Premise
The following indications are for informational purposes EXCLUSIVELY and are not intended to replace the opinion of professionals such as a doctor, nutritionist or dietician, whose intervention is necessary for the prescription and composition of PERSONALIZED food therapies.
Minestrone diet
The minestrone diet is NOT a balanced or sustainable diet.
The minestrone diet is a weight loss scheme that does NOT include calorie counting.
Coined in America, by a doctor at the Sacred Memorial hospital in Saint Louis, 
the minestrone diet is a dietary plan aimed at DRASTIC slimming, that is applicable to all those cases in which, to safeguard the patient's health, it is necessary to eliminate excess fat (especially visceral) as quickly as possible and restore the metabolic parameters of : cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, blood pressure etc. A minestrone diet cycle lasts 7 days but, being a drastic strategy to say the least, it CANNOT be continued for more than two weeks, which is still enough time to lose several kilos (subject to subjectivity); obviously, like all excessively restrictive diets, even the minestrone diet determines a series of non-negligible side effects, among which are mainly highlighted: depletion of muscle tissue, hypoglycemia and, at times, dehydration.
The minestrone diet could be structured as follows:
- Days 1 and 2: monothematic lunch and dinner based on minestrone - 2 servings seasoned with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil - integrating with fruit, other vegetables, tea and fruit juices without sugar
- Day 3: lunch and dinner based on minestrone - 2 servings - integrating with fruit, other vegetables and a potato, tea and fruit juices without sugar
- Day 4: lunch and dinner based on minestrone - 2 servings - integrating with fruit, other vegetables, tea, unsweetened fruit juices and a little milk or skimmed yogurt
- Day 5: lunch and dinner based on minestrone - 2 portions - integrating with fruit, other vegetables, tea, unsweetened fruit juices and a little lean fish
- Day 6: lunch and dinner based on minestrone - 2 servings - integrating with fruit, other vegetables, tea, unsweetened fruit juices and a little beef
- Day 7: lunch and dinner based on minestrone - 2 portions - integrating with fruit, other vegetables, tea and fruit juices without sugar and a little brown rice.
The composition of the minestrone must be strictly pre-established and must NOT contain legumes, cereals or derivatives and potatoes (unless otherwise specified;) the basic ingredients are: leeks, onions, tomato pulp, cabbage, green peppers, celery, white turnips and spinach.
Positive and negative aspects of the minestrone diet
I'll be brief; there is no positive effect of minestrone in the diet.
Not even the sudden weight loss of an obese could justify the strong wasting and stress that the body is destined to undergo with the soup diet. It is certainly a diet with a good supply of fiber, some mineral salts (magnesium and potassium) and some vitamins (especially A and C), but certainly not able to meet most of the needs of body. The minestrone diet is NOT able to support any form of desirable physical-motor activity.
The minestrone diet is deficient in energy, carbohydrates (although present in percentages higher than proteins and fats), lipids (especially essential), proteins (especially with high biological value), vitamins of group B, D and E, iron, calcium. .. and so on and so forth! Furthermore, it is absolutely contraindicated for various pathologies such as biliary lithiasis, kidney stones, etc.
The minestrone diet is NOT a healthy strategy and absolutely to be avoided in "reasoned / rational" weight loss.
Useful supplements to the minestrone diet
Obviously, given the countless shortcomings of the minestrone diet, the supplements useful for its compensation would be ALL (with the exception of fiber). It is advisable to emphasize above all the achievement of the amounts of B vitamins, calcium, iron, essential fatty acids and essential amino acids.
Minestrone Diet Example
- Obese housewife, former track and field athlete (jumps), currently practices kick-boxing 2 days a week but spends most of her time at home with her 2 children.
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 34 |
| Height cm | 167 |
| Wrist circumference cm | 14,1 |
| Constitution | Esile |
| Height / wrist | 11,8 |
| Morphological type | Longilineo |
| Weight kg | 95 |
| Body mass index | 34 |
| Evaluation | Obese |
| Physiological body mass index desirable | 18,5 |
| Desirable physiological weight kg | 51,6 |
| Basal metabolism kcal | 1277,9 |
| Physical activity level coefficient | Lightweight, no aus: 1,42* |
| Energy expenditure kcal | 1815 |
* A coefficient has been chosen that does not take into account the 2 workouts since, spending almost all of the time at home, the subject does not in any case reach the level of physical activity equivalent to a higher coefficient.
Minestrone Diet Example - Day 1
| Breakfast | ||
| You | 300 ml | |
| Pesche | 200g | |
| Snack 1 | ||
| Unsweetened pear fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Lunch | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Melon | 300g | |
| Snack 2 | ||
| Unsweetened blueberry fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Price | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Grilled eggplant | 200g | |
Minestrone Diet Example - Day 2
| Breakfast | ||
| You | 300 ml | |
| apricots | 200g | |
| Snack 1 | ||
| Unsweetened apple juice | 250 ml | |
| Lunch | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Watermelon | 300g | |
| Snack 2 | ||
| Unsweetened peach fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Price | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Grilled courgettes | 200g | |
Minestrone Diet Example - Day 3
| Breakfast | ||
| You | 300 ml | |
| Strawberries | 200g | |
| Snack 1 | ||
| Unsweetened exotic fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Lunch | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Lesse potato | 200g | |
| Snack 2 | ||
| Unsweetened ACE fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Price | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Red tomatoes | 200g | |
Minestrone Diet Example - Day 4
| Breakfast | ||
| Skimmed milk | 150 ml | |
| Plums | 200g | |
| Snack 1 | ||
| Unsweetened apricot fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Lunch | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| White, low-fat yogurt | 125g | |
| Snack 2 | ||
| Unsweetened pineapple fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Price | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Boiled spinach | 200g | |
Minestrone Diet Example - Day 5
| Breakfast | ||
| You | 300 ml | |
| Cherries | 200g | |
| Snack 1 | ||
| Unsweetened pear fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Lunch | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Cod in the pan | 200g | |
| Snack 2 | ||
| Unsweetened blueberry fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Price | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Grilled eggplant | 200g | |
Minestrone Diet Example - Day 6
| Breakfast | ||
| You | 300 ml | |
| apricots | 200g | |
| Snack 1 | ||
| Unsweetened apple juice | 250 ml | |
| Lunch | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Veal fillet | 200g | |
| Snack 2 | ||
| Unsweetened peach fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Price | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Grilled courgettes | 200g | |
Minestrone Diet Example - Day 7
| Breakfast | ||
| You | 300 ml | |
| Strawberries | 200g | |
| Snack 1 | ||
| Unsweetened exotic fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Lunch | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Brown rice | 50g | |
| Snack 2 | ||
| Unsweetened ACE fruit juice | 250 ml | |
| Price | ||
| Minestrone | 300g | |
| Green peppers | 200g | |
