A high-fiber diet is one of the best ways to live. It will help to keep your sugar levels down, meaning you can reduce your risk of problems like Type II diabetes. The fiber will also help to keep your digestive system working, reducing and relieving symptoms of IBS, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory disease, and more.
But where do you start? What do you need to eat to enjoy a high-fiber diet?
When it comes to changing your lifestyle, you need to get a meal plan together. This is the best way to avoid the question of what you’ll eat that day. You’ll be able to overcome the issue of thinking about meal ideas and throwing things together at the end of the day.
Here’s a 7-day meal plan to work with your high-fiber diet. We have two meal plans to work for weight loss and weight maintenance.
A 7-Day Meal Plan for a High-Fibre Weight Loss Diet
When you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body needs to burn. Your body needs at least 1,200 calories from food and drink to support all functions. The rest of the calories will come from the stores in the body. This meal plan gives you the minimum calories you need. If you want to add a little extra food, opt for more fruit or some beans on whole grain toast. You’ll get up to 300 extra calories a day.
Day 1
Breakfast: Start your day with an egg breakfast. You’ll get both fiber and protein in your meal, giving you energy until your next meal.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup of black beans, rinsed and heated through
- 2tbsp salsa
- 1tbsp cheddar cheese, grated
Method:
- Beat the eggs and then scramble with a little olive oil to prevent sticking to the pan
- Place the beans on the bottom of the plate and then top with the rest of the ingredients
You can add some hot sauce if you would like.
Morning Snack: Have a handful of raspberries to eat when you start to feel mildly hungry. This is usually around 10-11am if you have your breakfast before work.
Lunch: You can still eat bread when you’re on a high fiber diet. It’s all about the type of bread that you eat. This turkey and cheese melt is perfect.
Ingredients:
- 1 slice of whole grain bread
- 2tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 slices of deli turkey
- 2 slices of tomato
- 1 slice of cheese
Method:
- Spread the mustard on the bread in place of butter
- Layer the ingredients in the cheese on top
- Place under the grill and toast until the cheese melts
Finish with a medium plum.
Afternoon Snack: Enjoy a medium pear around 3pm to get rid of the afternoon slump
Dinner: Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a large evening meal with dessert to survive until breakfast. You just need to put the right ingredients together.
Make a shrimp and avocado salad with all your favorite vegetables. Don’t forget to add some kale or spinach in place of lettuce. They will give you far more nutrients than any lettuce could.
Opt for a whole wheat baguette on the side. You can drizzle with some olive oil for the healthy fats, and it will make you feel fuller throughout the night.
Day 2
Breakfast: Porridge oats are a powerful way to start the day. They’re packed with fiber without any gluten, especially if you get plain, natural oats.
Use half a cup of rolled oats with a cup of 1% milk. You can then top with a third cup of raspberries or blueberries for natural sweetness. Finish off with a pinch of cinnamon.
Morning Snack: Use dry-roasted, unsalted almonds to keep you satisfied until lunchtime. You only need 1.5 tbsp almonds for your snack.
Lunch: Enjoy a Southwest Salad for your second lunch of the week.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of mixed greens
- 1/3 cup of black beans, rinsed
- ½ a green bell pepper, chopped
- 8 cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
- ¼ medium avocado, diced
- 1tbsp Cheddar cheese, grated
Mix everything in a bowl and serve with olive oil and red wine vinegar combined and drizzled over the top. If you’re taking this salad to work, keep the dressing separate and pour over the top when you’re ready to eat.
Afternoon Snack: Opt for an orange. If you’re opting for Satsumas, have two.
Dinner: You can enjoy Mac and Cheese for your dinner, made with whole wheat macaroni. Add some collards to the mixture, so you get extra fiber and nutrients.
Have a cup of broccoli on the side, steamed to keep all the nutrients intact.
Day 3
Breakfast: You’ll want to make your breakfast ahead of time. Create some peanut butter and chia berry muffins. Peanut butter can be good for you, as it’s full of healthy fats and protein. You don’t need a lot of it in your diet, though.
If you’re allergic to peanut butter, opt for almond butter or sun butter. The exact type will depend on the specifics of your allergy.
Morning Snack: A few vegetable sticks with 2tbsp hummus. Hummus is made from chickpeas, and you can create your own if you’d like. You’ll get plenty of protein and fiber from it. Opt for a mixture of celery, carrot, and bell pepper sticks for dipping. For more info on hummus for diabetics, check it out here.
