Steamed meat is perfect for baby food and for those watching their weight.
Steamed meat retains all its beneficial qualities and is easily digestible.
Today we will tell you how to steam beef and pork, and also share with you recipes for steaming meat.
Advantages and disadvantages
The steam diet is one of the safest for health. It is used in the treatment of diseases of the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, diabetes, cardiovascular pathologies, and is prescribed for colds and skin diseases, during the rehabilitation period after operations. This type of gentle diet has a huge number of advantages:
- Since most nutrients are retained in food, following a dietary regimen helps not only to lose weight, but also to increase immunity, rejuvenate the body, and improve the condition of the skin and hair.
- The diet menu is varied, products are available.
- Using a steamer you can cook several dishes at the same time.
- The calorie content of the daily menu is low, at the same time the body does not experience hunger, since restrictions exist only on the method of preparing food, but not on its quantity.
- Due to the balanced diet, additional vitamin intake is not required.
- Slow weight loss ensures the stability of the result - a sharp gain in body weight after stopping the diet regimen is excluded.
The disadvantages of the diet include some difficulty in organizing meals. Food cooked in a double boiler will have to be brought to work or college in containers, and not everyone can quickly wean themselves off fried foods. And the usual disadvantage for “long-term” diets: you won’t be able to lose weight very quickly using this technique.
Principles and rules
Weight loss is achieved through a calorie deficit: the amount expended in the process of life exceeds the amount received from food. To get the missing calories, the body is forced to burn fat reserves. Weight loss occurs with a gentle load on the digestive system; dietary restrictions apply only to fats and simple carbohydrates.
Catering
- The diet is based on boiled, stewed, baked dishes; it is allowed to add a small amount of vegetable or butter to them. Frying is excluded.
- You should eat food 5-6 times a day. Portions for three daily meals should be approximately 250-300 g, snacks and dinner - 150-200 g.
- You need to have dinner no later than 2 hours before going to bed so that the food has time to digest.
- Protein meat and fish should not be combined with carbohydrate cereals; the break between their consumption should be about 4 hours.
- It is advisable to cook cereals without salt; it can be replaced with soy sauce; you can also add herbs, fruit or vegetable sauces, vanilla, and cinnamon to porridges.
- If it is difficult to do without sweets, include fruits baked with honey or stevia in your menu. It is better to eat sweets in the first half of the day.
- The average energy value of the daily diet should be from 1700 to 2200 kcal, it depends on your body weight. You can calculate the amount of energy that the body receives when digesting food using food calorie tables.
It is recommended to eat food warm or cool (first and second courses warmed to 40 - 50°, drinks at room temperature). This requirement is explained by the fact that chilled food slows down digestion, and hot food irritates the gastric mucosa.
Drinking regime
Water is vital for the normal functioning of the body, and doubly so during weight loss. With its deficiency, food takes longer to digest and fat is not burned as efficiently. In addition, drinking water before meals reduces appetite. The total amount of liquid, including soups, should be 2-3 liters per day, at the rate of 30 ml per 1 kg of body weight.
While following a dietary regimen, it is recommended to drink 150-200 ml of pure still water half an hour before meals. You should not drink any liquid during or immediately after a meal. Even if it is a dessert - jelly or compote, it is better to drink it half an hour after eating.
Permitted and prohibited products
The diet is based on protein and carbohydrate products:
- cereals;
- pasta, biscuits, dry biscuits;
- bread (preferably rye or white from coarse grains);
- lean meat, dairy sausages, fish;
- dairy products (kefir, curdled milk, yogurt, low-fat sour cream, cottage cheese, hard cheese);
- insipid yeast-free baked goods;
- vegetables;
- berries and fruits, as well as marshmallows, mousse, jelly, jelly, compote made from them;
- eggs (no more than 1 piece per day);
- weak tea, chicory drink;
- honey (2–3 teaspoons per day).
The consumption of foods that are difficult to digest, cause increased secretion of gastric juice or bloating, increase cholesterol levels, and contain simple carbohydrates is limited or completely eliminated. These include:
- fast food, semi-finished products, canned food;
- fat meat;
- animal fats, margarine, butter substitutes;
- hot sauces, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic;
- baking from yeast dough;
- coffee, cocoa;
- chocolate, pastries, cakes, butter cookies;
- legumes, mushrooms, radishes, sorrel that provoke fermentation;
- alcohol;
- carbonated drinks and sour kvass.
Despite the fact that green tea is considered useful for weight loss, it can cause pain in some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or pancreas. During the period of exacerbation of pancreatitis, anacid gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, it is better to drink teas from mint, lemon balm, currant or raspberry leaves.
Features of cooking
Since the temperature during steaming does not exceed 100°, the products retain their natural color and taste, and their vitamins are almost not destroyed. However, despite the apparent simplicity of the technology, the “steam kitchen” has its own characteristics that should be taken into account.
- Only environmentally friendly products are allowed to be used - during steam treatment, pesticides, nitrates and additives for accelerating growth do not disappear anywhere.
