Michel Montignac: power system

Michel Montignac (1944-2010) - author of the popular effective weight loss system. He was against low-calorie diets. The value of the glycemic index is the main scheme of focusing nutrition, as Montignac believed. The nutrition system from a famous French nutritionist is considered one of the most successful diets of the last century. How is it different from many others?

“Bad” and “Good” Carbohydrates

Michel Montignac, one of the most popular nutritional systems, divided all carbohydrates into good ones that give energy and bad ones with a high glycemic index (over 50), which are the main causes of weight gain, fatigue, slowing down metabolism, and so on. Healthy carbohydrates include a significant amount of minerals, vitamins and trace elements. Almost no negative effects on the body are observed. “Good” carbohydrates are only partially absorbed, so they cannot cause a noticeable increase in blood sugar.

The so-called harmful carbohydrates include: glucose, baked potatoes, white bread from premium flour, honey, carrots, corn flakes, sugar, processed cereals, chocolate, boiled potatoes, cookies, corn, white rice, black bread, beets, bananas, melons, jams, pasta from premium flour and others.

Useful carbohydrates with a low glycemic index include: fructose, bran bread and whole wheat bread, brown rice, peas, cereals, fresh fruit juices, durum pasta, colored beans, dairy products, lentils, rye bread, fresh fruits , canned fruits without sugar, dark chocolate (more than 60% cocoa), soy, green vegetables, tomatoes, lemons, mushrooms.

Fats in the power system

Michel Montignac, the nutritional system we are considering, does not allow combining “bad” carbohydrates with fats. Otherwise, a significant percentage of the lipids taken will remain in the body. He identified two large groups of fats: animals (they are found in fish, meat, cheese, butter, etc.) and vegetable (margarine, butter, etc.). Some of them increase the amount of bad cholesterol in the blood. These are mainly saturated fats, which are found in fat, meat, smoked and dairy products, palm oil.

However, there are those that reduce cholesterol or have virtually no effect on its formation. Examples are skinless poultry, eggs, and oysters. We find these fats in vegetable oils: olive, sunflower, rapeseed, soy, corn and others. Healthy fish - sardine, herring, tuna, salmon, mackerel. Fish oil has no effect on cholesterol in any way, but it can lower blood triglycerides, preventing blood clots and protecting the heart.

Prohibited Products

What products does Michelle Montignac call for abandoning or minimizing? The food system is built in such a way that it should not include positions with a high glycemic index. For example:

• Sugar. According to a nutritionist, this is the most dangerous product. How then to maintain the minimum required glucose in the blood? This is one of the main secrets. Montignac reminds us that the human body does not need sugar and artificial glucose, it can be easily found in fruits, grains, and legumes.
• Refined white bread. Although it contains carbohydrates and gives our body a certain amount of energy from a nutritional point of view, this product is completely useless, and the whiter it is, the worse.
• Potatoes. Another "rogue" in the system. Potatoes contain many vitamins and minerals, mainly only in the peel, which rarely anyone eats. It supplies a very large percentage of glucose. Puree has a glycemic index of 90, baked potato - 95. For comparison, recall that the index of pure glucose is 100.
• Pasta. They are not only made from wheat flour, but also various fats, vegetable and butter, cheese, eggs are added to them. This contradicts the basics of separate nutrition, without which it is not possible to get rid of extra pounds, as Montignac believed.
• The nutrition system (a recipe book from a nutritionist contains many options for combining healthy foods) also excludes alcohol, since this factor also plays an important role in weight gain, as it causes an elementary appetite.

Useful Tips

Over the course of many years of research, the nutritionist has been studying the metabolism and use of products in accordance with their glycemic index. The diet that Montignac advises (the nutrition system, the principles of combining products play an important role in it) has much in common with others. Here are some of the tips you can often find in articles on healthy eating:

1. Do not mix “bad” carbohydrates with fats.
2. If possible, use only “good” fats.
3. Combine fats with vegetables, mainly those with a lot of fiber.
4. Drink more water.
5. Refuse flour, sweet and so on.

The theoretical basis of the Montignac diet

According to the theory of Michel Montignac, weight increases if you use a large amount of carbohydrates, in particular those that have a high glycemic index. Such products have a negative effect on blood sugar, increasing it significantly. And this, in turn, triggers the production of insulin. It is a hormone that stabilizes sugar levels. Over time, the body begins to develop insulin resistance, in other words, it stops responding to it.

Excessive consumption of foods with a high glycemic index leads to the fact that the sugar level ceases to stabilize naturally. The production of insulin stimulates the enzyme - lipoprotein lipase, which is responsible for the conservation of fat, and most importantly - insulin inhibits the enzyme lipase triglyceride, and also contributes to the breakdown and removal of fat from the body. Based on these data, the French nutritionist developed his own nutrition system.

