Have you ever had one of those days where you don't know what to eat, but you know it needs to be good. And by good, I mean healthy. Maybe your clothes are fitting a little tighter, or you just came back from a long weekend of heavy meals and sweet desserts. Now it's time to bring it back together and start eating foods that will make your body feel like...well...your body again. This is THE perfect meal plan for you if you're not entirely sure what the heck you should be eating to get back on track again.

Here's what I want you to take away from this article:

Know the difference between a processed vs an unprocessed food so keep the bad foods out of all your future meal plans.
Understand the benefits of this perfect meal plan - and why your body will thank you for it.
Download this 2-day simple and perfect meal plan - just for you!

The Perfect Meal Plan When You Just Need to Eat Better

This perfect meal plan is designed for all body types and is meant to get you on track - especially if you're feeling like you need to detox your body, lose belly fat or just feel better.

Even though a majority of the time I recommend people eat right for their body type - with most people following an apple shape body type meal plan or a pear shape body type meal plan, sometimes you just have to start eating healthier asap regardless of your body type!

First and foremost - let's lay the groundwork.

Your body will never lie. What you put in your body has a direct impact on your health.

Health and weight are often intertwined. You can definitely be unhealthy and weigh less. At the same time, you could be healthier and weigh more. But to be healthy and live within an optimal weight range, you need to eat healthy a vast majority of the time.

I work with a lot of people and one of the things I start to tackle right off the bat is eliminating the foods that trigger some sort of inflammation - whether it's bloating, a skin condition or something else that is making their body hold onto fat.

Usually the foods are processed. The thing is, food marketing is super slick. Even an obviously packaged food that has virtually no nutrition can be packaged to look like it's God's gift to health.

This meal plan is void of those processed foods. Actually, it's pretty basic. But there is a perfection in the simplicity.

None of the meals will take you long to prepare.
If you have a family, you can easily increase the servings to feed your whole brood.
It basic, so it will fit into just about any budget and won't include hard-to-find ingredients.
You can hit repeat on the meals a couple times a week to get into a rhythm of eating better.

Processed vs Unprocessed Foods

You might be wondering what the difference between processed and unprocessed foods are and why it's such a big deal.

If you can pinpoint the difference between these two types of foods, you'll be able to follow this meal plan with no problem whatsoever. You'll also be able to grocery shop without the confusion of what's good for you and what's not.

The bottom line is, the way food affects your body never changes...in two big ways:

processed, unhealthy foods will always make us feel like garbage
unrefined, healthier foods will always make us feel healthier (despite our cravings/addictions for garbage)

Here is a list of 50 healthy foods you can buy on a budget. Check it out. And yes, they're unprocessed.

The key is to stay on the unrefined, healthier side at least 85% of the time.

The other 15% is saved for the the odd occasion when you have a hot fudge sundae on a warm summer afternoon or a slice of deep dish on a Friday night. Go for it! You're completely entitled to enjoy those moments. Those are the exceptions, not the rule!

HOWEVER...

When the exceptions become a daily thing, problems start happening. Inflammation, weight gain, belly fat, eczema, water retention, bloating...all of it becomes something you'll have to deal with increasingly - along with some pretty hefty health-related consequences from an increased risk of developing diabetes to fatty liver disease and everything in between.

Processed foods:

Always contain more preservatives
Are usually very high in sodium
Have a longer shelf life due to the preservatives (cookies, crackers, hot dogs, lunch meats, etc)
Commonly contain artificial food colors (fruit-flavored drinks, soda, canned fruit, candy, ice cream)
Contain harmful artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup
Are usually considered "dead" foods because they're void of most nutrients
Are cheaper and easier to buy than unprocessed foods

Most processed foods didn't exist 100 years ago. Now that they're accessible, inexpensive and easy to market, we eat more. Our body has to somehow deal with this.

A lot of processed foods are marketed as "diet" foods or even as health foods - when they're anything but.

Unprocessed foods:

Have a shorter shelf life and contain fewer preservatives
Are much lower in sodium
Contain more nutrients your body can use 24 hours a day
Contain far more fiber than processed foods
Help to control blood sugar levels
Can be more expensive, but not as expensive as most of the medications you'll have to take as the result of eating a processed-foods diet!

In the 15 years I've been helping people lose weight and get fitter, I've heard just about every justification in the book.

A lot of excuses are legitimate. We all have different types of stress or triggers in our life that nudge us to eat less healthy than we should. After all, food is one of the few things in our life we can absolutely control. And that can feel pretty good.

