I’ve been at this lifestyle for over 13 years now and I’m taking the guesswork out of following Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian plan.
I’m supplying you with a delicious eat to live menu that covers an entire day of healthful eating!
Enjoy four oil-free, gluten-free, vegan, low-sodium, high-nutrient meals. You’ll get guidance on exactly how much to eat at each meal with links to easy recipes.
Key features for this menu:
- 1,409 total calories for the day
- designed for cooler months (every meal has a warm or hot component)
- meets Dr. Fuhrman’s Aggressive Weight Loss standards
Can you still use this menu if you’re not nutritarian?
Absolutely!
This menu will work if you’re in a calorie deficit and/or want to eat high-nutrient vegan meals made with whole food ingredients an no added oil.
If you are not nutritarian: I advise that you add salt to taste to the savory recipes. It takes months of eating this way to retrain your tastebuds to prefer lower sodium meals.
Whether you’re taking on the 6-week Eat to Live challenge or just looking for healthy low-calorie meal inspiration, you’re going to love seeing how to put together a full day of eating for health excellence!
Here’s what you get:
- meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert (with calorie breakdowns)
- notes on ingredient substitutions
- free printable shopping list
- detailed guidance on compliance ratings
Breakfast:
This is a plant-protein-rich, oil-free vegan breakfast featuring tofu eggs, air fried tomatoes, sautéed spinach and a whole orange (instead of the traditional breakfast orange juice).
A liberal sprinkle of homemade vegan parmesan brings in healthy whole-fiber-fat and the no-salt seasoning adds extra depth of flavor without the added salt.
I find this to be a very warming, filling and satisfying breakfast that keeps me energized for at least 4 hours.
- 1 cup Nutritarian Tofu Scrambled Eggs (207 calories)
- 3 cups baby spinach, sautéed in 2 Tbsp. water (20 calories)
- 2 Campari tomatoes, ~70 grams (13 calories)
- 1/2 Tbsp. Easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese (18 calories)
- 1 whole orange, medium, ~80 grams (43 calories)
Directions:
To air fry the tomatoes: Cut each tomato in half, sprinkle with no-salt seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder, cook at 385°F for 4 to 5 minutes. Tomatoes are done when they’re just beginning to release their juices and pucker.
To sauté the spinach: Add 2 Tbsp. water to skillet over medium-low heat. Add the baby spinach and slowly let the greens wilt. Add optional pepper, no-salt-seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder to taste. Spinach is done when all juices are evaporated.
Notes:
No-Salt Seasoning: My favorite is Costco’s Kirkland brand.
Spinach: Feel free to use the same amount of fresh kale, collard greens or Swiss chard.
Orange: I only show a few slices on the plate, but that’s just to make it look cute 😉 You’ll want to eat the entire orange at the end of this meal. Feel free to substitute with another lower-sugar whole fruit of your choice (grapefruit, kiwi, cantaloupe, green apple, and berries are all good options).
Lunch:
This is one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy sweet potatoes on the nutritarian plan! If you’re unsure how potatoes fit into the nutritarian diet, I cover that topic in depth in the Potato Primer.
I’m a salad-in-every-season kinda gal but this salad is particularly ideal for those colder winter months.
Using a big bed of greens as your base, the sweet baked potato and savory creamy hummus combine beautifully with the fresh, crispy toppings and tangy balsamic vinegar!
- 3 cups chopped leaf lettuce (15 calories)
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions (10 calories)
- medium-large sweet potato, ~140 grams, 2.5″ diameter, 5 to 6″ long (133 calories)
- 1/2 cup warmed Extra-Creamy No-Oil Hummus (119 calories)
- 5 grape tomatoes, halved (5 calories)
- 1/2 Tbsp. raw pepita seeds (30 calories)
- 1 tsp. raw sesame seeds (18 calories)
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (80 calories)
Directions:
To bake the sweet potato: Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash the sweet potato and pierce to help release steam. Place on a lined baking sheet or glass baking dish and bake until fork-tender, about 50 to 60 minutes. I like to make several potatoes at once to have on hand for later in the week.
