Best Meal Plans for Intermittent Fasting
When intermittent fasting isn’t hard on its own, choosing an appropriate meal plan that goes along with your new diet schedule can become an even more daunting task.
Intermittent fasting is a dietary practice that allows you to schedule your eating and fasting patterns into separate intervals.
With restrictive eating patterns like Intermittent fasting where the body goes on a prolonged calorie deficit, striking the right balance is crucial.
If you are someone who has just embarked on the journey of mapping your meal plan with the help of intermittent fasting, maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet is requisite.
Whether you are just starting intermittent fasting or you are bored of repeating the same old meal plans throughout your intermittent fasting practice, finding exciting meal plans that not only meet your national requirements but also suit your taste buds can be tough.
Meal Planning can be a daunting task for an average joe, especially when you do not know where to begin.
If you are in search of some scrumptious meal plans that are only delicious to dine on but will definitely not break your fast, look no further.
Here is all you need to know about Meal Plans suitable for intermittent fasting to choose the best Meal Plan meant for your taste buds.
Table of Contents
What is Intermittent Fasting?
In simple terms, intermittent fasting is an eating schedule or a dietary plan that involves scheduling your eating and fasting practices in separate intervals.
This practice often involves varied hours or even days of evenly distributed eating and fasting patterns that allow individuals to consume restricted yet nutritionally balanced meals.
Generally, intermittent fasting is a great way of practicing restrictive eating by essentially extending the time period of fasting.
While intermittent fasting is basically eating and fasting at regular intervals, there are different schedules you can try that allow you to consume foods based on your life routine.
The most common eating schedule of Intermittent Fasting is 16:08 which includes fasting for 16 hours and eating on schedule for 8 hours, 20:04 including 20 hours of fasting and 4 hours of regular eating, and lastly 14:06 which includes fasting for 14 hours and eating for 6 hours.
Learn more about intermittent fasting: https://www.thefoodcoachltd.com/intermittent-fasting-complete-guide/
How does Intermittent Fasting Work?
Intermittent Fasting is a great way of cutting back on excess calorie intake while maintaining a diet that is nutritionally balanced.
Most people resort to this method of fasting for its benefit of reducing weight, as a lack of calorie intake can lead to significant weight loss.
Intermittent Fasting works by separating and scheduling your eating and fasting into separate intervals.
To help lose excess weight you can keep your calorie intake to a minimum and gradually increase your fasting period and decrease your eating period.
The intermittent fasting process also has direct benefits to the lipid profile in the body and is directly associated with weight loss as it helps with the distribution of body fat.
Intermittent Fasting also helps with the improvement and control of glycemic levels in the body which helps with obesity as well as type-2 diabetes.
Furthermore, intermittent fasting helps regulate the production of a fat-burning hormone called norepinephrine.
By fasting at regular intervals for a prolonged period of time the metabolic rate often escalates from 3.6 to about 14%.
Intermittent Fasting: What is allowed?
Intermittent Fasting is a great way to schedule your eating and fasting patterns especially when you are looking for efficient ways to lose a couple of extra pounds.
But when it comes down to restrictive eating patterns like intermittent fasting that promote you to practice calorie deficit eating plans, it is imperative to keep your diet nutritionally balanced.
Hence to make up for the deficit of calories, it is important to indulge in foods that are right in fiber, proteins, and nutrients.
To help determine the right foods that are suitable for Intermittent Fasting, here is what you can eat that won’t break your fast:
Lean Proteins:
Lean proteins are not only a great source of protein, but they are also a great source of vitamin B that supports brain function, induces metabolism, and regulates energy levels.
Lean Proteins are an integral part of a nutritionally balanced diet and can help tremendously when you are cutting back on excess calories, as they leave you feeling full for a prolonged period of time.
Consuming lean protein-rich foods such as fish, paneer, tofu, chicken, and egg whites can be a great way to maintain a balanced diet.
Whole Grains:
Whole Grains are packed with fibers that keep you feeling full for longer periods of time and provide you with the requisite energy to persevere throughout the day.
Whole grains are also beneficial for the digestive system especially when you are switching between eating and fasting meal patterns.
Vibrant Greens:
Fresh vegetables are a group of whole foods that provide your body with the required nutrients that make up a balanced diet.
Fiber-rich and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are great sources of nutrition during intermittent fasting.
Fresh vegetables help you feel fuller for prolonged periods of time and ensure a comfortable bowel movement even when you are on restricted food intake.