Montignac: power system

The recipe book, authored by Michel Montignac, does not call for limitation, but rather offers its readers many options for a balanced menu. You should choose the high quality of all types of products: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The nutritional value and effect on blood sugar should be taken into account. The emphasis is on the very culture of food and eating habits, which is applicable not only to reduce weight, but also to stabilize it, as well as to prevent type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

There are two phases of the diet that Montignac suggested. The nutrition system (phase 1 is the cleansing of the body, phase 2 is the preservation of the results) is not a diet, but rather a lifestyle. Points worth paying attention to:

• The right choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the first stage, you need to abandon bad foods and introduce good ones into the diet. This seemingly simple recommendation will help cleanse the body of toxins and lose excess weight. However, do not tune in to the fact that with this diet you can get instant results.
• During the second phase, you can relax a bit. Nutrition requirements are already less stringent, you can even afford some food liberties, of course, within reasonable limits.

The essence and features of the diet

The French nutrition plan provides for:

• Limiting the consumption of foods with a high glycemic index (beets, potatoes, carrots), which increase blood sugar and contribute to overeating and weight gain.
• Exclusion from the diet of incompatible combinations: animal proteins and carbohydrates, fats and sugar, etc.
• Compliance with the principles of separate nutrition.
• The use of foods containing sugar should not exceed more than two to three times a week.
• The inclusion of proteins and healthy fats in the diet is often and in any quantity, but their use is separate from the rest of the food.
• Fruit as a snack between meals.
• Consumption of cereals and legumes only in raw form.
• A selection of polyunsaturated omega-3 acids (e.g. fish oil or linseed oil) and monounsaturated fatty acids (such as olive oil).
• Refusal or restriction of saturated fatty acids contained in foods such as butter, fatty meats.
• This rule: the best carbohydrates are those that have the lowest glycemic index.

Estimated Daily Menu

Breakfast can include any fruit, a slice of whole grain bread with low-fat cottage cheese or unsweetened yogurt, and decaffeinated coffee. Lunch consists of avocados with olive oil and vinegar sauce, steak, boiled beans, cheese and mineral water. For dinner, vegetable soup, green salad, omelet with mushrooms and low-fat yogurt are suitable . People with chronic illnesses should consult a doctor before using the range of products Montignac suggested. The food system (the menu for each day we will present below) is designed in such a way that there is a clear division into allowed products and those whose consumption should be limited.

Glycemic index

Accordingly, nutritionists have taken for themselves the starting point, which is called the glycemic index. The larger it is, the less product is suitable for consumption. The basis of the diet during the first phase should be those dishes in which the ingredients have a low glycemic index (less than 50). Between meals, about 3 hours or more should pass. You need to eat three times a day, plus two snacks. It is preferable to do this at the same time. Breakfast should be hearty, lunch and dinner moderate, and in between, light snacks such as fruit should be chosen.

Start of diet

What is a diet? Montignac (the food system whose menu we are considering), offers during the first phase to choose these products:

• Protein-lipid version: lean meat, fish, poultry (except the liver), cheese and eggs, a vegetable salad consisting of tomatoes and green vegetables, seasoned with sour cream or any vegetable oil, unsweetened yogurt.
• Protein-carbohydrate option: vegetable soups (with a GI less than 50), low-fat yogurt, vegetable salads (vegetables, as for soups), vinegar or lemon juice as a dressing, pasta made from wheat flour, cereal without milk - millet, buckwheat, unpeeled fig.
• Mixed variation: beans, beans, soybeans, low fat yogurt, green vegetables, tomatoes, mushrooms and lemon.

Transition time and second phase rules

The diet that Michel Montignac proposed, the nutrition system, recipes - all this is not something temporary, it should be a good habit, preparation for a healthy diet throughout life. The transition to the second stage is necessary after the first progress in weight loss has been achieved. During weight loss, it often happens that the weight stands still, this is normal. It is important not to despair, but to follow the intended goal, no matter what. The body also needs time to adapt to a new way of eating, it will decide when it will not be a pity for him to give extra pounds.

Features of the second phase

The second phase involves the consumption of a small amount of products with a GI above 50, provided that they will not be combined with white bread, potatoes, corn, white rice, pasta. In other words, if you already eat something harmful, it is better to combine it with something useful. For example, pasta will not do much harm if you eat them with vegetables, the same can be said about pork. But combining fatty meat and starchy foods (potatoes) is not worth it. Does Montignac's food system allow sugar to be consumed?

