There are millions of diets to lose weight. Some are more extreme (remember that these extremes are harmful to health) and others more balanced, but all of them agree in considering some foods beneficial and others harmful. Of course, the traffic light diet also meets this premise.
But what exactly does this type of regime consist of? In this article we tell you all the details about this weight loss plan.
What is the traffic light diet?
The traffic light diet is a kind of diet that groups foods according to whether or not they are included in a diet to lose weight. In this way, food falls into one of these three groups corresponding to the colors of the traffic light:
Stop! Within this group are all those foods that it is better to avoid consuming if what you are looking for is to lose a few extra kilos or maintain optimal health. It includes:
- All fried. If you like them, consume at most 1 time a week.
- Cereals with a lot of sugar at breakfast or as a snack.
- Dairy: milk, yogurt (except if it is skimmed), cheese and cream.
- Meats: pork, lard, bacon, lamb, duck, goose, hamburger.
- Confectionery: sweets, pastries, chocolate…
- Alcoholic beverages and sugary soft drinks.
- Salted and smoked.
- Sauces: mayonnaise, béchamel, aioli…
Yellow food
Caution! Within this group are those foods that you can consume but always in moderation. Moderation refers to controlling daily amounts or portions, as well as frequency throughout the week. They are the ones that we indicate in the following list:
- Dairy: 2 to 3 dairy items a day, such as milk, yogurt, and cheeses.
- Meats: reduce red meat (veal) mainly, like the rest of the white meats.
- Cereals: bread, pasta, rice, flour. Preferably choose the version of any cereal but whole grains (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth).
- Nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, dates, pistachios…
- Legumes: beans, chickpeas, lentils…
- Blue fish and white fish: 2 to 3 times a week, it is an excellent source of omega 3.
- A vegetable oil mainly EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), you can also combine with other oils such as flaxseed, coconut, sunflower, corn, etc.
- Eggs: combine this excellent quality protein with others of your choice such as fish or white meat if you are an omnivore or with legumes, tofu, seitan, tempeh if you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian. The egg is very versatile and you can prepare it in an omelette, scrambled or soft-boiled. Never fried!
Green foods
Free way! These foods are 100% recommended for any type of healthy diet. These foods are satiating, full of antioxidants, vitamins and fibers and are ideal for taking care of health and help with weight loss. Take note:
- All vegetables: Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, aubergine, pumpkin, zucchini, artichoke, tomato, cucumber, pepper, beetroot, asparagus, carrot, turnip, leek, peas, broad beans, celery, endive, radish, beets, cassava, escarole…
- Fruits: pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, apple, pear, peach, cherries, grapefruit, tangerine, orange, melon, watermelon, nectarine, pomegranate, grapes, apricot, plum, kiwi.
- Natural water and infusions without sugar.
- Aromatic spices: vinaigrette, pepper, cayenne, curry…
- White fish.
- Skinless chicken or turkey meat.
Recommendations for the traffic light diet
As you may have seen, the traffic light diet proposes a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, it is a very simple diet to follow and remember since it is only necessary to have a little memory to associate certain foods with the color of the traffic light that corresponds to them. If you follow the diet with the recommendations that we indicate below, you will be able to reach your ideal weight before you know it and, most importantly, maintaining a healthy state of health. It will be a success!
- Regarding the frequency of meals, a day, it is not necessary to maintain 5 a day. It is important that you observe your rhythm of life, your feelings of hunger, appetite and establish a frequency that is comfortable for you.
- Drink approximately two liters of water daily.
- It is recommended to put some type of exercise into practice, if you do not regularly exercise, consider something that is within your reach at a minimum rate of dedicating 1 to 2 times a week to some activity. If you already exercise, you can consider routines mainly with strength exercise
- It is advisable that you cook food in a healthy way, that is, it is always preferable to grill, steam or bake it (with little oil and no fat) than to make it fried, battered or breaded. In this way, they provide many more calories and in the long term end up having a harmful effect on health. Also, try to do without sauces, stir-fries, butter and vegetable fats.
- It is important that you consume foods from the amber or yellow zone in moderation, that is to say that vegetables must be the protagonists on your plate and foods from the yellow zone must be less.
How much weight can you lose on the traffic light diet?
- Actually, this diet, being a balanced diet, does not have a specific duration. The fact of extending it in time will not cause damage to health, on the contrary, it is extremely beneficial for the body.
- In fact, more than a diet, it is a lifestyle. This plan will help you learn to eat, feel good about yourself, and change unhealthy eating habits. You will begin to bet on those quality foods with a high nutritional content and fewer calories.
Other healthy diets besides the traffic light diet
Do you want to know other healthy diets? Here are some that you can put into practice to lose weight:
- Mediterranean diet: one of the diets most recommended by nutritionists. It is very similar to the traffic light diet, however, unlike it, the Mediterranean diet does not restrict the intake of oily fish and other foods rich in Omega fatty acids.
- Raw vegan diet – A type of diet that more and more people are joining. It is a type of diet which is based on the intake of raw fruits and vegetables.
- 5-5-5 diet: this type of diet is based on eating five meals a day, giving special importance to fruit and vegetables. Its only requirement is that the food consumed be rich in fiber and low in carbohydrates.
All diets require time and perseverance (there are no miracle diets). If you try and put everything on your part, in the end you will end up achieving your purpose: losing weight.
