Vegan Meal Plan Options & Guidelines
Some people have a hard time imagining how to switch to a healthy plant-based diet, so I’ve made a simple vegan meal plan chart to help you decide what to eat on a daily basis.
The Fast Track Menu is all about healing and detoxing as quickly as possible. It is based on raw fruits and vegetables. The more raw foods you eat, the faster you will detox. This is the best option if you are faced with a life-threatening illness, or you just want to feel better faster. As long as you are taking your vitamin B12, zinc sulfate, and maybe a couple of other supplements for particular needs, you can stay healthy for life on the Fast Track column diet.
Note: If you plan to stick to a raw diet long term, eat a little more fat in the form of avocado, nuts and seeds – and add bean, seed, or grain sprouts if you feel you need more protein (though it is more likely fats and/or mineral salts that you might be missing).
Many people can thrive on raw foods, however, most of us want more variety and warm comfort foods, or sometimes we just don’t want to deal with detox symptoms. Personally, I usually stick to the Fast Track column up to or including lunch and save most of the cooked and higher-fat foods for dinner. That helps my liver clear out toxins in the morning. I try to save the Maintenance Diet foods for evening. With a little experimentation you can decide what works best for you. It’s important to listen to your body and be flexible about when and what you eat so you don’t get stressed about it.
Raw fruits are the ideal breakfast for most of us. They are cleansing and they provide the glucose your brain and muscles need for quick energy in the morning. Even if you decide to have pancakes or oatmeal, be sure to include some fresh raw fruit in the morning and try not to include fats until later in the day.
Fast Track – Detox and Healing Menu
On arising:
- 16 oz. water with 1/2 lemon or lime juice
- 16 oz. celery juice (ideal)
Breakfast Options:
-
- Fresh or frozen raw fruit
- Soaked raw dried fruits
- Fruit smoothie (with or without leafy greens)
- Raw vegetables
- Medical Medium heavy metal detox smoothie
Snacks (at least every 2 hours):
- Raw fruit
- Raw vegetables
- Medical Medium snacks for adrenal fatigue
- Fresh, raw celery juice or cucumber/apple juice
- Medical Medium heavy metal detox smoothie
- Raw applesauce
Lunch Options:
Big raw leafy green salad, including:
- Your favorite leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, endive, sprouts, etc.)
- Cabbage family (broccoli sprouts, shredded cabbage, arugula, etc.)
- Acidic fruits (lemon or lime juice, oranges, tomatoes)
- Small amount of raw fat (avocado, sesame tahini, nuts or seeds – always grind flax and chia seeds)
- Note: avoid all fats except avocado if on the Medical Medium 28 day detox
- Raw vegetables (carrots, beets, celery, red bell pepper, tomato, etc.)
- Raw fruits (apples, pears, etc.)
- Dried fruits (raisins, currents, goji berries, etc.)
- Coconut aminos plus lemon or lime juice for dressing (tahini and garlic optional)
Snacks (at least every 2 hours): See snack options above
Dinner Options:
- Same as lunch or breakfast
- Some variation of raw fruits and/or vegetables eaten individually or combined in a salad
- Dehydrated vegetable dishes
- Blender soups
Sweet Treats:
- Raw dates, dried fruits
- Raw frozen fruit “ice cream” or sorbet
- Fresh fruit salad
- Raw organic honey
- Raw fruit pies with nut or seed crust
Make sure to stay hydrated with lemon or lime water, more celery juice or other juices, or juicy fruits throughout the day.
Get a little exercise!
Maintenance Diet –
Slower Detox & Healing
On arising:
Follow guidelines in the Fast Track Column
Breakfast Options may include anything in the Fast Track Menu plus:
- Gluten free grains (GF oatmeal, rice, millet, quinoa, whole grain GF toast or pancakes)
- Cooked beans or lentils
- Steamed, baked, or roasted potatoes, or other starchy vegetables
- Cooked fruits
Snacks (at least every 2 hours) may also include anything in the Fast Track column plus:
- Cooked beans
- Small handful of raw nuts, seeds or spoonful of nut/seed butter (not ideal in the morning)
- Cooked vegetables
- Cooked fruits
- Gluten free grains
Lunch may include anything in the Fast Track column plus:
Big leafy green salad, may also include:
- Cooked beans
- Cooked potatoes, root vegetables
- Any cooked vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, artichoke hearts, etc.)
- Gluten free grains
- 1 or 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Other lunch options:
- Whole grain GF bread sandwich
- Whole food nut or seed cheeses
- Flax crackers
- Whole food GF pasta salad with oil-free dressing
- Potato salad with oil-free dressing
- Gluten free pasta with low fat sauce
Snacks (at least every 2 hours): See snack options above
Dinner may also include:
- GF grain dishes
- Vegetable soups
- Casseroles
- Beans
- GF pasta dishes
- Nuts & Seeds or butters in small amounts
Sweet Treats may also include anything in the Fast Track column: (avoid if dealing with food addictions or if you want to lose weight)
- Gluten free whole food cookies and other baked goods made with dates. maple syrup, coconut sugar, date sugar, or date syrup (in moderation)
- Organic maple syrup
- Coconut Sugar
- Very small amounts of vegan dark chocolate
- Carob chia pudding
More Meal Planning and Recipes
https://www.forksmealplanner.com/ offers excellent meal plans and recipes to help you stick to a healthy plant-based diet. This is a great and affordable service – whether you are recently getting started on a plant-based diet, or you just want to get some new healthy meal ideas. There is an option to exclude recipes containing soy and gluten, but you will have to sort out the ones with corn, vinegar, or nutritional yeast yourself if you are following the Medical Medium protocols.
You can download the shopping lists and recipes to your phone. Or save them as printable PDF files to create your own personal plant-based cookbook. Choose the gluten free, soy free, and corn free recipes to stay on the Medical Medium anti-viral protocol. They are even offering a free one week trial, so you have nothing to lose.
https://veganuary.com/ is a great inspiration for getting started on a vegan diet. You can start out in January, or whenever you want. They will send you daily emails for a month “containing inspiration, recipes, meal plans and helpful tips, such as where to get your nutrients and how to stock your cupboards.” Be warned, however, that they include a lot of junk food and soy, so pick and choose recipes carefully.
For vegan nutrition guidelines go to Plant Based Nutrition