To assemble the salad: Add the greens to a large bowl. Next, add the chopped green onions and mix well. Allow the baked potato to slightly cool, then slice it down the middle and pinch the ends together to help open it up. Lay the potato on top of the greens. Warm your hummus in the microwave for 20 to 25 seconds and add it on top of the potato. Finally, add the halved tomatoes, pepita seeds and sesame seeds around the bowl and top with the balsamic vinegar.
Notes:
Hummus: If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making homemade hummus you can always top the sweet potato with 1/2-to-3/4 cups cooked garbanzo beans seasoned with a little onion powder and garlic powder. If you aren’t following nutritarian sodium or oil restrictions you can always use your favorite store-bought hummus.
Lettuce options: I’ve made this salad with loose leaf lettuce, romaine, kale and chopped spinach. They are all sturdy enough to stand up to the warm baked potato.
Balsamic: My favorite go-to brand is Trader Joe’s gold label balsamic.
Dinner:
Veteran nutritarians know this saying by heart: The salad is the main course.
But what about when it’s cold and dark outside and the thought of another salad makes you shudder in utter revulsion? Enter this noodle soup bowl that’s loaded with good-for-you greens! It’s like the soup and the salad are combined (in a very good way).
This is a meal that requires some preparation. The soup broth needs time to simmer and is a bit more involved than the recipes I typically share. If you take this dinner idea on and make the Shiitake Ginger Broth you will have 4 more cups to use throughout the week.
I like to make the tofu and broth the day before then reheat those components when I’m ready to assemble the bowl.
- 1 cup cooked Banza garbanzo bean pasta (230 calories)
- 2 cups Low Sodium Shiitake Ginger Broth (90 calories)
- 4 strips Easy Baked Tofu (104 calories)
- 3 cups baby spinach (20 calories)
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions (20 calories)
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (70 calories)
- 1/4 cup microgreens (5 calories)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (3 calories)
Directions:
To make the noodle bowl: First, cook the bean pasta to al dente following the instructions on the package (each brand is different). While the noodles cook, cut the 4 tofu strips into bite-sized pieces, reserve. Next, add hot Shiitake Broth to a large bowl–the hot broth is going to help heat the other components. Now, add 1 cup of the al dente bean pasta, the reserved chopped tofu strips, the spinach, chopped green onion, sliced mushrooms, microgreens and cilantro. Enjoy immediately.
Notes:
Bean pasta: Feel free to use 1 cup cooked of any shape or brand bean pasta. These edamame noodles are also a lovely choice with this broth. To learn more about bean pasta, read my article here.
Ginger broth: I understand that my homemade broth recipe takes a good deal of time. In my opinion it is well worth the effort in flavor, cleanliness of ingredients and the lower sodium content compared to store-bought broths. Again, if you aren’t following nutritarian sodium or oil restrictions you can always use your favorite store-bought comparable asian-style broth.
Mushrooms: If you can’t find the shiitake variety feel free to use white or baby Bella mushrooms instead (or any other variety you prefer). This recipe also works well with jarred mushrooms (just check sodium content). If you don’t like the texture of mushrooms consider adding in a salt-free culinary mushroom powder like this one.
Spinach: Kale or baby Bok Choy are excellent alternatives.
Dessert:
Nutritarians don’t snack between meals and that means there’s almost always room for a healthy fruit-sweetened dessert after dinner! I created this Quick Strawberry Chia Jam Parfait as a super-easy, fast and warming dessert for the colder winter months.
It’s an excellent way to enjoy peak-season frozen strawberries when you can’t find them fresh in the winter months.
- 1 Tbsp. 1-Minute Vegan Caramel Sauce (47 calories)
- 1-1/4 cup frozen strawberries, ~180 grams (54 calories)
- 1/2 Tbsp. black chia seeds (22 calories)
- 1/2 Tbsp., 10 to 12 Just Dates dark chocolate date-sweetened vegan chocolate chips (33 calories)
Directions:
To make the Quick Strawberry Chia Jam Parfait: Start by adding the frozen strawberries to a medium micro-wave safe bowl. I like to cover the bowl with a microwave safe plate to prevent splattering. Heat on high for 200 seconds. Stir and cook again for an additional 30 seconds. All the berries should be fully defrosted with small berries having burst during cooking. While the strawberries are cooking, in a small bowl or ramekin whisk together the almond butter, date syrup and unsweetened plant milk for the 1-Minute Vegan Caramel Sauce and reserve. Add the 1/2 Tbsp. black chia seeds to the cooked strawberries and mix together well. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. of the reserved caramel sauce on the strawberry chia jam and top with date-sweetened chocolate chips. Serve immediately while still warm.
