Clean Eating Meal Plan

Although the term “clean eating” is relatively new and trendy, this style of eating is actually one that has been around for centuries. 

Many people describe clean eating as consuming foods that your great-great grandmother would easily recognize (no Fruit Loops, Hot Cheetos, or Crunch Wrap Supremes, for example), which entails eating whole foods that are minimally processed and unrefined. 

With an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, legumes, lean protein, and fish, this clean diet plan can help get you started on your healthy eating journey. 

What Is Clean Eating?

While there is no set definition for clean eating, it typically involves eating foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.

A clean eating diet will include fruits, vegetables, proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats while limiting overly processed and refined foods, additives, artificial ingredients, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Although the term “clean eating” has its downsides—including implying that other foods are “dirty”—eating in this style generally reflects a nutritious, whole-food based diet that minimizes processed foods high in salt, sugar, and additives. 

Clean Eating Foods List

• Vegetables: Any and all types of vegetables—including frozen veggies—are recommended on a clean eating diet. Examples include lettuce, kale, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and bok choy. 
• Fruit: All fresh and frozen fruit is allowed on a clean eating diet. Examples include apples, pears, banana, berries, melon, mango, pineapple, and pomegranate.
• Proteins: Eggs, chicken, turkey, tuna (canned or fresh), salmon or other fatty fish, white fish, shellfish, seafood, pork, and beef. The best choices are grass-fed (beef), pasture-raised (poultry, pork, and eggs), or wild-caught (fish). 
• Healthy Fats: Olives and olive oil, avocados and avocado oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter.
• Dairy: Yogurt and Greek yogurt, kefir, milk, cheese (feta, ricotta, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, etc.), cottage cheese. Organic and grass-fed are the best choices for dairy products, if possible. 
• Dairy Alternatives: Unsweetened almond, cashew, hemp, or coconut milk with no additives or preservatives. 
• Beans and Legumes: Black beans, white beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), lentils, etc.
• 100% Whole Grains: Oats, whole wheat, farro, rye, barley, buckwheat, quinoa
• Nuts and Seeds: Any plain, raw, roasted, or salted nuts or nut butter (with no sugar or preservatives added).
• Sweeteners: Pure maple syrup, organic coconut sugar, raw honey, dates and date sugar, monk fruit, yacon root.

Foods to Avoid When Clean Eating

As you can see, there are dozens of foods that you can eat while focusing on clean eating. 

However, there are some types of foods that are not recommended for a clean eating diet, as they are less nutritionally dense and tend to consist of empty calories. 

Foods to avoid when on a clean eating diet include:

• Highly processed foods, including most packaged foods, snacks, frozen meals, and fast food
• Refined carbohydrates: White pasta, white bread, cookies, crackers, pastries
• Processed meats: Most types of hot dogs, bacon, deli lunch meat, and sausage
• Sugar-sweetened beverages: Soda, juice, sports drinks, sweetened coffee or tea
• Artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and preservatives
• Alcohol

7-Day Clean Eating Meal Plan for Beginners

Day 1

• Breakfast: Southwestern scramble with 2-3 eggs, black beans, diced bell peppers and onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh salsa with no additives
• Lunch: Tuna salad (canned wild-caught tuna like Safe Catch, avocado oil mayonnaise like Primal Kitchen, mustard, and diced pickles) with healthy crackers like Simple Mills or Mary’s Gone Crackers
• Snack: Healthy grass-fed meat stick like Chomps, ¼ cup of mixed nuts, and ½ cup of berries 
• Dinner: Baked salmon (we get ASC-certified, no-color-added salmon from Crowd Cow) with a side of broccoli salad (Recipe: Broccoli Crunch Salad)

Day 2

• Breakfast: Yogurt, fruit, and homemade granola bowl (Recipe: Turmeric Tahini Granola)
• Lunch: Greek chicken salad with romaine lettuce or spring mix, sliced roasted lemon chicken, olives, tomato, sliced red onion, feta, sliced cucumber, and a Greek dressing (red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, and dried oregano)
• Snack: Nut butter with a sliced pear (Recipe: Homemade Walnut Butter)
• Dinner: Grass-fed steak (there are 100% grass-fed options at Crowd Cow), roasted red potatoes, and roasted broccoli with lemon juice

Day 3

• Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs and avocado toast on whole wheat or fresh sourdough
• Lunch: Mediterranean-style sandwich with whole-wheat bread, hummus, red bell pepper, sliced feta cheese, spinach, and cucumber (Recipe: Homemade Hummus)
• Snack: Chia pudding (Recipe: Chocolate Chia Pudding)
• Dinner: Asian-style ground turkey lettuce cups (Butter lettuce cups filled with a mixture of cooked ground turkey, diced green onions, water chestnuts, soy sauce or tamari, and sesame oil)

Day 4

• Breakfast: Protein smoothie (Recipe: Healthy Chocolate Coffee Protein Smoothie)
• Lunch: Arugula, grilled chicken, and pesto salad with pine nuts and goat cheese
• Snack: Peanut butter oatmeal balls (Recipe: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls)
• Dinner: Pistachio-crusted salmon and side of roasted carrots, potatoes, and onions (Recipe: Date & Pistachio Crusted Salmon)

Day 5

• Breakfast: Healthy blueberry pancakes with 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup and 1 Tbsp natural nut butter (Recipe: Blueberry Pancakes)
• Lunch: Healthy turkey wrap with a whole-wheat tortilla, nitrite-free sliced turkey (like Applegate), sliced organic provolone cheese, spinach, mustard, and avocado oil mayonnaise like Primal Kitchen Pesto Mayo 
• Snack: Sliced veggie sticks, healthy chips, like Siete Grain-Free Chips, and dip (Recipe: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip)
• Dinner: Taco salad with grass-fed ground beef, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, diced red onion, salsa with no additives, black beans, and an avocado-oil-based dressing like Primal Kitchen Cilantro Lime 

Day 6

• Breakfast: Egg hash with onions, tomatoes, beans, corn, and sweet potato (Recipe: Southwestern Egg Hash)
• Lunch: Chopped veggie salad with chickpeas, cucumber, herbs, lemon, and more (Recipe: Chopped Lemon Veggie Salad)
• Snack: Organic string cheese and mixed nuts
• Dinner: Cauliflower fried rice with ground chicken (Recipe: Cauliflower Fried Rice)

Day 7

• Breakfast: Whole-wheat English muffin with almond butter; Side of cottage cheese and fruit
• Lunch: Kale salad with apple, feta cheese, and walnuts (Recipe: Kale Apple Salad)
• Snack: Whole-wheat pita chips and hummus (Recipe: Homemade Hummus)
• Dinner: Turkey burger with homemade sweet potato fries and ketchup with no added sugar (like Primal Kitchen Ketchup) (Recipe: Easy Turkey Burger)

FAQs About Clean Eating