Reviews regarding this option for weight loss can be found different, but mainly see in it more benefits than harm. Sugar can be consumed, of course, in small quantities and also provided that on this day you give up all other "bad" carbohydrates. For example, eating a piece of cake and drinking it with sweet tea will be a real crime in relation to your body.

Different points of view

There are many who share the opinion of the food system of Michel Montignac, however there are those who can not safely accept all the restrictions. The disadvantages of separate power supply do exist. The diet by this method is not balanced perfectly, so some nutritionists recommend adding vitamins and brewer's yeast. The diet will also not be liked by those who (especially men) cannot live without alcohol, although drinking alcohol is not allowed during most diets. The first phase should be repeated no earlier than 2 months later.

In general, the nutrition system is rational and adapted to individual human needs. It makes it possible to take into account his preferences and at the same time not to overload himself with unnecessary restrictions. Diet Montignac fully meets the requirements of a healthy lifestyle. The first person to whom she helped was the author of the concept, later his recipes books began to be sold in huge print runs and enjoyed great popularity among those losing weight from around the world.

A bit about the author of the idea

Michel Montignac was born in Angouleme (France) in 1944. He was familiar with the problems of excess weight firsthand, his father weighed 120 kg. Michel studied political science and worked as a hiring manager in the 1970s at the European subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories, an American pharmaceutical firm. Despite the lack of a medical education, he was looking for a way to overcome the consequences of daily business lunches and came to the conclusion that the problem of weight gain is not what you eat, but what you consume. Realizing the fact that foods with a high glycemic index prevent you from effectively losing kilograms, he tested his own diet and lost 14 kilograms in three months.

Based on his experience and research, Montignac suggested that a simple reduction in calories is a “scientific scam”, so it is impossible to lose weight, because anyway, sooner or later a breakdown occurs. Weight can only be controlled by monitoring and selecting products. His diet was based on the idea that reducing calories in the diet triggers a “survival instinct,” which causes the body to accumulate fat after losing weight at the beginning of the diet. In the early 1990s, Montignac opened a series of dietary stores and restaurants that specialize in products such as beef, cheese, chocolate, foie gras, which have traditionally been considered "symbols of destructive hedonism."

His in 1987 published book “Eat and Stay Slim!” Was aimed at the general public and by 2005 reached a circulation of 16 million copies in 40 countries. The author of the diet, Michel Montignac, died of prostate cancer at the age of 66, this happened on August 22, 2010 in a clinic in Anmas. From his first marriage, he left three children - Charles, Emeric, and Sybil. From the second marriage with his wife Susie, two children remained - Joseph and Peter.

An effective way to lose weight

Many who began to use this power system on themselves noted the fact that the weight lost did not return over time. And this is the main difference between the Montignac diet and many others. Thanks to it, you can lose weight and stabilize weight, it is also a good way to prevent type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. During the first phase, you can lose up to 15-20 kg. Proper nutrition helps to lose weight and enrich the body with the necessary vitamins and minerals. The power system consists of two stages. The length of the first is individual and depends on the characteristics of the organism. During the first phase, it is necessary to adhere to several principles of separate nutrition:

• Do not eat carbohydrates with fats: meat with potatoes, fish with pasta, combinations of fish or meat and vegetables are allowed.
• If you consume fatty foods, that is, carbohydrates can be no earlier than 3 hours.
• GI of products should not exceed 55.
• Bananas, butter, flour are strictly prohibited. However, the list of allowed products is quite wide, so you can create real culinary masterpieces from them.

The second phase of the diet is aimed at consolidating the results achieved. For example, you can sometimes mix fats and carbohydrates. The second phase lasts long enough. If over time the results are no longer encouraging, then it is worth moving on to the first phase again. After the weight stabilizes, you can gradually return to the normal diet. But in any case, do not abuse harmful products. Excess weight is not always the result of an unbalanced diet. The cause may be various health problems. Therefore, before starting to follow any diet, it is best to consult a doctor and consult a nutritionist.

Montignac: nutrition system, books, features for women and men

Michel Montignac is a well-known nutritionist. His books have been translated into 25 languages ​​and published in 42 countries. His method was adopted throughout Europe, and his theories had a great influence on other authors who dealt with similar problems. He proved that you can lose weight without depriving yourself of calories. The Montignac method is the fruit of many years of research and testing. This is a synthesis of numerous scientific publications and successful test results, carried out in collaboration with a group of doctors and researchers. From a scientific point of view, this method is not in doubt. Are there any specific features in the nutrition of women and men? Regarding the quality of food, there is no difference, only the portion sizes differ.