7-Day Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan

Last updated on January 5th, 2022 at 09:02 am

It’s about time I share this 7-Day intermittent fasting meal plan with you!

If you’ve been wanting to try out intermittent fasting to lose weight, to feel great, to get over your constant food cravings or because you read that intermittent fasting can actually prolong your life and help reduce inflammation…now’s the time.

This is a 7-day healthy meal plan for a 16/8 intermittent fasting schedule that is full of delicious, healthy and easy recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the recipes on this meal plan come with a meal prep option and are dairy-free and gluten-free, because I know many of you can’t tolerate these foods. If a recipe isn’t dairy- or gluten-free, I’ve written some notes on what changes you can make.

The Intermittent Fasting 16/8 Schedule

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a way of eating where you restrict the time period during which you eat your meals. You know how sometimes you forget to have dinner and go hungry to bed? Intermittent fasting. Or you skip breakfast and eat lunch at 3 pm? Intermittent fasting.

There are different intermittent fasting schedules. For example, you can eat as usual for 5 days and fast for 2 days, that’s called a 5/2 intermittent fasting schedule. The most realistic type on a daily basis, for me at least, is the 16/8 IF schedule.

16/8 means you fast for 16 hours and you eat during 8 out of the 24 hours we have in a day. For example, you could start eating at 11 am and stop eating at 7 pm. Same times next day. You can adapt the times according to your own schedule and preferences.

From my research, I’ve found there are more benefits to choosing an early eating window and stop eating around 5 pm. That’s eating in tune with your circadian rhythm. This is how evolution has set us up to function best. Eat, work, be active when the sun is up. When the sun goes down, it’s time to stop eating, to rest, and recharge. There are actual clock proteins in your body that operate as biological clocks and can be influenced by eating, light and temperature (source). When we choose to listen to those clocks, we can live a happy, healthy, and long life. When we go against these clocks, our choices can lead to weight gain and all health issues that come with it. Not to mention acid reflux.

Intermittent Fasting Benefits

There are incredible benefits to intermittent fasting, way beyond weight loss. According to an article on Healthline some of them include:

• improved cardiometabolic health
• reduced inflammation and oxidative stress
• improved cellular repair
• prevention of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease
• protection against brain damage
• increased lifespan
• weight loss and reduced insulin resistance

That being said, you need to understand that IF is not for everybody and it comes with health risks for some groups of people. For example, IF might not be for you if you’re pregnant or are breastfeeding, have diabetes or have a history with an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia. It’s best to consult your doctor before starting a new eating regimen.

7-Day Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan

This meal plan is for one, so if you decide to make it for yourself and others, make sure to adjust the recipe ingredients accordingly. We will be relying on leftovers for lunch and some of the recipes need to be made ahead of time, the day before you start the 7-day challenge.

During the 7 days and after, it’s really important to track not just your meals, but also habits. Tracking will provide clarity, which is essential to make long-lasting changes. You need to know what you’re doing on a regular basis that is supporting or sabotaging your progress. We’re not looking for a way to lose 10 pounds in 10 days here. We want to live a healthy lifestyle.

You can use a journal, or a fitness planner like the one I use, you can check it out here. It’s a fitness planner I made and use all the time. It saves my sanity and helps me stay on track, even when life gets overwhelming and all I feel like doing is eating cookies. There’s a meal planner, a workout planner, a daily routine tracker, gratitude journal and so much more to help you stay organized and motivated. If you like the fitness planner, make sure to use the code NTB20 to get 20% off your purchase.

Day 1:

Breakfast: Vanilla Chia Pudding topped with fruit and nuts of choice (make the night before)

Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

Lunch: Avocado Chicken Salad (make ahead)

Dinner: Coconut Curry Shimp Soup

Day 2:

Breakfast: Best Avocado Egg Toast (choose gluten free bread – I usually make my own oatmeal bread)

Lunch: Coconut Curry Shimp Soup (leftovers)

Snack: 2 Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies (make ahead)

Dinner: Spicy Mediterranean Lunch Bowls

Day 3:

Breakfast: 10-Minute Apple Crumble with cashew or other dairy-free milk

Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

Lunch: Spicy Mediterranean Lunch Bowls (leftovers)

Dinner: Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (you can also use ground turkey)

Day 4:

Breakfast: 10-Minute Apple Crumble with cashew or other dairy-free milk (leftovers)

Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

Lunch: Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (leftovers)

Dinner: Easy Tuna Chickpea Bowls

Day 5:

Breakfast: Best Avocado Egg Toast (choose gluten-free bread – I usually make my own oatmeal bread)

Lunch: Easy Tuna Chickpea Bowls (leftovers)

Snack: 2 Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies

Dinner: Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup

Day 6:

Breakfast: 10-Minute Apple Crumble with cashew or other dairy-free milk (leftovers)

Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

Lunch: Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup (leftovers)

Dinner: Tomato, Arugula, Chickpea Salad

Day 7:

Breakfast: Easy Overnight Oats (make the night before, your choice of toppings)

Lunch: Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup (leftovers)

Snack: 2 Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies

Dinner: Mediterranean Salmon Salad (use olives instead of feta cheese if dairy-free)

IF Meal Plan Grocery List

This is the grocery list for your seven days of intermittent fasting. You can simply save the image to your phone and use it whenever you go grocery shopping.

I hope you find it useful! This is my 7-day meal plan, make sure to make it your own, so it can fit your own schedule and your lifestyle. Add recipes you like, skip ingredients and recipes you don’t like, and make sure to enjoy your food, so you can feel satiated and happy. That’s the way to make this thing work long-term…and we want the long-term, long-lasting results, not the shortcut, short-lived success.

I hope you enjoy it! Comment if you have questions or feedback!

Try Some Other 7-Day Meal Plans

• 7-Day Clean Eating Meal Plan
• One Week Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan
• 7 Days of Gluten Free Dairy Free Recipes

Yield: 2

7-Day Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan

Print

Enjoy the recipes included in this 7-day intermittent fasting meal plan for a 16/8 schedule! You'll find delicious healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks that you can meal prep in no time.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups red or green cabbage
• 1 red pepper, chopped thinly
• 2 scallions, thinly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ tbsp tamari sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley or cilantro
• 220g / 8oz ground beef
• 1 carrot, cut in strips
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

1. Add ground beef to a nonstick pan with one garlic clove and some oil of choice. After a minute, stir, breaking the pieces apart. Let the beef saute for about 5-6 minutes at medium-high heat.
2. Use the time while the beef is cooking to chop your vegetables - cabbage, carrots, peppers and the parsley (or cilantro) and scallions. Stir in the chopped cabbage, crushed pepper, carrot, another minced clove of garlic and the scallions. Cover for about 2-3 minutes to allow the vegetables to cook.
3. Stir in the chopped pepper, the last clove of garlic and the tamari sauce. Add a little bit of oil if needed and stir for 2-3 minutes. 
4. Turn the heat off and stir in the chopped parsley or cilantro. 
5. Serve immediately!

Notes

You can find the original recipe on the Her Highness, Hungry Me blog.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 472Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 898mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 37g