The key is finding foods that work with your body, not against your body, when you're enduring times of stress. Easier said that done, right? But it's possible. The healthier we eat, the better we feel and the more we want to continue eating healthy. It's a nice snowball effect.

The opposite can happen with bad foods, too, though. Be honest with yourself in terms of the foods you're eating and always try to stay on the good side. If you're reading this, something tells me you're motivated to move in that direction already!

The Benefits of My Perfect Meal Plan

Since this meal plan is 100% unprocessed, you'll probably start noticing a few big things fairly quickly. If you've struggled to lose weight, you may not find that as much of a problem while following this meal plan.

The hardest thing for you to get past are your bad habits, or eating the foods you may not realize are triggering your body to store fat. Beyond that, you're always welcome to jump into one of my Body Type Plans to take things a step further.

1 - You'll be able to control inflammation better

I talk about inflammation A LOT. Don't glance over this, please! If you're having a hard time losing weight, you probably have inflammation and the foods you're eating could very well be a trigger.

Even though this meal plan is only two days, recycle it and go through it a couple more times until you hit the one week mark. From there, you'll notice very quickly that your body will start cooperating more.

2 - You'll probably lose weight faster

Naturally, when you manage inflammation or eat foods that turn your body's metabolism on, you will lose weight faster. In some cases, inches come off faster than pounds. One of my greatest success stories is about a woman in her 50s who managed to drop several dress sizes, but only 14 pounds. It didn't matter.

As long as she was healthier, felt great and looked amazing, she was on track.

3 - You'll have better control of your hunger

Quite possibly one of the biggest red flags when it comes to diet, constant hunger is a sign that you're not eating right. It's always normal to be hungry around meal time, but if hunger is plaguing you throughout the day, you've got to start eating better or the hormone, insulin, will take the hit.

When insulin becomes abused through poor diet, you're at risk of developing diabetes. And no one wants that.

4 - You'll be in a better mental space

I really don't touch on the mental aspect of diet or nutrition much, but what we eat has a profound impact on our mental health. Eating a diet of unprocessed foods can decrease anxiety, improve stress levels and greatly improve you're overall wellbeing.

Finally, The Meal Plan

Here's the meal plan! A couple things to keep in mind before starting. I listed a few things as Levels 1, 2 and 3. All are good. But as an FYI:

Below are the two days of the meal plan. You can follow this plan as is without downloading.
Additional Details are in the download, including The Extras, which are the two additional layers you can follow for greater success.

Day 1

Day 1: Breakfast

8 - 12 ounces room temp or warm water w/ lemon juice
2 eggs (any style) + ¼ to ½ avocado + 1 c fresh berries (any type)
1 cup green tea or herbal tea (unsweetened)

Day 1: Lunch

8 - 12 ounces water
Mixed greens salad + chicken + fresh veggies + ¼ avocado + 2 tbsp olive oil + sprinkle sea salt

Day 1: Dinner

8 - 12 ounces water
3 - 4 ounce fish filet (salmon, cod, halibut, tuna) + 2 C roasted vegetables (no potatoes)

Day 2

Day 2: Breakfast

8 - 12 ounces room temp or warm water
⅓ c old fashioned oats + handful walnuts* + 1/2 c berries (fresh or frozen) + 1 tbsp honey
1 cup green tea or herbal tea (unsweetened)

Day 2: Lunch

8 - 12 ounces water
Lettuce wrap with chicken + ½ avocado + onion + tomato + sunflower seeds + sea salt

Day 2: Dinner

8 - 12 ounces water
Turkey burger (no bun) + asapragus + 1 C (or about 1/2) sweet potato w/coconut oil and sea salt

Snack Options:

Eat only if you're hungry. One snack in between meals only.

Veggies + hummus
Veggies + guacamole
Celery + 1 tbsp nut butter
A handfull of mixed nuts
An apple + 1 tbsp nut butter
1/2 Avocado + sea salt
Handful of olives
Hard boiled egg
A couple squares of good dark chocolate

Even though it's only two days, recycle the days of this meal plan - following for at least one week to start feeling and seeing results. Staying consistent with healthy eating is one of the most important things to do to see success for the long term. Download the meal plan to get the tip sheet and information about the extras.

If you'd like to kick things up a notch, pick up The Belly Burn Plan.

If you ever think you could be sensitive to a certain food, but don't know for sure (even foods in this meal plan), then move over to my Elimination Diet and follow that instead. It could be the best thing you ever do.

Have a question? Leave a comment below.