MINESTRONE DIET: HOW TO REDUCE CALORIE INTAKE - NUTRITION - 2025

The Minestrone diet was born in the Sacred Memorial Hospital of Sant Louis (United States) in order to treat obese patients with heart disease that required surgical intervention, and therefore, they had to lose several kilos in a few days.

This is not a common weight reduction diet, it is prescribed by the doctor in serious cases, and therefore it is considered a "severe" diet.

Following this diet should be done as long as we are in good health, since due to its aggressiveness, not all bodies are prepared for it.

The duration period should not exceed one week. Subsequently, it must go to the maintenance phase, which must be defined by a specialist.

The use of the Minestrone diet has many advantages, such as its reduced number of calories that helps you lose weight quickly, it has a large amount of essential nutrients, and if you are one of those who like vegetables better than better.

If you prefer, you can propose to the nutritionist that it be composed of your favorite vegetables, so that it does not become too heavy.

Various investigations have shown that soups like Minestrone have a satiating effect. It is claimed that people who eat soup are less likely to want an afternoon snack than those who have chicken or vegetables with a glass of water during lunch.

Basic functions of the Minestrone diet

As we have said, it is a highly drastic diet in its approach. Some days it completely eliminates the intake of fats and starches, which are the most important source of calories consumed by humans.

Faced with this situation, the body will be forced in those days to take energy from the accumulated fats in the body. This causes both weight and fat to be lost.

In case it has not yet been clear, this is not a diet for those who want to lose a few extra pounds, but for people with health problems, that is, people with an amount of overweight greater than 8 kilos.

As its function is to reduce weight, the basis of this diet is based on the use of vegetables, which can cause some stomach discomfort. These side effects can be easily solved with bifidus yogurts, or foods rich in fiber.

This diet does not reduce the consumption of food, but the choice that is made of them. Although yes, the abundance of liquid food and the lack of meat can make us hungry at some point.

In 1999, scientists discovered a hormone called "ghrelin," which is produced by the walls of the stomach when it is empty. Ghrelin is a fat storage hormone that is responsible for our desire to eat.

When soup has been eaten, the stomach empties more slowly, unlike a solid meal. Generally, people who have eaten soup feel full up to an hour and a half longer than those who eat solid foods.

Minestrone soup

The Minestrone diet consists mainly of the daily use of a vegetable soup, which is generally lower in calories than chicken or fish soup, and becomes more consistent in our stomach.

The Minestrone diet was devised to treat obese patients with heart disease at the "Sacred Memorial Hospital" in Sant Louis, United States. It was created out of a surgical necessity, as these patients urgently needed to lose weight in a few days.

Due to this, being a hard diet, it has to be authorized and carefully followed by a professional dietitian or nutritionist, and carried out while in full physical condition.

Of course, remember that the Minestrone diet should not be followed for more than a week.

• 1 tomato chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 chopped leek
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• ½ head of shredded cabbage
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil, cut into pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese

This is an example of ingredients that we can use to make our Minestrone soup, but we can modify it by substituting some ingredients for others if we prefer.

Contraindications

Contrary to what some may think, it has no contraindications. The use of this diet is not restricted to just once a year, it can be repeated several times. Although considering that it is recommended for those with more than 8 kilos of overweight, it would be strange to have to repeat it several times in the same year.

Recommendations for monitoring the Minestrone diet

The first 2 or 3 days of the diet will be the ones that cost the most due to the clash with our eating habits, but they are also the most important.

It is during these days, consuming fruit and vegetables exclusively, when we manage to purify the body and eliminate those toxins that hinder weight loss.

This detoxifying process sometimes causes discomfort of variable intensity that does not have to confuse or make you rethink whether to follow the plan, such as: frequent urination and evacuations.

They are common symptoms that should not surprise or worry in the event that they happen to you, they are frequent in any process of a similar type.

A very useful recommendation is to start the regimen during the weekend, which as a general rule we have more free time, and thus be calmer in the possible case of effects such as those mentioned above.

Just because you limit your food choices doesn't mean you have to go hungry, you can eat any of the "allowed" foods when you get hungry.

How to optimize diet results

For obvious reasons, do not take days off during the diet, you should do it for 7 days, and then the maintenance phase.

