Sweets and cakes can really be a part of a wholesome diet, but occasionally it is okay to go overboard with added sugar, in particular at some point during the holidays, birthdays, and other celebrations. While consuming sugar sparingly may not derail your entire diet, the truth is that most people consume far more sugar than they require. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on average, American adults eat 17 teaspoons (sixty eight grams) of added sugar each day; that's significantly more than the American Heart Association's recommended maximum of 6 teaspoons for ladies and nine for men. You may already avoid the 12-ounce can of soda with 39 grams of sugar; however, did you know that a standard five-ounce container of blueberry yogurt has eleven grams of added sugar? That's 2 three/four teaspoons, or nearly half of your daily recommended maximum. Over time, an excessive amount of sugar can result in primary fitness troubles like type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Focusing on protein and fiber-rich meals allows you to enjoy pleasure while avoiding sugar. Protein's RDA is 0.18 grams per kilogram of body weight, which you can calculate by multiplying your weight in kilos by 0.36. To put this into perspective, a 45-year-old antique female who lives a sedentary lifestyle and weighs 150 kilos per day consumes 54 grams of protein per day. To get greater specificity, you could use the USDA's on-line calculator.
This 7-day sugar-free meal plan includes 75 grams of protein per day. At the same time, while this is not a weight loss plan in and of itself, sticking to this 1,500-calorie meal plan that avoids added sugars and focuses on satisfying protein can help most people lose weight. Adjustments for 1,200, 2,100, and 3,000 calories per afternoon are included for people with high calorie needs.
How to Meal-Prep Your Week of Meals:
- Make the one-pot lentil and vegetable soup with Parmesan for dinner on day 1 and lunch on days 2 and 3.
- Make the Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup) for dinner on day five and for lunch on days 6 and 7.
- On days 2–4, make the Copycat Starbucks Spinach and Mushroom Egg Bites for breakfast.
Breakfast (364 energy)
- 1 serving Egg & Avocado Toast with Spinach & Salsa
- 1 medium peach
lunch (584 energy)
- 1 serving: Hot Turkey Pesto Sandwich
- 1 cup pod edamame
- 1 serving One-Pot Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
Daily Totals: 1,512 energy; 65g fats; 93g protein; 140g carbohydrate; 34g fiber; 1,538mg sodium
To make it one thousand two hundred energy: Omit the morning and afternoon snacks and decrease the pesto from 1 Tbsp. to at least 1 Tbsp. on the sandwich at lunch.
To make it 2,000 calories: Add a half cup of unsalted roasted cashews to your morning snack, and you'll have at least one and a half cups of edamame for your afternoon snack.
Day 2
Breakfast (302 kilocalories)
- 1 serving Copycat Spinach and Mushroom Egg Bites
- 1 whole-wheat bread slice
- 1 1/4 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 banana, medium
- 2 Tbsp. creamy herbal peanut butter
- 1 serving One-Pot Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
- 32 unsalted, dry-roasted almonds
- 1 serving Chicken, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Casserole
Daily Totals: 1,518 energy, 67g fats, 75g protein, 158g carbohydrate, 31g fiber, 1,482mg sodium
To make it one thousand two hundred energy: Omit peanut butter at the AM snack and decrease almonds to 18 at the PM snack.
To make it 2,000 calories: Increase to two slices of bread and 1 1/2 cups strawberries for breakfast, one-fourth cup peanut butter for an a.m. snack, and half a cup almonds for a p.m. snack.
Day 3
Breakfast (236 energy)
- 1 serving Copycat Spinach and Mushroom Egg Bites
- 1 whole-wheat bread slice
- 1 cup pod edamame
- 1 serving One-Pot Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
- 20 unsalted, dry-roasted almonds
- 1 medium apple
- 1 Garlic Butter-Roasted Salmon with Potatoes and Asparagus
Daily Totals: 1,511 energy, 70g fats, 90g protein, 136g carbohydrate, 31g fiber, 1,399mg sodium
To make it one thousand two hundred energy: Omit bread at breakfast and pass over the p.m. snack.
To make it 2,000 calories: Increase to two slices of bread for breakfast; edamame to at least one of three or four cups for an afternoon snack; and almonds to a half cup for an evening snack.
Day 4
Breakfast (302 kcal)
- 1 serving Copycat Spinach and Mushroom Egg Bites
- 1 whole-wheat bread slice
- 1 1/4 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 cup pod edamame
- Salad with Chickpeas and Tuna
- 1 massive pear, 12 walnut halves
- 1 casserole serving cheesy ground beef and cauliflower
Daily Totals: 1,497 energy, 76g fats, 86g protein, 123g carbohydrate, 33g fiber, 1,786mg sodium
To make it 1,200 energy, leave out the P.M. snack.
To make it 2,000 calories, add two slices of bread at breakfast; two cups of edamame at lunch; twenty walnuts at dinner; and one serving of basic green salad with vinaigrette at dinner.
Day 5
Breakfast (264 energy)
- 1 cup low-fat simple Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup blackberries
- 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds
- 1 cup pod edamame
- Salad with Chickpeas and Tuna
- 1/3 cup unsalted, dry-roasted almonds
- 1 serving Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)
Daily Totals: 1,511 energy, 79g fats, 99g protein, 103g carbohydrate, 27g fiber, 1,422mg sodium
To make it one thousand two hundred energy: Skip the blueberries at the AM snack and skip them at the PM snack.
To make it 2,000 calories: Increase blackberries to at least one cup and almonds to at least one or three cups at breakfast; boom edamame to two cups at the a.m. snack; and upload 1 serving of basic green salad with vinaigrette to dinner.
Day 6
Breakfast (275 energy)
- 1 slice Apple & Peanut Butter Toast
- 1 cup low-fat simple Greek yogurt
- 14 cup blueberries
- 1 serving Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)
- 1/four cup unsalted, dry-roasted almonds
- 1 serving Quinoa-Avocado Salad
Daily Totals: 1,497 energy, 84g fats, 76g protein, 124g carbohydrate, 24g fiber, 1,355mg sodium
To make it one thousand two hundred energy: Reduce the AM snack to half a cup of yogurt and skip the PM snack.
To make it 2,000 calories: Increase blueberries to at least one cup at a.m. snack, boom almonds to a half cup at p.m. snack, upload 1 massive pear to lunch, and upload 1 serving of basic green salad with vinaigrette to dinner.
Day 7
Breakfast (264 energy)
- 1 cup low-fat simple Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup blackberries
- 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds
- 1 banana, medium
- 1 Tbsp. creamy herbal peanut butter
- 1 serving Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)
- 1 massive pear, 2 walnut halves
- 1 serving sun-dried tomato cream sauce with chicken cutlets
- 1 cooked cup brown rice
Daily Totals: 1,495 energy, 62g fats, 86g protein, 152g carbohydrate, 22g fiber, 1,115mg sodium
To make it one thousand two hundred energy: Omit almonds at breakfast, pass over peanut butter at the AM snack, switch to a small pear at the PM snack, and decrease to at least one-fourth cup of rice at dinner.
To make it 2,000 calories: Increase almonds at breakfast to at least one-fourth cup, boom peanut butter to at least one-fourth cup at the a.m. snack, and boom rice to at least one cup at dinner.