Last updated on September 14th, 2022 at 11:50 am

Intermittent fasting comes with many, many AMAZING health benefits. The best thing about it is that it’s super easy to do, as it’s not about what you eat, but when you eat. It’s a dietary pattern that can actually transform your health, especially when combined with a real food diet. So, if you’re new to intermittent fasting, you need to try this 7-Day intermittent fasting meal plan for a 16/8 schedule.

Whether you’re doing intermittent fasting to lose weight, to feel better, to get over your constant food cravings or because you read that it can actually prolong your life and help reduce inflammation…the time to start is now. This diet plan for intermittent fasting is beginner-friendly and includes easy-to-make healthy meals that taste great plus a grocery list to help you shop for the week.

What Is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a way of eating where you restrict the time period during which you eat your meals. You know how sometimes you forget to have dinner and go hungry to bed? Intermittent fasting. Or you skip breakfast and eat lunch at 3 pm? Intermittent fasting. That’s all it is!

The Intermittent Fasting 16/8 Schedule

There are different ways to practice intermittent fasting.

For example, you can eat as usual for 5 days and fast for 2 days during the week and that’s called a 5/2 intermittent fasting schedule.

There are also daily time restricted eating schedules like:

• 20/4 – this means you fast for 20 hours and eat your meals within 4 hours
• 18/6 – you fast for 18 hours and eat your meals within 6 hours
• 16/8 – fasting for 16 hours and eat your meals within 8 hours

For beginners, the most realistic schedule on a daily basis, is the 16/8 intermittent fasting schedule.

16/8 means you will not eat for 16 hours and you will eat during 8 out of the 24 hours we have in a day. For example, you could start eating at 10 am and stop eating at 6 pm. Same times next day. You can adapt the times according to your own schedule and preferences.

It’s Not For Everybody

You need to understand that intermittent fasting is not for everybody and it comes with health risks for some groups of people. For example, IF might not be for you if you’re pregnant or are breastfeeding, have diabetes or have a history with an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia. It’s best to consult your doctor before starting a new eating regimen.

7-Day Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan

The meals in this diet plan are healthy, vibrant and made with real, whole foods. Yes, you do not need to follow a specific type of low carb diet to have success with intermittent fasting. Make sure to eat healthy and a variety of foods to cover all your nutritional needs with diet alone.

Please note that this is my 7-day meal plan for intermittent fasting with the meals and times that fit my diet, lifestyle and schedule.

Take the ideas that you like, but make sure to make the meal plan your own. Make it fit your own schedule and your lifestyle. Add recipes you like, skip ingredients and recipes you don’t like, and make sure to enjoy your food, so you can feel satiated and happy. That’s the way to make this thing work long-term…and we want the long-term, long-lasting results, not the shortcut, short-lived success.

This intermittent fasting diet plan is for one, so if you decide to make it for yourself and others, make sure to adjust the recipe ingredients accordingly.We will be relying on leftovers for lunch and some of the recipes need to be made ahead of time, the day before you start the 7-day challenge.

Intermittent Fasting Meals Day 1:

10 am Breakfast: Vanilla Chia Pudding topped with fruit and nuts of choice (make the night before)

11 am Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

2 pm Lunch: Avocado Chicken Salad (make ahead)

5 pm Dinner: Coconut Curry Shimp Soup

Intermittent Fasting Meals Day 2:

10 am Breakfast: Best Avocado Egg Toast (choose gluten free bread – I usually make my own oatmeal bread)

1 pm Lunch: Coconut Curry Shimp Soup (leftovers)

3 pm Snack: 2 Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies (make ahead)

5 pm Dinner: Spicy Mediterranean Lunch Bowls

Intermittent Fasting Meals Day 3:

10 am Breakfast: 10-Minute Apple Crumble with cashew or other dairy-free milk

11 am Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

2 pm Lunch: Spicy Mediterranean Lunch Bowls (leftovers)

5 pm Dinner: Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (you can also use ground turkey)

Intermittent Fasting Meals Day 4:

10 am Breakfast: 10-Minute Apple Crumble with cashew or other dairy-free milk (leftovers)

11 am Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

2 pm Lunch: Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (leftovers)

5 pm Dinner: Easy Tuna Chickpea Bowls

Intermittent Fasting Meals Day 5:

10 am Breakfast: Best Avocado Egg Toast (choose gluten-free bread – I usually make my own oatmeal bread)

