10 Day Meal Plan For Couples To Start Eating Healthy

If you’ve ever considered eating healthier, but had no idea where to start, we’ve got you covered.

The key to any change is just starting, and this article is meant to help you with the first step towards eating healthier as a couple.

We’ve put together a 10 day meal plan that you can use for yourselves. It’s inspired by the meals we usually have, and very much focused on whole foods, with little to no bread.

Once you finish the first 10 days of eating healthy together, you’ll fall into a beautiful routine of healthy eating which will benefit you both in the long run.

How to figure out portion sizes

We’re not counting calories here, although these meals range around 1300-1500 kcal for women, and 1800-2000 kcal for men, per day.

So what we use is something much simpler, which is easy to remember. This is for each sex in particular.

• Men – you need more protein, to maintain your lean muscle. So on your plates 50% should be protein, 25% veggies, and 25% wholemeal carbs.
• Women – need less carbs, since we tend to store them as fat faster and easier than men. So aim for about 40% of your plate protein, 40% veggies or legumes, and just 20% carbs.

The percentages are important to remember, but let’s talk about the weight of the food. We’re giving you the ideal estimate here, for each meal. Again, divided by sexes, and allowing for differences height, weight, and build.

	Men	Women
Breakfast	200 gr/7 oz	150 gr/5 oz
Lunch	400 gr/14 oz	300 gr/10 oz
Dinner	300 gr/10 oz	200-250 gr/ 7-9 oz

This is all accompanied by 2 snacks per day, one in the morning and on in the afternoon(halfway between meals). And lots and lots of water or tea.

If you always refer to this table, and the percentages, then you won’t really need to count your calories, since they’ll fall within a healthy, every-day range.

Although, if you are a very tall, bulky man and need more than 1800 kcal to maintain your weight, but would like to eat healthier food, feel free to fiddle with the portion sizes. NOT the percentages.

Best to use a BMI calculator, to figure out the ideal calories you need. Here’s a simple calculator, be sure to put in how active you are, height, weight, age, and so on. It will even tell you how many calories to cut to lose weight or add to put on weight.

General overview of the meal plan

We’re going to go through this real quick, to make sure everything’s clear.

So the way this meal plan works, is that it allows for 3 whole meals and 2 snacks, per day. We recommend some exercise very couple of days to go along with it, but it’s not mandatory.

Each meal is PER PERSON.

A recommended time frame would be this:

• Breakfast within an hour of waking up
• Morning snack halfway between breakfast and lunch
• Lunch around noon, or about 6-7 hours since breakfast
• Afternoon snack halfway between lunch and dinner
• Dinner about 4 hours before going to bed, to allow for digestion.

The meals are nearly always cooked from scratch, but you can find very similar meals at some eating places as well. If you’re eating out, or on the road just be careful with the sauces they serve.

For veggies, we recommend fresh vegetables. But if you can’t find them fresh, get the frozen ones, the simple ones with no added condiments or glazes. Just frozen peas, for example, or just simple broccoli and cauliflower mix.

When using legumes like lentils and beans, remember that they have their own serving of carbs. So we usually group them with carbs, just to make things easier.

For meat/protein, we aim for chicken and salmon. Beef and turkey are alright too, you can add them as well. Pork we tend to avoid, mostly because of what the animals are usually fed with, and the flavor. That includes cold cuts.

Carbs are meant to be wholemeal carbohydrates, like wholegrain pasta, brown rice, wholegrain bread and so on. Bread is only found in the morning, for breakfast.

Alright, we’ve covered portion sizes, percentages, and the general idea of the meal plan. Let’s get to the meal plan itself. It’s structured for each day, and does not include vegan or vegetarian options. However you can swap the protein for tofu, or soy patties it will work the same.

Day 1

Breakfast

• 2 small slices wholegrain bread, with cream cheese and cucumber slices.
• add 1 small slice wholegrain bread, with cream cheese and honey drizzle with cinnamon.
• includes black coffee, or tea
• men could go for 4 slices in total.

Morning snack

• 1 serving plain yogurt, with a handful of muesli
• 1 cup of tea
• 2 wholegrain biscuits. Men can go for 4 pieces.

