| Meal plan at a glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast/Morning Snack | Lunch/afternoon snack | Dinner/Night Snack |
| Tofu Scramble & Toast/Pear | Tuna sandwich / banana & nut butter | Chicken Taco & Slaw |
| Egg Bites & Smoothie/Orange | Chicken Soup/Almonds | Salmon, vegetables, rice |
| Egg Bites & Smoothie/Apple | Chicken Soup/Banana | Chicken Caesar Salad |
| Egg Bites & Smoothie/Peach | Chicken Soup/Almonds | Gnocchi, beans, vegetables |
| Muesli/Hummus & Green Pepper | Chicken Soup/Almonds | Cabbage Roll Frying & Salad/Peach |
| Muesli/Yogurt & Blackberry | Chicken salad/almond | Chicken Pasta & Vegetables/Dark Chocolate |
| Muesli/cottage cheese snack jar | Chicken salad/almond | Enchiladas/dark chocolate |
Day 1
Photographer: Jen Cozy
Breakfast (427 calories)
Morning snack (131 calories)
Lunch (540 calories)
Afternoon snack (263 calories)
- 1 medium banana
- 1½ tablespoons natural peanut butter
Dinner (636 calories)
Daily Total: 1,997 calories, 96g fat, 116g protein, 185g carbohydrates, 34g fiber, 2,161mg sodium
Make it 1,800 calories: Skip the toast with butter for breakfast and change your morning snack to 1 medium orange.
Make it 2,200 calories: Add ¼ cup of unsalted dry roasted almonds to your AM snack.
Day 2
Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Breakfast (512 calories)
Morning snack (35 calories)
Lunch (683 calories)
Afternoon snack (248 calories)
Dinner (537 calories)
Daily Total: 2,015 calories, 91g fat, 116g protein, 198g carbohydrate, 29g fiber, 2,002mg sodium.
Make it 1,800 calories: Skip the yogurt for lunch and brown rice for dinner.
Make it 2,200 calories: For an evening snack, add 1 ounce of dark chocolate and ½ cup of raspberries.
Day 3
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Breakfast (512 calories)
Morning snack (95 calories)
Lunch (683 calories)
Afternoon snack (105 calories)
Dinner (622 calories)
Daily Total: 2,017 calories, 87g fat, 116g protein, 209g carbohydrates, 34g fiber, 1,938mg sodium
Make it 1,800 calories: Skip the yogurt for lunch and replace your afternoon snack with ¼ cup of blueberries.
Make it 2,200 calories: Add 2 tbsp. Add natural peanut butter to your PM snacks.
Day 4
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
Breakfast (512 calories)
Morning snack (59 calories)
Lunch (683 calories)
Afternoon snack (248 calories)
Dinner (496 calories)
Daily Total: 1,997 calories, 94g fat, 95g protein, 208g carbohydrates, 32g fiber, 2,101mg sodium
Make it 1,800 calories: Change your morning snack to 1 medium apple, skip the yogurt at lunch, and change your afternoon snack to 1 large pear.
Make it 2,200 calories: For an evening snack, add 1 ounce of dark chocolate and ½ cup of raspberries.
Day 5
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Breakfast (453 calories)
Morning snack (132 calories)
- ¼ cup hummus
- 1 cup thinly sliced bell peppers
Lunch (683 calories)
Afternoon snack (248 calories)
Dinner (442 calories)
Evening snack (59 calories)
Daily Total: 2,016 calories, 84g fat, 107g protein, 218g carbohydrates, 36g fiber, 2,227mg sodium.
Make it 1,800 calories: Skip the hummus for your morning snack and switch to one large pear for your afternoon snack.
Make it 2,200 calories: Add 1 cup of low-fat plain kefir to your breakfast and 1 piece (0.5 ounces) of dark chocolate to your evening snack.
Day 6
Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley
Breakfast (453 calories)
Morning snack (98 calories)
- ½ cup low-fat plain strained (Greek) yogurt
- ¼ cup blackberries
Lunch (483 calories)
Afternoon snack (248 calories)
Dinner (561 calories)
Evening snack (156 calories)
- 1 ounce dark chocolate pieces
Daily Total: 1,999 calories, 82g fat, 109g protein, 217g carbohydrates, 38g fiber, 1,721mg sodium
Make it 1,800 calories: Change your afternoon snack to 1 tangerine.
Make it 2,200 calories: Add 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of low-fat plain kefir to your breakfast. Chopped walnuts for an AM snack.
Day 7
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek
Breakfast (453 calories)
Morning snack (215 calories)
Lunch (473 calories)
Afternoon snack (248 calories)
Dinner (473 calories)
Evening snack (156 calories)
- 1 ounce dark chocolate pieces
Daily Total: 2,017 calories, 92g fat, 88g protein, 220g carbohydrates, 42g fiber, 1,912mg sodium
Make it 1,800 calories: Swap your morning snack for ¼ cup of blueberries.
Make it 2,200 calories: Add 1 cup of low-fat plain kefir to your breakfast and 1 medium peach to your evening snack.
Frequently Asked Questions
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If there are foods I don’t like, is it okay to mix them together?yes! This meal plan is meant to be an inspiration. You don’t have to follow them exactly to reap the benefits. When selecting recipes, we checked calories, fiber, protein, and sodium to ensure they matched the parameters of this plan and were within the sodium limit. When changing recipes, it may be helpful to choose recipes with similar calorie, fiber, protein, and sodium levels. For more inspiration, check out these delicious, quick and easy healthy recipes.
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Can I eat the same breakfast or lunch every day?Of course, it’s okay to eat the same breakfast or lunch every day. Breakfast ranges from 427 to 512 calories and lunch ranges from 473 to 683 calories. These ranges are fairly similar, but if you’re closely monitoring other nutrients like calories or protein, you may want to consider tweaking a snack or two.
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Why isn’t there a 1,200 calorie fix?We no longer offer modifications to 1,200 calorie days in our meal plans. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that limiting calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs and is not sustainable for long-term health and well-being.
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Do I need to count calories to eat healthily?No, you don’t have to count calories to eat healthy, unless you like counting calories. In fact, some experts and nutritionists are against calorie counting. Instead, focus on your body’s hunger and satiety signals and be mindful of how you feel when you eat.
Health Benefits of Fiber
Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and whole grains such as oats, whole wheat products and bulgur. Fiber is an important nutrient that provides many health benefits, including improved digestion, blood sugar levels, and heart health. Fiber also has staying power. In other words, foods rich in fiber help keep you full between meals. Unfortunately, many of us fall short of our daily fiber intake. As a result, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans classifies fiber as a nutrient of public health concern in the United States. The USDA lists the daily intake of fiber as 28 grams for a 2,000-calorie diet. When increasing fiber in your diet, do so gradually and also increase your fluid intake to prevent digestive problems.
How to Plan Your Meals
Registered dietitians carefully create EatingWell’s meal plans that are easy and delicious to eat. Each meal plan meets specific parameters based on your targeted health condition and/or lifestyle goals and is analyzed for accuracy using our nutritional database, ESHA Food Processor. Because nutritional requirements vary from person to person, we encourage you to use these plans as inspiration and adjust as you see fit.
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