1 pm Lunch: Easy Tuna Chickpea Bowls (leftovers)

3 pm Snack: 2 Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies

5 pm Dinner: Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup

Intermittent Fasting Meals Day 6:

10 am Breakfast: 10-Minute Apple Crumble with cashew or other dairy-free milk (leftovers)

11 am Snack: Best Ever Green Smoothie

2 pm Lunch: Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup (leftovers)

5 pm Dinner: Tomato, Arugula, Chickpea Salad

Intermittent Fasting Meals Day 7:

10 am Breakfast: Easy Overnight Oats (make the night before, your choice of toppings)

1 pm Lunch: Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup (leftovers)

3 pm Snack: 2 Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies

5 pm Dinner: Mediterranean Salmon Salad (use olives instead of feta cheese if dairy-free)

Intermittent Fasting Grocery List

This is the grocery list for your seven days of intermittent fasting. You can simply save the image to your phone and use it whenever you go grocery shopping.

Intermittent Fasting Benefits

There are incredible benefits to intermittent fasting, way beyond weight loss. According to an article on Healthline some of them include:

• improved cardiometabolic health
• reduced inflammation and oxidative stress
• improved cellular repair
• prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s
• protection against brain damage
• increased lifespan
• weight loss and reduced insulin resistance

Should You Eat Early Or Late

You can make intermittent fasting as flexible as you want and move the eating window to whatever suits your schedule. However, research has found that there are more benefits to choosing an early eating window and stop eating around 5 pm.

That’s eating in tune with your circadian rhythm. This is how evolution has set us up to function best. Eat, work, be active when the sun is up. When the sun goes down, it’s time to stop eating, to rest, to recharge, to allow the body to recover.

There are actual clock proteins in your body that operate as biological clocks and can be influenced by eating, light and temperature (source). When we choose to listen to those clocks, we can live a happy, healthy, and long life. When we go against these clocks, our choices can lead to weight gain and all health issues that come with it. Not to mention acid reflux.

However, if you’re working night shifts and are struggling, intermittent fasting can still definitely help. Keep the 8-hour eating window and make sure to stop eating at least 3-4 hours before going to bed. I know we all have different lives, and different schedules and we need to work with what we have.

During and After This Week Of Intermittent Fasting

During the 7 days and after, it’s really important to track not just your meals, but also habits. Tracking will provide clarity, which is essential to make long-lasting changes. You need to know what you’re doing on a regular basis that is supporting or sabotaging your progress. We’re not looking for a way to lose 10 pounds in 10 days here. We want to live a healthy lifestyle.

You can use a journal, or a fitness planner like the one I use, you can check it out here. It’s a fitness planner I made and use all the time. It saves my sanity and helps me stay on track, even when life gets overwhelming and all I feel like doing is eating cookies.

There’s a meal planner, a workout planner, a daily routine tracker, gratitude journal and so much more to help you stay organized and motivated. If you like the fitness planner, make sure to use the code NTB20 to get 20% off your purchase.

I hope you enjoy this 16/8 intermittent fasting diet plan with healthy meal ideas and a grocery list! Comment if you have questions or feedback!

More Healthy 7-Day Meal Plans

Yield: 2

7-Day Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan

Intermittent fasting can transform your health and weight! To get started try this 7-day intermittent fasting meal plan for a 16/8 schedule with easy, healthy and delicious meals and a grocery list. This diet plan is great for beginners too!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups red or green cabbage
• 1 red pepper, chopped thinly
• 2 scallions, thinly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ tbsp tamari sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley or cilantro
• 220g / 8oz ground beef
• 1 carrot, cut in strips
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

1. Add ground beef to a nonstick pan with one garlic clove and some oil of choice. After a minute, stir, breaking the pieces apart. Let the beef saute for about 5-6 minutes at medium-high heat.
2. Use the time while the beef is cooking to chop your vegetables – cabbage, carrots, peppers and the parsley (or cilantro) and scallions. Stir in the chopped cabbage, crushed pepper, carrot, another minced clove of garlic and the scallions. Cover for about 2-3 minutes to allow the vegetables to cook.
3. Stir in the chopped pepper, the last clove of garlic and the tamari sauce. Add a little bit of oil if needed and stir for 2-3 minutes. 
4. Turn the heat off and stir in the chopped parsley or cilantro. 
5. Serve immediately!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 472Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 898mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 37g

This meal plan was originally published in January 2022 and updated with new information in September 2022.