Make sure you are doing well by monitoring the results from the fourth day when you wake up in the morning.

If on the fourth day you have lost between 2 and 3 kilos, it will be convenient to modify the plan by adding a little carbohydrates (adding 3-4 whole grain biscuits at breakfast and 120-140 g of pasta or cooked rice at lunch) to reduce the speed in the results.

Minestrone soup preparation example

• Ingredients for the soup: 6 leeks or 6 onions, a large chopped cabbage, 2 green peppers, 4 or 5 turnips, 1 whole celery, 1 or 2 cans of whole and peeled tomatoes, a vegetable stock cube, spices, and flavoring al taste.
• Preparation: Cut the vegetables into small pieces, place them in a pot with the vegetable stock cube and cover it with water.

Let it boil for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat to cook slowly for about half an hour.

Rectify with salt, and then pass it through the blender to obtain a homogeneous preparation.

Data of interest

If the specialist does not specify the amount we should take in food, they can be consumed without limitation.

When the amount to follow is specified, it must be clarified that it refers to raw food, and not cooked.

It is essential to drink water regularly, especially during the fifth and sixth day at least one and a half liters of water.

Once the first seven days have passed, the maintenance phase should be carried out.

This maintenance phase will be based on the same foods that have been used for the first phase, but the amounts will be determined by the specialist depending on each case.

Approximate nutritional value per plate (on days that some carbohydrates and fat are allowed):

• 169 calories; 5 g fat (1 g saturated, 3 g monounsaturated), 4 mg cholesterol, 25 g carbohydrates, 0 g added sugars, 7 g protein, 8 g fiber, 641 mg sodium, and 718 mg of potassium.
• 123% of the daily value for vitamin A
• 87% of the daily value for vitamin C
• 23% of the daily value for folic acid
• 21% of the daily value for potassium
• 16% of the daily value for calcium

Minestrone weekly diet plan

Monday

• Breakfast: Coffee or tea, apple and pear
• Mid-morning: unsweetened fruit juice.
• Lunch: Minestrone soup and apple.
• Snack: Fruit juice without sugar.
• Dinner: Minestrone soup and pear.

Tuesday

• Coffe breakfast
• Mid-morning: Tea
• Lunch: Minestrone soup and salad of beet, endive, broccoli and lettuce.
• Snack: Tea or coffee.
• Dinner: Minestrone soup and 200 g of roast potatoes with 10 g of butter.
• Wednesday:
• Breakfast: Tea or coffee, pear and pineapple.
• Mid-morning: unsweetened fruit juice.
• Lunch: Minestrone soup and steamed carrots and artichokes.
• Snack: Fruit juice without sugar.
• Dinner: Minestrone; and roasted aubergine, bell peppers and zucchini.

Thursday

• Breakfast: Cappuccino (with 200 cc of skimmed milk), and banana.
• Mid-morning: Tea or coffee
• Lunch: 200 g of skimmed yogurt, and a banana.
• Snack: Tea
• Dinner: Minestrone, and a shake made with 200cc of milk and a banana.
• Friday:
• Coffe breakfast
• Mid-morning: Tea
• Lunch: 300 g of baked fish (hake or sole), and fresh tomatoes.
• Snack: Tea
• Dinner: Minestrone soup and 200 g of baked fish (sea bream, sea bass or hake)

Saturday

• Coffe breakfast
• Mid-morning: Tea
• Lunch: 1 or 2 grilled beef fillets, and steamed zucchini and fennel.
• Snack: Tea
• Dinner: Minestrone soup, and 300 g of roast chicken without skin.
• Sunday:
• Coffe breakfast
• Mid-morning: unsweetened fruit juice.
• Lunch: 150 g of brown rice with vegetables and onions, asparagus and steamed carrots.
• Snack: Fruit juice without sugar.
• Dinner: Minestrone soup and beet and cucumber salad.

To finish, it is good to make it clear that -although we have talked about the detoxification process- it should not be compared with other diets that are focused solely and exclusively on it, such as the liquid diet, or the pineapple diet.

The Minestrone diet is a totally different process, and with another purpose, such as drastic weight reduction in a short time in view of upcoming surgical operations.