Clean-Eating Meal Plan for Beginners

The term "clean eating" perhaps implies that other foods are "dirty," but in reality, that's not the case. To us, "clean eating" means filling your plate with nutritious whole foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats and legumes—all of which deliver important nutrients, like fiber—while keeping things like added sugars, sodium and saturated fats to a minimum, nutrients that can harm our health when we eat too much.

What Is a Clean-Eating Meal Plan?

A clean-eating meal plan includes tons of fresh fruits and veggies, high-fiber whole grains and legumes, healthy fats and lean proteins (like fish and chicken). It skips added sugars and minimizes sodium and saturated fats that can damage our hearts when we eat too much of them. While we are certainly not against sweets, according to the American Heart Association, the average American consumes way more added sugar than the recommended upper limit of 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 for men. Often, a lot of the added sugar we consume comes from non-dessert foods, like cereals and bars. While we left these foods out of this plan, you can certainly add them back in where you see fit.

This plan will leave you feeling satisfied because it includes plenty of nutrients that keep us full, like fiber (from fruits, vegetables and legumes), lean proteins (from Greek yogurt, fish and chicken) and healthy fats (from nuts and avocado). Regular meals and snacks from nutritious sources, plenty of water to help you stay hydrated and moderate exercise throughout the week means more lasting energy.

If you're following this clean-eating meal plan for weight loss, we set the calorie level at 1,500 per day, which is a level where most people lose weight, plus included modifications for 1,200 and 2,000 calories a day, depending on your calorie needed.

What to Eat on a Clean Eating Diet

• Vegetables: The more, the better, especially when it comes to leafy greens. Plain frozen vegetables are a great option too.
• Fruit: Opt for fresh or plain frozen fruit. If looking at canned fruit, opt for options canned in water or fruit juice instead of sugary syrup. Drain and rinse fruit canned in syrup.
• Whole Grains: Oats, whole wheat bread, barley and quinoa are great options.
• Nuts and Seeds: Choose plain, raw, roasted or salted nuts but skip most other flavors (like honey) as they contained added sugars. When choosing peanut butter, opt for brands with just two ingredients: peanuts and salt.
• Healthy Fats: Fatty fish, like salmon, as well as olive oil, canola and avocado, are great healthy fat options.
• Legumes: Beans and lentils are high in fiber and protein, plus the canned options are convenient pantry staples.
• Lean Proteins: When choosing proteins, opt for more chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat Greek yogurt and legumes.
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