- Vegetables should not be overripe so that they do not lose their shape when cooked.
- It is better to cut vegetables or meat into pieces of the same size, so they will be ready at the same time.
- It is not recommended to place too many layers of food, as this will lengthen the cooking time.
- If you are preparing several dishes at the same time, it is better to place meat on the lower tier of the steamer (it will get hotter steam), and place vegetables on the upper tier.
- You should follow the cooking mode and time specified in the recipe so that instead of a healthy and tasty dish you do not end up with biologically inert, unappetizing porridge. Thus, the cooking time for root vegetables is approximately 30 minutes, green vegetables - up to 5. Beef and pork are cooked for 1.5 hours, poultry and rabbit meat - approximately 45 minutes, fish - 15-20.
- It is not recommended to cook pasta in a steamer - it will boil and stick together.
Vegetable casserole with cheese
To prepare vegetable casserole with cheese in a double boiler (based on food for 2 servings), we will need:
- Egg - 1 pc.
- Cheese - 150 g
- Zucchini - 1 pc. (small, for example Zucchini)
- Eggplant - 1 pc.
- Bulgarian sweet pepper - 1 pc.
- Parsley and dill - a little
- Salt - to taste
How to cook vegetable casserole with cheese in a double boiler
- Break the egg into the vegetables, cut into small cubes, add grated cheese and mix everything.
- Place the resulting mass in a bowl for cooking rice, which usually comes with a steamer, cover the top with foil and cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Sprinkle chopped herbs on top of the finished casserole
Menu
The proposed menu for the week is indicative. You can make it yourself, using your own recipes, but taking into account the requirements of the steamed diet regarding the separate consumption of proteins and carbohydrates. It is advisable not to cook dishes that combine protein and carbohydrate foods (for example, peppers stuffed with meat). Don’t forget also about the cooking methods: boiling, stewing or baking.
Breakfast (to choose from)
- Oatmeal with water, tea.
- Steam omelette, chicory drink.
- Rice milk porridge.
- Pumpkin porridge with millet, mint tea.
- Steamed cheesecakes, fruit juice diluted with water.
- 2 soft-boiled eggs, herbal tea.
- Apple charlotte, green tea.
- Cheese with a piece of rye bread.
- Curd soufflé.
- Fruits or berries.
- Rye bun, milk jelly.
- Fruit salad.
- Cottage cheese with 10% sour cream.
- Kefir with oatmeal cookies.
- Pumpkin puree soup, goulash.
- Broccoli soup, chicken pilaf.
- Rice soup with fish fillet, fresh vegetable salad.
- Kharcho soup, prepared without hot spices, vegetable stew.
- Potato soup, bell pepper stuffed with meat and rice.
- Cabbage soup, beef stew with sweet and sour sauce.
- Vegetable puree soup, fish cutlet.
Afternoons:
- Cottage cheese casserole.
- Baked apples.
- Galette cookies, berry smoothie.
- Drinking yogurt, cheese with raisins.
- Crispbread with fruit compote.
- Biscuit, milk.
- Boiled beet salad, fish baked in foil, berry jelly.
- Chicken breast soufflé with herbs and nutmeg, tomato juice.
- Homemade liver pate, tea.
- Sausage with vegetable puree, citrus juice, diluted in half with water.
- Boiled fish, stewed vegetables.
- Steamed cutlet, mashed potatoes with milk, rosehip drink.
- Boiled chicken with fresh vegetable salad.
Dish recipes
Cream soup with pumpkin
Peel and cut into small pieces 1-2 potatoes and 0.5 kg of ripe pumpkin (its flesh should be yellow-orange in color and its peel should be hard). Pour in chicken or meat broth until it covers the mixture. Cook over low heat until the potatoes are done. Grind in a blender until smooth, add salt and spices. Serve with sour cream.
Rice soup with cod fillet in a slow cooker
Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes, chop the onions, grate the carrots, rinse the rice thoroughly. Place all ingredients in a multicooker bowl and cook in “soup” mode for 15–20 minutes. Add cod fillets cut into small pieces, herbs, salt and spices. Cook for another 10 minutes. When serving, sprinkle with chopped green onions.
Vegetable stew in a double boiler
Ingredients: potatoes, carrots, white cabbage, onions, tomatoes. Grate the carrots, chop everything else coarsely. Mix vegetables, add salt, add Italian herbs seasoning and place in a bowl for rice. Cook for 40-50 minutes. This stew can be used as an independent dish or as a side dish for meat.
Peppers stuffed with meat and rice, steamed
Remove the seeds from the bell pepper, cut off the stem and place in a steamer for 5 minutes. Mix equal amounts of lean minced meat with unpolished (brown) rice, boiled until half cooked. Add finely chopped onions, grated carrots, salt, ground pepper, and a little vegetable oil. Fill the cups of peppers with the mixture, place them in a steamer bowl and cook for 30–40 minutes. Serve with sour cream or tomato sauce.
