This 5-day meal plan is a great example of nutrient-dense meals and snacks featuring foods that can lower or prevent chronic inflammation! Follow as is or use for inspiration to build your own meals with anti-inflammatory properties.
Is there really such a thing as an “anti-inflammatory diet”? I actually don’t love that term because no single food or food group will magically cure inflammation.
However, incorporating a variety of different foods with anti-inflammatory properties while also limiting the pro-inflammatory foods, like refined sugars and processed meat, can help reduce overall inflammation.
Since my anti-inflammatory meal prep article is one of my most popular, I decided to use these principles to put together a more comprehensive 5-day meal plan. This plan is designed to promote overall health and longevity with fiber-packed, nutrient-dense recipes.
Anti-Inflammatory Meal Tips
Essentially, an anti-inflammatory meal should be packed with fruit and/or veggies (the more variety the better), lean protein with an emphasis on plant-based protein and oily fish, nuts and seeds, healthy fats as well as fiber-packed beans and legumes.
Make a Meal More “Anti-Inflammatory”
Whenever you are building a meal or making a recipe you found, here are some questions to think about to add in more foods with anti-inflammatory properties. That way, you can take any of these meal ideas and customize it but based on the same principles!
- Does this meal have enough veggies/fruit? Aim for at least two different vegetables (or fruit) or one cup serving.
- Can I add beans or legumes to increase the fiber content? One easily modifiable factor that can reduce inflammation is increasing dietary fiber intake.
- Can I swap out white rice for a nutrient-dense ancient grain? Or, a complex carb that’s high in fiber.
- Would this meal taste good if I added some antioxidant rich chopped nuts or seeds?
- If the recipe calls for ground beef would chicken or salmon taste just as good?
- Or better yet, could I omit the animal protein source and incorporate more plant-based protein?
Make Anti-Inflammatory Meals Easier
Since the “ideal” anti-inflammatory meal is not necessarily the easiest option, here are some shortcut strategies to streamline the process:
- 30-minute Sunday reset – small meal prep tasks without actually meal prepping. Think washing and chopping produce, batch cooking a bag of lentils, or making a nutritious homemade dressing. For more ideas, read Meal Prep Made Easy with a 4-page free checklist.
- Use canned beans or lentils for convenience. Always have a variety in your pantry.
- Stock your freezer with frozen produce – which is just as healthy as fruit as long as it is not preseasoned or with a sauce (higher sodium, not a deal breaker though).
- Frozen mukimame is a good staple to have on hand, too!
- Always make more than you need and store and freeze in family-sized portions. I like to do this with chicken, beef, lentils, rice, quinoa, etc. Thaw for 24 hours prior to eating and just reheat in the micrwave or throw it in a pan.
The 5-Day Meal Plan
Read The Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods with grocery list for more detail on what foods to eat.
Day 1
Breakfast: Wheat Bran Cereal with Milk and Fresh Fruit
We are starting off strong with a bowl of cereal! This 2022 study actually found that cereal fiber was associated with lower levels of various inflammatory markers, likely because of the fiber content.
What does this mean? Well, it means that a higher fiber cereal with a lower sugar content may be a part of a healthy diet to reduce inflammation. Kellogg’s All Bran Cereal has 12 grams of fiber while Fiber One Cereal has 18 grams of fiber and a lower amount of sugar.
Lunch: 10-Minute Lentil Salad with Tahini & Nooch Dressing
A super nutritious, plant-based lunch that comes together in just 10 minutes if you have already cooked lentils! It’s high in both protein and fiber so it’s actually very filling. It’s packed with one of my favorite plant-based proteins (lentils) and a variety of different vegetables with a nutritional yeast + tahini dressing.
Dinner: Walnut Crusted Salmon with Dijon (Haute and Healthy Living)
Salmon is one of the best sources of DHA, EPA and vitamin D – all of which can contribute to lower inflammation. Walnuts provide those healthy fats and antioxidants that help fight off inflammation. Pair with roasted vegetables for a nutrient-packed and filling meal.
Snack Options
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Dates. Both dark chocolate and dates have anti-inflammatory properties. These dates are stuffed with peanut butter and protein powder – they are seriously the most delicious treat and can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Or, try my delicious Dark Chocolate Date Smoothie with, again, dates and dark cocoa powder!
