If you’re looking to reduce inflammation in the body and better support your gut health, your eating pattern is a good place to start. In this meal plan, you’ll find an abundance of anti-inflammatory foods, such as colorful fruit and vegetables, nuts, legumes, healthy fats and fish. Plus, each day offers at least 30 grams of fiber to help support your gut health and healthy digestion.
Why This Meal Plan Is Great for You
Some inflammation can be beneficial to our bodies, like acute inflammation that happens when you are recovering from an injury or infection. However, chronic inflammation is a low-grade more longterm type of inflammation that is harder to notice and can lead to some negative health implications like higher chronic disease risk. Fortunately, eating an anti-inflammatory diet can help remedy some of the symptoms that go with chronic inflammation, like joint pain, brain fog and low energy levels. The anti-inflammatory diet focuses on eating foods high in antioxidants like produce and legumes, but also limits consuming foods that may promote inflammation such as ultra-processed foods and added sugar. This meal plan is packed with antioxidant-rich foods like berries, fatty fish, beans and dark leafy greens to help you keep chronic inflammation at bay.
Fiber is a nutrient that most people don’t get enough of, but it’s really important for our health. It helps keep you regular and also supports a healthy gut microbiome, which has been linked with improved immune function, better heart health, reduced risk of cognitive decline and more. Eating enough fiber not only benefits your gut, but additionally can help reduce inflammation. Research shows that higher fiber intake may lower inflammation markers. For this reason, we included at least 30 grams of fiber per day in this plan.
This 1,800-calorie meal plan has modifications for 1,500 and 2,000 calories to support those with different calorie needs. While we previously included meal plans and modifications for 1,200 calories, we no longer do. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting your calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, plus it’s unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.
Day 1
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel
Breakfast (412 calories)
- 1 serving of Rainbow Frittata
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread
- ½ cup of red grapes
A.M. Snack (145 calories)
- 1 cup of raspberries
- ½ cup of low-fat greek yogurt
Lunch (752 calories)
P.M. Snack (64 calories)
Dinner (419 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,794 calories, 93g fat, 22g saturated fat, 75g protein, 177g carbohydrate, 46g fiber, 1,958 mg sodium
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit bread at breakfast and A.M. snack
Make it 2,000 calories: Add Spiced Roasted Walnuts to P.M. snack
Day 2
Diana Chistruga
Breakfast (422 calories)
A.M. Snack (209 calories)
Lunch (477 calories)
P.M. Snack (205 calories)
Dinner (528 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,790 calories, 101g fat, 26g saturated fat, 77g protein, 156g carbohydrate, 40g fiber, 1,851 mg sodium
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit P.M. snack
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 2 boiled eggs to P.M snack
Day 3
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser
Breakfast (422 calories)
A.M. Snack (259 calories)
Lunch (491 calories)
P.M. Snack (144 calories)
- ½ cup of low-fat greek yogurt
- 2 plums
Dinner (472 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,783 calories, 71g fat, 29g saturated fat, 93g protein, 201g carbohydrate, 38g fiber, 1,923 mg sodium
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit the A.M. snack
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 medium orange to breakfast and ½ an avocado to lunch
Day 4
Breakfast (422 calories)
A.M Snack (349 calories)
Lunch (491 calories)
P.M. Snack (64 calories)
Dinner (460 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,785 calories, 78g fat, 23g saturated fat, 93g protein, 194 carbohydrate, 40g fiber, 1,691 mg sodium
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit Lemon-Blueberry Smoothie at A.M. snack
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 boiled egg to P.M. snack and ½ an avocado to lunch
Day 5
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke
Breakfast (422 calories)
A.M. Snack (308 calories)
Lunch (491 calories)
P.M. Snack (266 calories)
Dinner (323 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,810 calories, 70g fat, 20g saturated fat, 73g protein, 244g carbohydrate, 51g fiber, 1,662 mg sodium
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit the A.M. snack
Make it 2,000 calories: Add ½ an avocado to lunch
Day 6
Breakfast (431 calories)
A.M. Snack (144 calories)
- ½ cup of low-fat greek yogurt
- 2 plums
Lunch (627 calories)
P.M. Snack (205 calories)
Dinner (412 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,819 calories, 97g fat, 16g saturated fat, 90g protein, 149g carbohydrate, 35g fiber, 1,4443 mg sodium
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit A.M. and P.M. snack
Make it 2,000 calories: Add two scrambled eggs to breakfast
Day 7
Breakfast (390 calories)
A.M. Snack (247 calories)
Lunch (436 calories)
P.M. Snack (146 calories)
- 1 cup of raspberries
- ½ cup of low-fat greek yogurt
Dinner (578 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,797 calories, 71g fat, 15g saturated fat, 99g protein, 207g carbohydrate, 40g fiber, 2,143 mg sodium
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit A.M. snack
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 serving of Spiced Roasted Walnuts to P.M. Snack
How to Meal Prep Your Week of Meals:
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is it OK to mix and match meals if there is one I do not like?Yes! This meal plan is meant to serve as a framework for an anti-inflammatory diet. It doesn’t need to be followed exactly to reap the benefits. When choosing recipes, we made sure to check calories, fiber, protein and sodium if you want them to align the parameters of this plan and be within our sodium limits. If you’re making a recipe swap, it may be helpful to choose a recipe with similar calories, fiber, protein and sodium levels. For more inspiration, check out these delicious anti-inflammatory recipes.
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Can I eat the same breakfast or lunch every day?Definitely, it’s fine to eat the same breakfast or lunch every day. Each breakfast ranges from 390 to 431 calories while each lunch spans 436 to 752 calories. These ranges are fairly close, though if you’re closely monitoring your calories or other nutrients, like protein, you may want to adjust a snack or two.
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Why is there not a modification for 1,200 calories?We no longer provide modifications for 1,200-calorie days in our meal plans. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, plus it’s unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.
How We Create Meal Plans
Registered dietitians thoughtfully create EatingWell’s meal plans to be easy-to-follow and delicious. Each meal plan meets specific parameters depending on the health condition and/or lifestyle goal it is targeting and is analyzed for accuracy using the nutrition database, ESHA Food Processor. As nutritional needs differ from person to person, we encourage you to use these plans as inspiration and adjust as you see fit.