Stewed beef with sweet and sour sauce in a slow cooker
Cut 0.5 kg of beef tenderloin into small elongated pieces, add salt and pepper, and place in a multicooker bowl greased with vegetable oil. Place finely chopped carrots, onions, and parsley root on top. Pour in the broth so that it completely covers the mixture, cook in the “stew” mode for about an hour. Mix 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, 1 tbsp. l. flour, 1 tbsp. l. sugar, 1 tsp. lemon juice or fruit vinegar, tomato paste, a few peas of allspice, bay leaf. Dilute the mixture to a liquid state with broth from the multicooker and pour the resulting sauce into the bowl. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Steamed chicken soufflé “Mosaic”
Grind 300 g chicken fillet in a blender. Cut half a red bell pepper and a small slice of pumpkin into small pumpkin cubes, keep in boiling water for 5 minutes or blanch for steam. Beat 1-2 eggs with a spoonful of cream. Strain 50 g of canned green peas from the filling. Mix all ingredients, add salt. Place in the multicooker bowl and cook for 40 minutes in the “baking” mode. Cool the finished soufflé and cut into slices.
Millet porridge with pumpkin
Place the peeled and diced pumpkin in a multicooker bowl, add a small amount of water, and cook until softened (about 10 minutes). Add thoroughly washed millet, pour in milk and cook until the porridge becomes thick, and only then add sugar to the porridge. If the porridge is cooked on the stove, you will have to stir it constantly to avoid burning.
Curd soufflé
Grind the cottage cheese, add a beaten egg, vanilla sugar and peeled apples grated on a coarse grater. Mix the mixture thoroughly and place in silicone molds. Bake at high temperature in the oven or microwave. Baking time – 5–10 minutes. This soufflé can also be prepared with raisins, pieces of prunes, or adding ground citrus peel to it.
Fruit and berry smoothie
To prepare this dessert you will need: grapefruit, banana, several apricots, a handful of strawberries and 0.5 cups of grape or citrus juice. Berries and fruits are crushed in a blender, then juice is added to them. The finished drink is served in glasses, garnished with currants on top.
How to make steamed dumplings?
Yes, like you, I doubted the success of the operation. And so, without much enthusiasm, I sculpted my favorite dumplings. But, as it turned out later, the fears were in vain. Everything turned out great!
Ingredients:
- Ready dumplings – 300 g
- Butter – 1 tbsp
- Salt - to taste
- Greenery
How to make steamed dumplings tastier - a time-tested recipe!
Yes, homemade dumplings taste better, but I experimented. And I didn’t regret it, because... It was delicious and very simple, because you didn’t have to catch and stir the dumplings. In a word, I sent all this beauty to the multi basket (having greased it with oil). But not in bulk, but in one layer. And, pouring water into the bowl, turned on the “steaming” mode. A quarter of an hour and everything is ready. I poured oil over the dumplings, lightly salted them, sprinkled them with herbs and enjoyed the meal. I recommend. Fast and hassle-free.
Reviews and results of losing weight
Marina, 26 years old
I was forced to start steaming because of allergies in the child I was breastfeeding. At first I didn’t even have a double boiler; I simply placed a suitable sized metal sieve on a pan of water, which I covered with a lid. And when a multicooker appeared in the house, in which you can cook steamed meat, cutlets, vegetables, fish, dumplings, cheesecakes, my husband began to eat such dishes with pleasure. The fact that I got rid of several extra pounds in a fairly short period of time is perhaps less indicative - after all, the postpartum period involves heavy loads. But my husband, who always had problems with weight, lost 5 kilograms in a couple of months! So the steamed diet gives results, and not bad ones.
Natalya Ivanovna, 36 years old
I read rave reviews from those who have lost weight on the steam diet, and I wonder what’s special about it? Yes, it is considered medicinal, I don’t argue with that. But it seems to me that the effect for losing weight is not the method of preparation, but the low calorie content - the food is prepared without fat. Considering that you can cook with virtually no fat in modern frying pans, then why limit yourself to delicious dishes? For example, I love fried foods, and if I needed to lose excess weight, I would simply start eating foods that are low in calories.
Ivan Alexandrovich, 42 years old
The steam diet was prescribed to me by my local therapist. The reason is 2nd degree obesity, and blood sugar appeared. I got used to doing without fatty and fried foods very quickly; it was difficult to give up salt. I didn’t feel hungry at all; I came up with the menu for each day myself, in accordance with the requirements of the diet. I only had vegetables for dinner and drank a glass of kefir before going to bed. My results: I lost weight, in 4 weeks my body weight became 4 kg less, my sugar levels were almost normal. I plan to stick to this diet all the time.
Buckwheat porridge with chicken hearts Portovaya
I didn't pay attention to chicken hearts before. This product was unfamiliar to me. But this year we came to the south as “savages”; by the time we settled in, it was time for lunch. But I really wanted to eat. We went to the canteen located next to the port, and there was a little of the first one left and for the second one, buckwheat porridge with hearts. My men turned up their noses, but hunger is not a problem, you can’t talk!