Lunch: It’s time for another salad, but this is a side one with some cheesy toast slices
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of whole wheat baguette
- 1oz goat cheese
- 4 figs, dried and chopped
- 1tsp honey
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 2tsp olive oil
- 2tsp lemon juice
Method:
- Spread the cheese over the baguette slices and top with the figs and honey
- Place the greens on a side plate and drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice
Afternoon Snack: 1 apple. Keep the apple medium in size and opt for Royal Gala or Pink Lady, rather than the sweeter Granny Smith.
Dinner: Quinoa is something that you want to stock up on for your high-fiber diet. You’ll be surprised at the ways you can use it. This is just one option for your dinner on day three.
Ingredients:
- 4oz salmon
- 1/4tsp oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cups of Brussle sprouts, cooked and halved
- 1tsp olive oil
- 1/4tsp garlic powder
- ¾ cup quinoa, cooked
Method:
- Spray some olive oil over your salmon and season with the oregano and some salt and pepper
- Roast until fully cooked
- Place the cooked Brussels sprouts in a bowl and combine with the olive oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper
- Plate everything up with the quinoa on the side
Day 4
Breakfast: Opt for the same breakfast that you had on day one. It may sound boring, but it will keep your meal planning easier and your shopping budget down.
Morning Snack: It’s time for another orange. If Satsumas, then you can have two.
Lunch: Yes, you do get something different today. A veggie wrap is on the menu.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap
- 2tbsp hummus
- ¼ avocado, mashed
- 1 cup of sliced vegetables of choice
- 2tbsp Cheddar cheese
Method:
- Spread the avocado and hummus over the top of the wrap
- Layer your vegetables and the cheese and then wrap up
When you have this next time, you can change the type of vegetables you put in. Try a mixture of all your favorites.
Afternoon Snack:
- 1 tbsp dry-roasted and unsalted almonds
- 3 figs, dried
Dinner: We’re not making you go meat-free today. Sometimes it’s best to just stick to meat for just one meal of the day.
Opt for a beef and bean chili. Pack it with a mixture of beans for the fibrous benefits. Don’t eat the whole pot of chili. Save some for lunch the next day
Day 5
Breakfast: Create a berry and flax seed smoothie. This is an excellent breakfast when you’re on the go, so plan the start of the week around this.
Finish with some almonds. Just 1 ½ tbsp is enough.
Morning Snack: It’s back to the vegetable sticks and hummus again.
Lunch: Enjoy your leftover chili from the night before.
Afternoon Snack: Enjoy a pear to satisfy you at dinner time
Dinner: Are you missing some of the unhealthy food choices you made in the past, like pizza? Well, pizza isn’t completely banned. This is a slight variation to enjoy for dinner on day five.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap
- 1tsp olive oil, for brushing
- 5 tomato slices
- 3 red onion slices
- 3tbsp mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1tsp dried basil
- 2 cups of mixed greens
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method:
- Brush the wrap with the tsp of olive oil
- Layer the vegetables and cheese
- Place under the grill and toast until the cheese melts
- Top with the basil
- Serve with the mixed greens on the side, topped with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Day 6
Breakfast: It’s time for porridge oats again, topped with some fruits. Remember that you can use either fresh or frozen fruit.
Morning Snack: Chop up some vegetable sticks and serve with the hummus dip.
Lunch: It’s time to adapt that fig and goats cheese baguette. Remove the baguette and create a salad with the ingredients, adding some slivered almonds. Create a dressing from the olive oil, honey, and some balsamic vinegar.
Afternoon Snack: A medium plum is perfect after that delicious salad
Dinner: Create a burrito in a bowl. You’ll want to use chicken, and make sure you make enough to enjoy a serving for lunch the next day. This will help to cut down on the amount of food you need to buy and planning you need to do.
Day 7
Breakfast: Enjoy one of your peanut butter and chia berry muffins
Afternoon Snack: It’s time for more almonds. This time 2tbsp because your breakfast wouldn’t have been as filling as previous days.
Lunch: You can opt for the burrito in a bowl leftover if you want. If you’re not interested in that, then you can make another tortilla pizza. This will depend on whether you need something portable or not.
Afternoon Snack: A cup of raspberries is all you need to finish off your week. Alternatively, you can have a cup of blackberries or blueberries.
