https://www.youtube.com/embed/aVopZWdE0y0
- Intermittent fasting
is a really healthy way to boost your energy,
achieve mental clarity, and enhance focus, and lose weight. Today, I want to share with you a simple way to build your intermittent
fasting meal plan, the foods you should include
and some epic recipes to help you get started. In this video, I am not going
to explain the keto diet or talk about net carbs. I'm going to cut to the chase
and share the foods I include in my intermittent fasting meal plan because they are fresh, they
add a variety, and nutrition. If this is your first time here, welcome. I'm Laura, also known around these parts as the internet mom that
will teach you how to cook for yourself and for your family. And I've practiced intermittent fasting for more than eight years with the help of medical professionals,
for different reasons. I've also written about it extensively on my website, in publications. And I have a free download
for you below this video, that includes this food list
I use to build my recipes, and a link to the Intermittent
Fasting for Beginners ebook.
Now, why is a meal plan important when I'm intermittent fasting? Well, like anything you want to achieve, having a written plan will set you up for success for the week. Plus the plan translates
into a shopping list, so you know which foods to
have on hand for the week. When you have healthy foods available, you can eat better and
stick to your goals. A meal plan does not
have to be complicated, and you do not need a different recipe for every meal of the week. That's overwhelming. As you can see in my meal plan,
I keep things really simple by focusing on two or
three recipes per meal. So one breakfast I prep
for a couple of days. I can cook dinner once and
turn that into a few lunches. During your fasting window,
you abstain from eating and stick to drinking water
and zero calorie drinks like tea and black coffee. During your eating window,
whether it's a six hour, 8-hour, or a 10-hour eating window, you can eat as many or
as few meals as you like.
Depending on your lifestyle, you may be a bigger meal person, or more of a healthy smaller meals throughout the day person. This is 100% a personal preference, there's no right or wrong way of doing it. Now, I like to focus
on the following foods when I build my meal plan for the week; lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Some lean protein sources
are chicken, pork, beef, beans and legumes, dairy, eggs, fish, and shellfish, and tofu.
Eating lean protein keeps
you feeling full longer, and it helps you maintain or build muscle. When it comes to fruit, I like to keep things very colorful. So I get the most
vitamins, micronutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. Some of fresh fruits
to consider are apples, all berries, cherries,
peaches, plums, and melons, fresh or frozen, both are acceptable. Cup for cup, vegetables are some the most micronutrient rich foods you can consume. The bonus is that they are relatively low in net carbohydrates,
they are low in calories, and they help keep things moving. Whether you buy fresh
or frozen vegetables, it doesn't matter. And some of my favorites are carrots, broccoli, tomatoes,
cauliflower, green beans, brussel sprouts, kale, spinach,
leafy greens, and cabbage. Now, the great thing about veggies is that they bulk up any meal with volume without consuming large
amount of calories. Now, carbohydrates are
not a guilty pleasure, they are a necessity. Your body depends on them
to function properly. Even if you're following a
lower carb diet, you need them. While fruits and veggies are
sources of carbohydrates, you'll want to add other carbs
for both nutrition and fuel, especially if you are working out.
Some great carbohydrates
to consider are potatoes, and sweet potatoes, oats, rice, ancient grains like quinoa,
and other whole grains. The other element I make sure
my meal plan also includes, are healthy sources of fat. Fats are essential to
incorporate into a varied diet because they help absorb many
of the vitamins and minerals the other foods provide. This is where the term
fat soluble comes from. Some good ones to add at
avocados, nuts and seeds, coconut or MCT oil, butter or ghee, egg yolks, salmon, sardines, olive oil, avocado oil, for example.
Now it goes without
saying that you'll want to avoid as many processed
foods as possible if your goal is to incorporate
intermittent fasting into a healthy and varied diet. These can include package snacks, cookies, candy, sugary drinks, alcoholic drink, sugary cereals, and
sweetened coffees and teas. They are not forbidden,
but making them the norm is not going to support
your healthy eating style. So if you look at my
7-day meal plan here which, by the way, I'm
going to include a link to it below this video,
there is both a lot of variety of ingredients
and colorful foods.
Now, one of my favorite
ways of breaking my fast, besides a cup of Bulletproof Coffee, is with my breakfast salad. I use leftover roasted
vegetables on a bed of lettuce, and I top it with a
fried egg, so, so good. Another delicious recipe you can meal prep are mini quiches. My Mediterranean chicken
bowls are pretty epic, and I know you're going to love them. I'm going to leave links
below this video for you with some great recipes
to build your meal plan, and I hope to see you again. I share a couple of new
recipes a few times a week. See you next time. (upbeat music).