Notes:
Frozen Berries: While I’ve only tried this with strawberries so far I’m sure it would work with frozen blueberries, raspberries or even cherries. If you give one of these substitutions a try please leave a comment and let us know how it went!
Day 54 Shopping List by Hello Nutritarian
How to use the shopping list:
- Print the list.
- Circle each section you want to shop for and cross out any meals or recipes that you’re not going to make.
- Take the list with you to your pantry and refrigerator and cross off all the ingredients you already have on hand. I give measurements so you can see if you have enough of that ingredient.
- Take the edited list to the grocery store–now you can be sure you only need to buy what you don’t already have in stock at home!
How is this an Aggressive Weight Loss nutritarian menu?
- Dr. Fuhrman recommends about 1,400 calories when following the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan.
- No between-meal snacks, juice, oil, salt, dairy, animal products, sugar or refined foods.
- The sweet potato meets the 1 cup cooked starchy vegetable/whole grain quota for the day.
- Nuts and seeds are incorporated in breakfast (parmesan), lunch (pepita & sesame seeds) and dessert (almond butter) and do not exceed the 1 ounce daily limit.
- The 2-Tbsp.-max dried fruit quota is not exceeded with the 1/4 Tbsp. date syrup used in the caramel sauce. 1 Tbsp. date syrup typically has 2.5 dates so 1/4 Tbsp. has 5/8ths of a date, which is just about 2 Tbsp..
Are the nutritarian G-BOMBS requirements met with this menu?
Yes!
- GREENS in breakfast (cooked spinach), lunch (raw lettuce) and dinner (cooked spinach & microgreens)
- BEANS in lunch (hummus) and dinner (bean pasta)
- ONIONS in lunch and dinner (green onions for both meals)
- MUSHROOMS in dinner soup
- BERRIES in dessert (strawberries)
- SEEDS in lunch (raw pepita & sesame seeds) and dessert (raw chia seeds)
How to adjust this menu for the maintenance plan:
If you’ve reached a healthy BMI (Dr. Fuhrman notes this as being 22.5 or under in his book The End of Dieting) you can increase your calories and have more leeway with the restricted food categories in the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan (whole grains, nuts, seeds, avocado and fruit).
While maintenance calories are specific to each person’s sex, age and physical activity levels, I’ve included some options to augment this menu to work for increased caloric intake during maintenance.
- BREAKFAST: Add another piece of fruit or a 1-cup portion of this Easy Green Smoothie or Peach Smoothie
- LUNCH: Add 1/2 Hass avocado (~60 grams) to the salad, 1/2 cup cooked tri-colored quinoa and increase pepita seeds to 1 Tbsp.
- DINNER: Use this No-Oil Herb-Tahini Crusted Tofu recipe instead of the Easy Baked Tofu
- DESSERT: Add 1/4 cup Easy Vegan Yogurt to the parfait or increase the 1-Minute Vegan Caramel Sauce to 2-1/2 Tbsp.
How do you make the nutritarian lifestyle stick when it feels impossible?
For me, the answer to that question is weekly batch cooking.
Not only did meal prepping help me stay on plan when I was the only one in my family eating this way, it allowed me to be compliant for long enough so that I could experience the incredible results. Once I felt my increased energy and mental sharpness along with the serious fat loss, the results motivated me to keep going!
Let me be your guide through the 6-week weight loss program where I break everything down so you know exactly what to do and eat every. single. day.
Learn all about the Nutritarian Prep Program here!
I’d love to know what you think if you give this menu a try!
Your comments and feedback motivate me so much to keep creating memorable and delicious recipes and helpful resources.
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