Day 2
Breakfast: Chia Breakfast Bowl
An ultra creamy Greek yogurt and chia seed breakfast bowl! It takes just 5 minutes to prep. Then, top it with mixed berries, chopped nuts, and whipped cream for a delicious yet super nutritious start to the day.
Lunch: Bulgur Wheat Salad with Tomatoes & Cucumbers (Kalyn’s Kitchen)
Bulgur is considered a whole grain with a good amount of both protein and fiber. This salad has a lot of fresh vegetables and just enough bulgur wheat to add some fiber but maintian a low carb dish. Pair it with some salmon (even canned for convenience) or chicken.
Dinner: Feta and Tomato Pasta with Lentils
Another filling and satisfying plant-based meal that consists of two different vegetables, a higher fiber pasta noodles, and lentils! It’s a vegetarian take on the viral TikTok feta pasta.
Snack Idea
Hummus with diced vegetables and whole wheat crackers.
Day 3
Breakfast: Banana Berry Kefir Smoothie
This smoothie offers so many nutritional benefits I honestly don’t even know where to start. There is 22 grams of protein with no protein powder, 12 probiotic strains, 12 grams of fiber, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and it’s packed with antioxidants.
It contains banana, berries, spinach, kefir, and chia seeds!
Lunch: Mexican Dense Bean Salad
A filling, satisfying meal or even snack with a great balance of both protein and fiber. It’s a tasty way to fill in nutritional gaps and keep you full for hours! Eat it as is, in a wrap, or with chips.
Dinner: Honey Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry (Get Inspired Every Day!)
A super easy stir-fry featuring (again, see this trend?) a variety of different vegetables and chicken as the lean protein source. Serve it over your preferred grain – quinoa or barley for more fiber. Cauliflower rice would be an excellent lower carb substitute.
Garlic and onions are great additions as they both have prebiotic fiber which helps improve gut health, which is linked to better overall health (and lower inflammation) in general!
Snacks
The Only Bean Roasted Edamame for a quick, portable and super nutritious snack. Or, Frozen Greek Yogurt Bites (Little Healthy Bites), shown above.
Day 4
Breakfast: Savory Quinoa Breakfast Bake
A super filling breakfast bake made with quinoa, cottage cheese, eggs, fiber-packed black beans, with sliced avocado on top. Eggs are a good source of vitamin D, and vitamin D deficiency is linked to higher levels of inflammation.
Lunch: Asian Rice Salad with Shrimp
This recipe uses cooked and cooled rice, which creates resistant starch – which lowers the glycemic index and is also beneficial for gut health. There are veggies, shrimp, and shelled edamame as well!
Dinner: Easy Taco Zucchini Boats (The Oregeon Dietitian)
Veggie-forward tacos using zucchini as the vessel for ground beef, bell peppers and spices. Top with some Greek yogurt for probiotics to improve your gut and avocado to increase the fiber content.
Snack Options
Salsa with whole grain chips, kefir chia pudding, fresh fruit, and/or roasted chickpeas.
Day 5
Breakfast: Lemon Berry Smoothie Bowl with Kefir
Another easy recipe using kefir is this refreshing lemon and mixed berry smoothie bowl. It takes just 5 minutes to throw together in the morning and is topped with more berries and chopped nuts.
Lunch: Cantaloupe Salad with Feta and Crushed Pistachios (The Healthy Epicurean)
Bright, refreshing cantaloupe paired with diced cucumbers, feta cheese, and pistachios with a homemade lime, white wine vinegar and honey olive oil dressing. Take this recipe one step further by choosing manuka honey which boasts anti-inflammatory properties that can help ease pain and inflammation.
Dinner: Greek Chicken Protein Bowls with Garlic Yogurt
Protein and fiber-packed bowls with chicken, kalamata olives, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese and topped with garlic yogurt for some probiotics to contribute to better gut health. Chickpeas provide most of the fiber content as well as the tomatoes and cucumbers.
Snack Options
Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Chia Pudding (shown above), fiber-rich popcorn, chips and guacamole, cowboy caviar, avocado hummus or any snack that prioritizes fruits and veggies!
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found this meal plan helpful and use it as inspiration on how to consume more anti-inflammatory meals. Feel free to follow along for more evidence-based nutrition.