The Glow Diet: 7 day meal plan
Feeling happy in your skin this summer isn’t just about slipping into previously too-tight shorts. It’s about a dewy glow that comes from inside out. ‘It’s why I’ve based this one-week 1500 calorie per day meal plan on the Mediterranean diet,’ says nutritionist Anita Bean (anitabean.co.uk). ‘With a focus on fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy fats, protein and wholegrains, it has brilliant health and anti-ageing benefits.’ Sign. Us. Up.
Day one
Breakfast
2 slices rye bread, toasted; 15g almond butter; 1⁄2 banana
Lunch
Houmous & beetroot wrap:
1 wholewheat wrap; 75g houmous; 1 small beetroot, grated; 1 tomato, sliced; handful salad leaves; 1 tbsp grated cheddar; 125g red grapes
Dinner
Tofu and veg:
100g stir-fried smoked tofu; 75g stir-fried kale; 75g green beans and 175g new potatoes
Snack
1 banana and 2 apricots
Day two
Breakfast
Summer fruit porridge:
40g oats; 50g each strawberries and raspberries; 250ml milk (dairy or non-dairy alternative); 1 tsp honey
Lunch
Supergreen soup:
300ml Soupologie soup: Spinach & Kale with Garlic; 1 slice rye bread with 1 tsp olive oil spread or butter; 150g 2% Greek yoghurt
Dinner
Baked red pepper with lentils:
1 red pepper, halved; 2 tsp olive oil; 75g cooked puy lentils; 3 baby plum tomatoes, halved; 25g goat’s cheese; green beans; spinach
1 Heat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas mark 5.
2 Brush peppers with oil, place in a roasting tin, fill centres with lentils, tomatoes and cheese.
3 Drizzle with remaining oil; season. Bake for 20-25 mins; serve with beans and spinach.
Snack
1 orange and 25g seeds
Day three
Breakfast
Berry & coconut soup:
100g berries; 1 banana; 100ml coconut water; 150ml low-fat plain yoghurt
Lunch
Supergreen soup:
300ml Soupologie soup with bread, as yesterday; 1 apple
Dinner
Haddock stew with rice:
2 tsp olive oil; 1⁄2 onion, chopped;
50g mushrooms, sliced; 1⁄2 green pepper, sliced; 25ml fish or vegetable stock; 50g mangetout; 200g tinned tomatoes; 125g chunks haddock fillet; 125g wholegrain rice
1 Fry the onion, mushrooms and green pepper in the oil for 5 mins.
2 Stir in 125ml fish or vegetable stock, the mangetout and tinned tomatoes, and cook for a further 5 mins.
3 Add the haddock fillet, season, and cook for approx 5 mins until the fish is cooked through.
4 Serve immediately with 125g cooked wholegrain rice.
Snack
25g almonds
Day four
Breakfast
2 slices rye bread, toasted; 15g almond butter; 1 banana
Lunch
Houmous & beetroot wrap (same as day one)
Dinner
Quinoa & tofu stir fry:
50g quinoa; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1⁄2 onion, sliced; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1⁄2 tsp fresh ginger, grated; 1⁄4 red pepper, chopped; 1⁄2 courgette, sliced; 25g green beans; 2 tsp tamari; 125ml water; 100g marinated tofu; handful fresh coriander; 2 tsp sesame seeds
1 Cook quinoa according to packet instructions, leave to cool.
2 Heat sesame oil in a wok and stir-fry the onion, garlic and ginger on a medium to high heat for 2 mins.
3 Add pepper, courgette and green beans and stir-fry for another
2 mins.
4 Add tamari and water, cook for another 2 mins, then add tofu.
5 Leave to cook for 2 mins, take off heat and stir in coriander and sesame.
Snack
100g blueberries and 15g cashews
Day five
Breakfast
Beetroot, apple & carrot juice:
1 apple; 1 small beetroot; 1 carrot; 1 tbsp chia seeds
Lunch
Avocado & tofu salad:
1 avocado; watercress; 2 tomatoes; 100g tofu, diced; dressing (1 tsp clear honey, half tbsp Dijon mustard, juice of half a lemon and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil); 1 peach
Dinner
Haddock stew with rice (same as day three)
Day six
Breakfast
150g 2% fat plain Greek yoghurt; 15g chia seeds; 100g blueberries; 1 tsp maple syrup
Lunch
Chickpea & spinach salad:
Half can of chickpeas; 75g cherry tomatoes; 50g baby spinach leaves;
1 tbsp dressing as before; 1 slice rye bread with 1 tsp olive oil spread or butter, to serve
Dinner
Salmon with ratatouille:
1⁄2 fennel, cut into wedges; 1⁄2 each red pepper, courgette and small onion, sliced; 50g cherry tomatoes; 1 garlic clove, crushed; few sprigs of rosemary; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 salmon fillet
1 Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
2 Toss vegetables, tomatoes, garlic and rosemary in oil in a large roasting tin.
3 Place salmon on top, cover with foil and roast for 30 mins.
Snack
1 nectarine and 15g almonds
Day seven
Breakfast
Nutty muesli:
40g jumbo oats; 15g toasted flaked almonds; 15g toasted hazelnuts; 50g strawberries; 125ml milk
Lunch
Avocado and tofu salad:
1 avocado; watercress; 2 tomatoes; 100g tofu, diced; dressing as before; 1 peach
Dinner
Tofu stir fry with noodles:
2 tsp sesame oil; 100g marinated tofu; 1⁄2 onion, sliced; 1⁄2 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced; 50g pak choi, sliced; 2.5cm piece root ginger, peeled and grated; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 tbsp tamari sauce; 150g ready-cooked egg noodles; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok, add the tofu and stir-fry for 1-2 mins until browned.
2 Heat the remaining oil, add the onion and carrot and stir-fry for 2-3 mins. Add pak choi, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a further 2-3 mins.
3 Add tamari, noodles, tofu and 2-3 tbsp water to the wok.
4 Toss everything together; cook for 2-3 mins, or until piping hot. Scatter with seeds.
Snack
100g blueberries and 1⁄2 mango
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