Dinner: Create a delicious chicken Caesar salad. You can opt for a store-bought dressing, but you’re better off making your own.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of mixed greens
- 3oz cooked chicken, chopped
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 slices of whole wheat baguette
Method:
- Combine the salad ingredients
- Add 2tbsp Caesar dressing and toss together
- Serve with the baguette slices, drizzled with a little olive oil
Adding Extra Calories to Maintain Your Weight
If you want to maintain your weight, you’ll need to add more calories. Most women need around 2,000 calories a day. This meal plan will add the extra amounts. You’ll want to follow the one above with the additions below.
Day 1
Breakfast: Add 1/3 cup of beans. Add a quarter avocado, chopped.
Morning Snack: Add a quarter cup of almonds, as well as your fruit.
Lunch: Double the ingredients, so you get two melts instead of just the one. Finish the meal with two medium carrots instead of a plum.
Afternoon Snack: Add half a cup of plain Greek yogurt with a tsp of honey.
Dinner: Make more of the salad and add an extra slice of baguette; Finish off with a medium orange or two Satsumas.
Day 2
Breakfast: Opt for ¾ cup of rolled oats with 1 ½ cups of the milk. You can also add some honey to the topping if you’d like.
Morning Snack: Add more almonds and enjoy a plum as well.
Lunch: Add extra of each of your ingredients. You’ll only need to increase by a small amount, such as a half a cup of beans instead of a third cup.
Afternoon Snack: This is the same as the meal plan above.
Dinner: Increase the amount of the Mac and Cheese that you eat. Add a cup of green beans to the side.
Evening Snack: Yes, today you get an evening snack. Opt for 2tbsp dark chocolate chips. This can be a dessert instead of a snack.
Day 3
Breakfast: Have a cup of Greek yogurts with 2tsp of honey as well as your muffin.
Morning Snack: Opt for more vegetable stacks and an ounce of Cheddar cheese, along with increasing the hummus to a quarter cup.
Lunch: Opt for three slices of the baguette, and increase the rest of the ingredient amounts slightly.
Afternoon Snack: Have 2tbsp of almonds, as well as the apple.
Dinner: Make your salmon larger and opt for larger portions of quinoa and Brussels sprouts.
Day 4
Breakfast: Follow the same tip as for Day 1’s breakfast.
Morning Snack: Have 2tbsp of chocolate chips with your orange, ensuring they are dark.
Lunch: Increase the amount of the vegetables you put into your wrap.
Afternoon Snack: Increase a number of almonds you have a quarter cup.
Dinner: Have a larger portion of the chili, with 2 cups of mixed green salad on the side, using red wine vinegar and olive oil to drizzle,
Day 5
Breakfast: Switch out the almonds for an English muffin toasted with 1tbsp of peanut butter on the top.
Morning Snack: Opt for a quarter cup of hummus with a larger portion of vegetable sticks.
Lunch: Opt for a larger portion of the chili with an orange to finish.
Afternoon Snack: Add 3tbsp of almonds with your pear.
Dinner: Have two pizzas instead of just the one, adding some pine nuts and balsamic vinegar over the top.
Day 6
Breakfast: Like the previous porridge breakfast, add more oats, milk, and raspberries and add some honey over the top.
Morning Snack: Increase the hummus to a quarter cup and add a few extra vegetable sticks.
Lunch: Increase a number of ingredients slightly.
Afternoon Snack: Switch the plum for an English muffin toasted with some peanut butter over the top.
Dinner: Enjoy a little more of the burrito bowl, with 10 multigrain tortilla chips to dip in.
Evening Snack: It’s another day to add an evening snack, adding dark chocolate chips to the end of your day.
Day 7
Breakfast: Add the Greek yogurt with honey to the muffin.
Morning Snack: Increase a number of almonds to a quarter cup and add a cup of raspberries or other similar fruits.
Lunch: Increase your portion of leftovers slightly. If the pizza, increase the number of vegetables you put on the single tortilla pizza.
Afternoon Snack: Switch the raspberries for apple, and add 1.5 tbsp peanut butter for dipping.
Dinner: Increase the number of ingredients you add, with some grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.
Enjoy Your High-Fibre Lifestyle
You don’t have to give up foods for a high-fiber diet. The two meal plans above will give you different options, depending on whether you want to lose weight or maintain it. You can also add extra fibers if you want to lose weight but eat more than the 1,200 calories a day.
Bread is allowed, but look out for whole wheat options. The same applies to any pasta you eat. Replacing your rice with quinoa is an excellent option for more protein and fiber in your diet.
Your high-fiber lifestyle will improve your digestive system. You may only be able to stick to this diet for a couple of weeks, as too much fiber can also cause some bloating and gas.
