Milk rivers are vegetable banks. Diet from Kim Protasov.

Today, the diet of Israeli nutritionist Kim Protasov is on everyone’s lips. It is pleasant, simple and very accessible: the products are the same that we are usually accustomed to since childhood. At the same time, you absorb no less food than usual, and the extra pounds literally melt away before your eyes.
The diet is designed for five weeks. During the first and second weeks, you should eat raw vegetables (fortunately, they are now in abundance) and fermented milk products with a fat content of no more than 5% - in any quantity and at any time of the day. And drink, drink - the “protasovets” are supposed to have at least 2 liters of water daily! Optional: one boiled egg and three green apples per day. However, the author of the diet assures that you won’t even want eggs and apples. The third, fourth and fifth weeks are slightly different: there is less fermented milk, but we add 300 g of meat, poultry or fish per day. That's all! At first glance, everything looks simple and somehow even frivolous. But behind simple words there are still some problems hidden.

Disputes with interest
First, remember clearly: the majority of your diet should be vegetables. They, due to their low calorie content and ability to satisfy hunger (thanks to the abundance of fiber in them), are the most suitable food for weight loss. But fermented milk products should be considered only as a supplement: nevertheless, our body requires less protein than carbohydrates.

Secondly, let's look at 5% fat. Where does this figure come from? The fact is that the author of the diet focused on products from his native Israeli supermarkets. They say “5% fat” means the product contains 5g of fat per 100g of total weight. And in Russia they write on cheeses “45% fat per 100 g of dry matter.” This means that if all the water is removed from the cheese, 45% fat per 100 g of weight will remain. But we don’t buy cheeses in such a stone form, but in a normal, moist form! Typically, hard cheese contains approximately 50% water. Therefore, if it says “45% fat,” then in reality it is about 23%.

Thirdly, it would be nice to understand what is generally considered fermented milk products. Milk, of course, disappears. Protasov talks about “whey” and some incomprehensible white cheese. Israeli whey is difficult to come by in Russia, but kefir and yogurt are available. Some snobby translators claim that Protasov prohibits kefir. But those who have been on this diet have come to the conclusion: Russian kefir and yogurt cope with excess weight no worse than Israeli whey. But with white cheese everything is simple: in our country it is called “homemade cheese” or “grain cheese” and is produced with 4-4.5% fat content. Just what you need!

Not all yoghurts are healthy
Do not consider all kinds of yoghurt makers, yoghurt products, curds and cheesecakes to be noble fermented milk products. They seem to have the right fat content - from 0.3 to 7%. However, look at the label: they are full of starch and sugar! Only natural unsweetened yogurt (white and sour), non-fruit kefir and cottage cheese without additives are suitable for you. Be careful with feta cheese, salted and smoked cheese, etc. Low-fat cheeses are often made salty to disguise the unpresentable taste. And salt retains water, so there is a risk of swelling.

Be careful when turning
Now we will scare you. However, just a little. Do not try this diet if you are allergic to fermented milk proteins or sugar. Hypertensive patients, people with cardiovascular insufficiency or kidney disease need to be more careful with drinking - 2 liters of water a day can raise blood pressure. If you have metabolic disorders, consult your doctor. Those who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, duodenitis, esophagitis) should not “sneak around”. The fact is that a lot of raw vegetables in the absence of starchy foods (for example, potatoes or bananas) will scratch, peel and