Lunch

•  steamed brown rice
• whole chicken drums
• pre-bagged salad mix, with just olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing, add favorite spices
• 1 cup tea, or fresh fruit juice

Afternoon snack

• 2 wholegrain biscuits, or muesli biscuits. Men can go for 4
• 1 cup tea, or small black coffee if needed

Dinner

• cauliflower cream soup, no croutons
• add some cubed up chicken ham if you want

Day 2

Breakfast

• 1 boiled egg, men can go for 2; we recommend soft boiled eggs, but do as you like
• half an avocado per person, seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and salt
• 2 slice wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• black coffee or tea
• 2 cubes 75% dark chocolate per person

Morning snack

• 4 muesli biscuits, men can go for 6
• a fruit of choice
• tea or water

Lunch

• chicken salad( chicken, beans, romaine, red peppers, feta cheese, olives or corn), with just olive oil and vinegar; men add more chicken, or some extra cheese.
• a fruit of choice, or a fresh fruit smoothie

Afternoon snack

• 3 slices chicken breast ham, with 3 slices of your favorite cheese; men can go for 4-4.
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• salmon with steamed broccoli
• yogurt-garlic sauce
• tea or water
• fruit of choice

Day 3

Breakfast

• buttered omelette, ladies 2 eggs, men 3.
• cherry tomatoes with olive oil and basil
• 2 slices wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• 1 wholegrain biscuit with cream cheese and honey drizzle
• black coffee or tea

Morning snack

• 1 serving plain yogurt, with dried fruit and chia seeds
• tea or water

Lunch

• grilled steak, or chicken breast
• pre-bagged salad mix, with olive oil and vinegar, add spices to flavor
• favorite fruit
• tea or water

Afternoon snack

• 1 apple with peanut butter
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• creamed legumes soup, flavor as you like
• tea or water

Day 4

Breakfast

• 2 skillet-grilled chicken hotdogs, men can go for 3
• 2 slices wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• mustard, or ketchup, or whatever you like as a sauce
• 1 slice wholegrain toast, cream cheese, blueberry jam, small cube of camembert cheese
• black coffee or tea

Morning snack

• 1 serving plain yogurt, with chia seeds and honey drizzle
• tea or water

Lunch

• grilled chicken breast
• mashed potatoes
• cherry tomato and cucumber salad, olive oil and vinegar for dressing
• favorite fruit
• tea or water

Afternoon snack

• 3 muesli biscuits, men can go for 5
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• chicken soup with noodles
• tea or water

Day 5

Breakfast

• 3 american-style medium-sized pancakes, topped with banana and honey drizzle
• men can go for 5
• tea or black coffee

Morning snack

• 3 slices turkey or chicken ham, and 3 cheese slices
• 1 wholegrain biscuit
• tea or fresh fruit juice

Lunch

• chicken and bean chili, with assorted fresh veggies on the side
• favorite fruit
• tea or water

Afternoon snack

• 2 wholegrain biscuits, men can go for 4
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• creamed pumpkin soup, add toasted seeds for flavor
• tea or water

Day 6

Breakfast

• spinach and feta cheese omelette; 2 eggs ladies, 3 eggs for men
• 2 slices wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• 2 cubes 75% dark chocolate
• tea or black coffee

Morning snack

• favorite fruit
• 2 wholegrain biscuits
• tea or water

Lunch

• creamed lentil soup, with croutons
• small cucumber, red pepper, tomato and feta cheese salad
• tea or water

Afternoon snack

• 1 serving plain yogurt, with muesli and dried fruit
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• chicken taco, swap taco shell with lettuce leaves
• tea or water

Day 7

Breakfast

• 2 slices wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• thinly sliced smoked salmon fillet
• cream cheese
• 2 cubes 75% dark chocolate
• tea or black coffee

Morning snack

• 3 wholegrain biscuits, men can go for 4
• 1 serving plain yogurt with honey drizzle and chia seeds
• tea or water

Lunch

• grilled chicken breast
• brown rice with peas and red peppers
• side of tomato and cucumber salad, olive oil and vinegar
• favorite fruit
• tea or water

Afternoon snack

• 3 pre-cut slices cheese
• 3 cherry tomatoes
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• tuna salad (salad mix, tuna, olives, peas, feta cheese) with olive oil and lemon juice
• tea or water

Day 8

Breakfast

• 2 slices wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• 2 egg buttered omelette with feta cheese, men can go for 3 eggs
• 1 slice wholegrain bread (toasted if you like), with peanut butter and sliced banana and cinnamon
• tea or black coffee

Morning snack

• 1 serving plain yogurt with sliced banana and muesli
• tea or water

Lunch

• steamed broccoli
• whole chicken drums
• cream cheese with garlic for dipping/sauce
• favorite fruit
• tea or water

Afternoon snack

• 1 cupped hand peanuts, unsalted
• 1 apple
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• pan-seared salmon
• pre-bagged salad mix, with olive oil and lemon juice
• tea or water

