I love trying different fasting mimicking diet meal plans and recipes even though the FMD doesn’t require any recipes. Some people drink a green powder shake and eat two avocados each day. You can do that! When I did it last time, I mostly ate broccoli and squash cooked in coconut oil, olives, and avocadoes with my green shakes. Read I Went On My DIY Version of the Fasting Mimicking Diet and This Is What Happened to learn exactly what I ate and my results. This month, I wanted to try out some recipes, and I will share everything with you, from the exact recipes to the meal plan I am using with all the macros.
A Brief Introduction to the Fasting Mimicking Diet
The fasting mimicking diet was developed by Dr. Valter Long, the director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. The fasting mimicking gives you all the benefits of fasting, but you get to eat around 40-50 percent of your normal calorie intake. Among these benefits:
- Weight Loss
- Cleansing
- Cell regeneration
To earn more about all the benefits and the implementation of the fasting mimicking diet read The Fasting Mimicking Diet: Get All the Benefits of Fasting Without Giving Up Food.
What Do You Get to Eat?
You will eat about 40-50 percent of your regular calorie intake for five days. On day one, you eat about 1000 calories, while on days 2-5, you eat around 800. Your meals will be vegan, low in protein, and higher in fat. Here are the two main principles you need to remember:
- Do your best to eat around 10% protein, 45% carbs, and 45% fat.
- Try to consume enough vegetables that amount to 50% of your calories.
You will find it hard to get the exact proportions, do the best you can. You won’t be ruining all the benefits of the fast just because you are a bit off with your macros.
If you would like more guidance to lose weight, reset your hormones, and get fit, don’t forget to check out my 30-Day Intermittent Fasting Transformation, where you will find a Fasting Mimicking Diet Recipe Book, another meal plan, and a Macro/Calorie Tracking Spreadsheet.
My Fasting Mimicking Diet Meal Plan for the Week
I am using Fitness Pal to track my meals, calories, and macros.
Day 1
- Breakfast: Morning Coffee and Green Shake
- Lunch: Apple-Almond Salad
- Dinner: Hearty Red Cabbage Slaw
Nutritional information: 1,009 calories; 41% carbohydrates, 49% fat, 10% protein
Day 2
- Breakfast: Morning Coffee
- Lunch: Green shake with 1/2 an avocado
- Dinner: Indian Potatoes and Cauliflower
Nutritional information: 742 calories; 35% carbohydrates, 53% fat, 12% protein
Day 3
- Breakfast: Morning Coffee
- Lunch: Green shake with 1/2 an avocado
- Dinner: Spinach Hummus and Veggies
Nutritional information: 771 calories; 36% carbohydrates, 52% fat, 12% protein
Day 4
- Breakfast: Morning Coffee
- Lunch: Green shake with 1/2 an avocado
- Dinner: Coconut Curry
Nutritional information: 794 calories; 40% carbohydrates, 49% fat, 11% protein
Day 5
- Breakfast: Morning Coffee
- Lunch: Green shake
- Dinner: Ginger Carrot Soup
Nutritional information: 820 calories; 34% carbohydrates, 57% fat, 9% protein
My Fasting Mimicking Diet Recipes
The fasting mimicking diet meal plan and the recipes were inspired by the Recipe Section on the Fasting Mimicking Reddit board. All the recipes are for one serving.
Day 1
Apple-Almond Salad
- 2 cups apples, chopped
- 3 cups lettuce, shredded
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1 tsp flax oil
- 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
- vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Enjoy!
Hearty Cabbage Slaw
- 1 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/3 cup avocado
- 1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
- 1/4 cup apple, shredded
- fresh cilantro to taste
Mix the avocado with the lemon or lime juice. Add all the other ingredients to a bowl. Enjoy!
Day 2
Indian Potatoes and Cauliflower
- 3 cups cauliflower
- 3/4 cup potatoes
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/8 cup cashews
- curry powder (gluten-free)
- salt to taste
- ginger and garlic, minced
Melt coconut oil in a pot and add all the other ingredients except cauliflower and cashews. Add enough water to prevent your ingredients from burning and salt to taste. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. Add the cauliflower and cook until tender (about 2 minutes). Squeeze on a bit of lemon or lime, and add fresh cilantro. Sprinkle with cashews.
Day 3
Spinach with Hummus and Veggies
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1 Tbsp tahini
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/8 cup of dry chickpeas (or 1/2 cup canned)
- 1 small garlic clove
- salt to taste
- 1/3 cup avocado
- 2 carrots, shredded
Drain and blend chickpeas with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt in a food processor. Use some water if you need to reach the desired consistency. Eat on a bed of lettuce or spinach with shredded carrots and diced avocado.
Day 4
Coconut Curry
- A quarter of a package of tempeh, chopped
- 1 cups carrots, chopped
- 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup onions
- Fresh garlic and ginger
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup broccoli florets
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- curry powder
- salt
Sauté onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil, then add carrots and squash, tempeh, curry powder, and salt. Cook until butternut squash is tender, and add coconut milk and broccoli. Cook until broccoli is bright green.
Day 5
Ginger Carrot Soup
- 1 1/2 cup carrots
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/8 cup onion
- salt
- 12 or 1/8 cup almonds
- 8 oz water or vegetable stock
or bouillon - grated ginger, pressed garlic, ground coriander seeds
Sauté onions, grated ginger (coriander and garlic, if desired), and chopped almonds in oil. Add chopped carrots and water or vegetable broth, seasoning with salt. Cook for about 20 minutes and then puree in a blender. Return to pot and swirl in coconut milk, and heat till warm.
In Summary
Playing with macros and calories to create fasting mimicking diet meal plans has almost become a hobby! It’s fun, so I have created many variations like this Easy 5-Day Detox to Balance Your Hormones and Lose Weight and The Easiest and Simplest Meal Plan Ever For Your Modified Fast. I hope you find them helpful!
Watch the video to see how I planned and prepared the recipes and to learn more about my experience.