Dinner: buckwheat casserole, 1 glass of 1% kefir.

Thursday - Saturday.

• Breakfast: 1 glass of 1% kefir, buckwheat bread.
• Lunch: 3-4 pcs. buckwheat pancakes, 2 cups of 1% kefir.
• Dinner: 1 glass of 1% kefir.

Sunday.

Buckwheat soaked in kefir is divided into 5-6 servings. These portions are eaten throughout the day, washed down with water or 1% kefir.

Diet for 14 days

In the morning within 14 days: buckwheat steamed in water with low-fat cottage cheese and freshly squeezed apple juice.

Dinner: vegetable soup (cauliflower, onion, carrot, pumpkin, tomato) in chicken broth, buckwheat bread, apple/grapefruit/tangerine and tea.

Afternoon snack: boiled fish or veal.

Dinner: buckwheat cooked with milk, fruit (pineapple, apple, grapefruit, tangerine or salad of these fruits), herbal tea.

Important! The basis for losing weight on a buckwheat diet is the complete absence of salt and sugar.

How many kg can you lose weight

During the buckwheat diet, not only extra pounds are lost, but also fluid. Due to this, a person loses 1 kg per day. That is, in 3 days they lose 3 kg, in 7 days - up to 7 kg, in 14 days you can lose up to 14 kg, provided that it is excess weight. If a person has only 4 extra pounds, he will not lose 14 pounds.

During the fasting day, they lose up to 3 kg.

Reference. A nutritionist calculates how many extra pounds a person has. And a gastroenterologist will tell you whether it is possible to lose weight on buckwheat, taking into account the condition of the gastrointestinal tract.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantage of the buckwheat diet is guaranteed “loss” of up to 3 kg, even if you cannot survive on buckwheat for more than three days. Other advantages:

• the diet is not expensive;
• after a diet, weight gain does not occur if you exit it correctly (if you do not eat animal fats, fast carbohydrates and fast food);
• during the diet there is no feeling of hunger, since the volume of portions is not limited, they eat until they are full;
• no calorie counting;
• Toxins are removed, swelling goes away, cellulite goes away, cholesterol decreases.

The diet has few disadvantages, but they are all significant. How cereals can negatively affect the condition of the body:

• headache, fatigue, weakness, decreased blood pressure due to lack of glucose and sodium;
• deficiency of vitamins, macro- and microelements, minerals - to prevent hypovitaminosis from developing, drink multivitamin complexes.

Possible problems, why you can’t lose weight on buckwheat

The buckwheat diet may fail. The result can be sudden weight loss or, conversely, weight gain.

The reasons why the situation “I eat buckwheat and don’t lose weight” arises:

1. Accustoming the body - the duration of the buckwheat diet should not exceed 14 days. After getting used to it, weight loss stops.
2. Violation of diet rules - adding foods that are not on the menu (candy, cake, bread, bun).
3. Binge eating. On a diet, buckwheat is eaten in unlimited quantities, but the rule “until satiation” is forgotten. As soon as you feel that you are full, stop. You cannot eat 1 kg of buckwheat per day.
4. Food for the night.The last dose of buckwheat porridge is 3-4 hours before bedtime. If the feeling of hunger prevents you from falling asleep, you can drink 0.5 cups of 1% kefir.
5. No movement. You cannot engage in sports during the diet, but activity is necessary. Walking in the fresh air for up to one hour a day is necessary to lose calories from buckwheat.

With a normal weight-to-height ratio, you won’t be able to lose weight not only on buckwheat, but on any diet. To calculate your body mass index and calculate extra pounds, contact a nutritionist.

Reviews of those losing weight

We invite you to read the reviews of those who have already tried the buckwheat diet.

Nina, 38 years old: «I followed the buckwheat diet for 14 days, the result was minus 4 kilos. I’m not upset, I arrange a fasting day on buckwheat every week. Result: the body works like a clock, lightness appears, the stomach does not hang. After finishing the diet, I don’t eat everything: bread, flour, chips, crackers. I know that if I eat a vegetable salad and fish, I will look good!”

Yulia, 19 years old: “I was on a buckwheat diet for a week with my mother. I haven’t lost weight, but oh well, my body has cleansed itself. But my mother’s volume has gone away, although her weight has remained the same.”

Elena, 24 years old: “Is it really possible to lose weight on buckwheat? I have no doubt! A friend of mine went on a diet for two weeks: she looks gorgeous, she has lost a lot of weight and her skin has cleared up. I lost 5 kg in two weeks. While on a diet, I always ate fruits and berries: some strawberries, cherries and apples. Toxins and waste are better removed if you drink 1.5-2 liters of water a day, I also drank unsweetened green tea.”

Conclusion

You can choose the right buckwheat diet according to your taste, since there are several options: 3, 7, 14 days. The benefit of it is not only that excess weight is lost, but also that the body heals.If you follow the diet correctly, extra pounds and fluid will go away, and you will feel better.

For safety reasons, at the first sign of malaise, stop the diet.