Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan for Beginners

Anthocyanins, turmeric, omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol—these are just some of the nutrients and compounds that come up when talking about the anti-inflammatory diet. Does it sound complicated? Definitely! But, it doesn't have to be so complex.

At its core, the anti-inflammatory diet is a healthy Mediterranean-style diet with a focus on nutrient-dense foods and healthy fats, like salmon, avocado, nuts and olive oil.

Why This Meal Plan Is Great for You

In this seven-day anti-inflammatory meal plan for beginners, we break down the foods to focus on and include a week of healthy, simple recipes with shorter ingredient lists, making them a snap to put together, even on the busiest of days.

If you're trying to lose weight, reducing inflammation and eating fewer calories can play a big role. We set this plan at 1,500 calories per day, which is a level where most people will lose weight. This 1,500-calorie meal plan has modifications for 2,000 calories to support those with different calorie needs. While we previously included meal plans and modifications for 1,200 calories, we no longer do. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting your calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, plus it’s unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.

What Is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

The anti-inflammatory diet focuses on healthy fats, nutrient-dense foods, complex carbohydrates, legumes and plenty of fruits and vegetables. You won't see processed foods, excess added sugars, refined grains—like white bread and white flour—or red meat more than once or twice a week. The goal of this healthy diet is to reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

While inflammation is a necessary reaction of the body to acute injury, research shows that underlying chronic inflammation is associated with chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, chronic kidney disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune disorders and neurodegenerative disorders.

You can combat some of the inflammation through lifestyle changes, like getting enough sleep, engaging in physical activity, lowering your stress and eating foods that have been shown to lower inflammation—and limiting those that tend to cause it.

The anti-inflammatory diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet, another popular and health-enhancing plan. Both diets focus on nutrient-dense foods, healthy fats and plenty of nutritious produce while limiting processed foods, red meat and added sugars. One small difference between the two plans is that the anti-inflammatory plan focuses on including fruits and vegetables specifically shown to reduce inflammation—such as dark leafy greens and blue and red fruits and vegetables, like cherries, pomegranates, berries and beets.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Focus On

Here are the primary foods we'll be focusing on in this anti-inflammatory meal plan.

• Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
• Cherries
• Pomegranate
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard)
• Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts
• Natural nut butters
• Avocado
• Olives and olive oil
• Fish, especially salmon and tuna
• Legumes (lentils, chickpeas and other beans)
• Whole grains (quinoa, whole-wheat bread, brown rice)
• Sweet potato
• Eggs
• Citrus fruits
• Garlic, herbs and spices
• Greek yogurt and kefir

How to Meal-Prep Your Week of Meals

1. Make Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing to have for lunch on Days 2 through 5.

Day 1

Breakfast (333 calories)

• 1 serving Really Green Smoothie

A.M. Snack (131 calories)

• 1 large pear

Lunch (422 calories)

• 1 serving Cucumber, Tomato & Arugula Salad with Hummus

P.M. Snack (105 calories)

• 8 walnut halves

Dinner (522 calories)

• 1 serving Garlic Butter-Roasted Salmon with Potatoes & Asparagus

Daily Totals: 1,512 calories, 54 g protein, 147 g carbohydrates, 31 g fiber, 86 g fat, 1,073 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 medium orange to breakfast, add 1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds to A.M. snack, plus increase to 1/4 cup walnuts and add 1 medium apple to P.M. snack.

Day 2

Breakfast (333 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh cherries
• 3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

A.M. Snack (95 calories)

• 1 medium apple

Lunch (347 calories)

• 1 serving Peanut Zucchini Noodle Salad with Chicken
• 1 clementine

P.M. Snack (206 calories)

• 1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds

Dinner (472 calories)

• 1 serving Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

Daily Totals: 1,499 calories, 85 g protein, 168 g carbohydrates, 38 g fiber, 60 g fat, 1,136 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Add 3 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to A.M. snack and add 1 serving Everything Bagel Avocado Toast to dinner.

Day 3

Breakfast (333 calories)

• 1 serving Really Green Smoothie

A.M. Snack (206 calories)

• 1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds

Lunch (393 calories)

• 1 serving Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

P.M. Snack (95 calories)

• 1 medium apple

Dinner (464 calories)

• 1 serving Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame
• 1-oz. slice whole-wheat baguette

Daily Totals: 1,491 calories, 58 g protein, 160 g carbohydrates, 35 g fiber, 77 g fat, 1,648 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 medium orange to breakfast, add 1 large pear to A.M. snack, and add 3 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to P.M. snack.

Day 4

Breakfast (333 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh cherries
• 3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

A.M. Snack (64 calories)

• 1 cup raspberries

Lunch (393 calories)

• 1 serving Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

P.M. Snack (127 calories)

• 1 cup blackberries
• 5 walnut halves

Dinner (604 calories)

• 1 serving Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts & Gnocchi

Daily Totals: 1,521 calories, 101 g protein, 141 g carbohydrates, 31 g fiber, 66 g fat, 1,304 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Increase to 4 Tbsp. chopped walnuts at breakfast, add 1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds to A.M. snack, and increase to 1/3 cup walnuts at P.M. snack.

Day 5

Breakfast (333 calories)

• 1 serving Really Green Smoothie

A.M. Snack (154 calories)

• 20 unsalted dry-roasted almonds

Lunch (393 calories)

• 1 serving Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

P.M. Snack (35 calories)

• 1 clementine

Dinner (582 calories)

• 1 serving Vegan Lentil Soup
• 2 cups mixed salad greens
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1 serving Citrus Vinaigrette

Meal-Prep Tip: Reserve 2 servings of the Vegan Lentil Soup to have for lunch on Days 6 and 7.

Daily Totals: 1,497 calories, 59 g protein, 155 g carbohydrates, 40 g fiber, 79 g fat, 1,441 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 slice of sprouted-wheat toast with 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to breakfast, add 1 large pear plus increase to 25 almonds at A.M. snack, and increase to 1 whole avocado at dinner.

Day 6

Breakfast (333 calories)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh cherries
• 3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts

A.M. Snack (131 calories)

• 1 large pear

Lunch (367 calories)

• 1 serving Vegan Lentil Soup
• 1 medium apple

P.M. Snack (206 calories)

• 1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds

Dinner (440 calories)

• 1 serving Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Kale
• 1-oz. slice whole-wheat baguette

Daily Totals: 1,478 calories, 72 g protein, 169 g carbohydrates, 33 g fiber, 65 g fat, 1,439 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Add 1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds to A.M. snack, add 1 serving Everything Bagel Avocado Toast to lunch, and add 1 medium orange to P.M. snack.

Day 7

Breakfast (333 calories)

• 1 serving Really Green Smoothie

A.M. Snack (154 calories)

• 20 unsalted dry-roasted almonds

Lunch (367 calories)

• 1 serving Vegan Lentil Soup
• 1 medium apple

P.M. Snack (62 calories)

• 1 medium orange

Dinner (586 calories)

• 1 serving Provençal Baked Fish with Roasted Potatoes & Mushrooms
• 2 cups mixed salad greens
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1 serving Citrus Vinaigrette

Daily Totals: 1,502 calories, 54 g protein, 180 g carbohydrates, 44 g fiber, 72 g fat, 1,094 mg sodium

To make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 slice of sprouted-wheat toast with 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to breakfast, add 1 large pear to A.M. snack, and increase to 1 whole avocado at dinner.