Day 9

Breakfast

• 2 slices wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• avocado spread – avocado, garlic, olive oil, salt
• thinly sliced smoked salmon fillet
• 1 slice wholegrain toast, with your favorite jam
• tea or black coffee

Morning snack

• your favorite fruit
• 3 pieces wholegrain biscuits, men can go for 5
• tea or water

Lunch

• pan-seared steak
• mozzarella, baby spinach and rucola(dandelion) salad, with olive oil and vinegar
• your favorite fruit
• tea or water

Afternoon snack

• 3 mozzarella balls
• cherry tomatoes with basil, salt, and olive oil
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• grilled chicken breast
• pre-bagged salad mix with olive oil and vinegar
• tea or water

Day 10

Breakfast

• chicken ham with olives and red peppers
• 2 slices wholegrain toast, men can go for 3
• cream cheese
• 1 banana mashed with 2 tsp peanut butter and cinnamon
• tea or black coffee

Morning snack

• 1 serving plain yogurt with honey drizzle
• 3 wholegrain biscuits, men can go for 5
• tea or water

Lunch

• cheese-stuffed chicken breast
• brown rice with red peppers
• small pre-bagged salad mix, olive oil and vinegar
• your favorite fruit

Afternoon snack

• 3 wholegrain biscuits, men can go for 5
• an apple
• tea or black coffee

Dinner

• tuna and avocado salad – pre-bagged salad mix, tuna, avocado, peas, olives, olive oil and lemon juice
• tea or water

Day 10 done !

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And there you have it, our 10 day meal plan for couples. You’ll notice we’ve noted the foods men can have more of, but remember to check the percentage and weight tables at the top of this post !

They matter just as much as the plan itself, since you need to separate your portions accordingly, ladies and gents.

What obstacles can we expect when we start eating healthier ?

If this is your first foray into eating healthier, and maintaining balanced meals, it might be a bit tricky, even with the meal plan we gave you. But don’t worry, we’ll help !

1. Your discipline might wane

And you’ll want to eat something more similar to what you’re used to, or long for some delicious pasta night. That’s alright, and understandable.

The biggest trap is not in the beginning, but in the second half on the meal plan.

The first few days are exciting and new, filled with foods that get you on the right path. But the rest of those days are exactly the same. So they will become mundane.

It won’t be fancy anymore, and that’s where you must be careful. Keep your discipline, and don’t get sidetracked by other foods, especially in the last 5 days. 

They will seem repetitive, and you might feel you’ve ”earned” some ice cream or a slice of pizza. In reality all you’d be doing is just undoing the last few days of eating healthy.

2. You won’t see immediate results

That’s not to say results won’t come, but if you’re also  trying to lose a bit of weight with this meal plan, don’t look for obvious signs.

Slimming  down by meals if by far the best way to lose weight, however you need more than 10 days to see some actual results on your body.

What you will see, is improved energy, less bloating, possibly improved bowel movements, and better sleep.

What’s more important is the habit of eating healthy, and learning to do that together.

If you want faster results, hit the gym as well. 2-3 days a week are enough to start seeing your body get sculpted, and remember to do cardio as well.

3. Your friends and family might think it weird

If you’ve never eaten like this before, your friends and family might not be very supportive at first. To them it might be strange that you’re changing what you’ve always had for dinner.

On some levels, they might feel alienated, since Sunday dinner with grandma was a thing and now  you can’t eat everything there is on the table.

Have patience, and stay true to what you’ve set out to do. Eat healthy, explain to your family and friends that you’re doing this to improve your health and take care of yourselves. They’ll come to terms with it eventually.

We know this was the case with our families when we started eating healthy, and we had a few delicate talks with our parents, but eventually they just went with it. Your folks will be alright too.

4. You might not feel full at first

When you’re just starting out eating healthier, the first few meals might seem ’empty’. A lot of the extra carbs and sauces from before are missing, and you were used to them.

You’ll find after the first couple of days that you’re actually full, and you tended to overeat before. This was our experience, and it was a complete surprise at first.

Another thing about habits, is the soda. If you’re used to soda often throughout the day, suddenly drinking just tea might sound so unsatisfying. Sometimes you’ll feel like the food won’t sit well unless you drink some soda after.

Again, very common, we’ve been there. The thing is that with meals that have more veggies and salads, you don’t need the extra help with digestion that soda gave you.

So you’ll get used to no soda fairly quick, especially if you get very fruity and good quality tea.

Final thoughts

We hope this meal plan will help you eat healthier, and get yourselves into a balanced eating habit. The first steps are always the hardest. So we wish you good luck, and remember to stay healthy !

Be sure to check our other articles as well, you might like them as well.