Hydration Station:
Hydration even when fasting is imperative, more specifically when you are cutting back on excessive calorie intake.
Most people consider liquid consumption during intermittent fasting to be prohibited, but this rule is just limited to sugary beverages.
However, drinking water is one of the best ways to keep yourself healthy and hydrated.
Unsweetened or even caffeinated beverages such as black tea and black coffee can also be consumed as effective energizers.
If you are not a fan of caffeinated beverages, you can try lemon water, buttermilk, milk, and coconut water as non-caffeinated alternatives without adding extra sugars.
Fresh Fruits:
Fruits are part of the whole foods family and are a great source of unsaturated fats that can keep you feeling fuller for longer periods of time.
Any form of fresh fruit including berries is a great way of enjoying natural sugars when cutting back on excess calories and maintaining a healthy and nutritionally balanced diet.
Fruits such as berries are a great source of flavonoids that help regulate cellular activity in the body and protect the body from cellular damage.
Legumes:
Beans and lentils are great sources of protein and fiber that can help you maintain a clean bill of health while intermittent fasting.
Legumes have almost no fat or cholesterol content and are rich in zinc, proteins, iron, and magnesium.
Looking for foods for your Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan? Check this out: https://www.thefoodcoachltd.com/best-foods-to-eat-for-intermittent-fasting/
A list of the Best Meal Plans for Intermittent Fasting:
It can become pretty confusing to curate a meal plan for a restrictive diet schedule like Intermittent fasting.
Whether you are an Intermittent Fasting beginner or an intermittent fasting expert, finding foods that provide a nutritionally balanced diet without breaking your fast, can be a bewildering task.
From Beginner friendly meal plans to expert-level meals for intermittent fasting, here is a list of some of the best meal plans for intermittent fasting you can try out if you are confused or bored with your daily meals:
Beginner Meal Plan for Intermittent Fasting:
As an intermittent fasting beginner, it is important to start sectioning and curating foods carefully.
In fact, starting your intermittent fasting plan by eating from 8 am to 6 pm is a great way to test your limits.
Here is a beginner-friendly meal for intermittent you can try to achieve optimum results:
Breakfast: 8 a.m.
Green smoothie:
- a whole avocado
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon of chia seeds
- 1 handful of berries
- 1 cup of any leafy green of your choice (kale, chard, spinach)
Lunch: 12 p.m.
Burgers made with grass-fed beef liver:
Here is what you need to prepare the perfect patty to go along with your favorite whole-grain burger buns.
- ½ pound of grass-fed beef liver
- ½ grass-fed beef (ground beef)
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cumin powder
- Cooking oil
Dinner: 5:30 p.m.
Salmon and veggie plate:
- 1 pound of salmon or any other heart-healthy fish
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of ghee
- 4 cloves of finely diced garlic
- Fresh veggies and leafy greens
Intermediate Meal Plan for Intermittent Fasting:
This intermediate plan allows you to fast for about 18 hours with an eating window between 12 pm to 6 pm
This plan is suitable for people who do not enjoy breakfast foods or have to leave for work early in the morning.
- First meal at 12 p.m: grass-fed liver burger with a whole avocado
- Snacks and munchies at 2 p.m: nuts and seeds of your choice
- Second meal or dinner 5:30 p.m: salmon and veggie plate
5/2 Meal Plan for Intermittent Fasting:
A 5/2 intermittent fasting schedule is where you fast for two days a week and eat for the remaining five days.
Since the 5/2 intermittent fasting schedule is a non-restrictive eating plan, you can have clean meals throughout the five days you are not fasting.
Here is a meal plan for the 5/2 Intermittent Fasting eating schedule covering all 7 days of the week:
Monday: Whole day of fasting
Tuesday: Clean Meal: a fresh veggie salad, healthy fats, fruits, lean proteins
Wednesday: a fresh veggie salad, healthy fats, fruits, lean proteins
Thursday: Whole day of fasting
Friday: a fresh veggie salad, healthy fats, fruits, lean proteins
Saturday: a fresh veggie salad, healthy fats, fruits, lean proteins
Sunday: a fresh veggie salad, healthy fats, fruits, lean proteins
Alternate day Meal Plan for Intermittent Fasting:
Alternate Day Intermittent Fasting eating schedule is where you fast for alternate days and eat for alternate days of the week.
On the days you are allowed to eat, make sure you consume clean meals encompassing vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and natural sugars to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet.