It’s that time of year again… we’ve all indulged quite a bit over the holidays, and now that the new year is upon us, it means summer is inching ever closer. And while we may still have a few months to go before we have to worry about getting out our swimsuits, most of us don’t even want to think about heavy food after everything we ate over the holidays.

So, if you’re looking to fight that festive season bloat and feel a little better about your food choices, here’s a 7-day healthy meal plan to give you some basic ideas for getting through the week.

I’ve tried to choose very simple things since we’re all completely tired of cooking after the holidays. I went with healthy foods that are relatively family-friendly, and all of these choices can be pretty easily tweaked to accommodate fussier eaters.

Day 1

Breakfast: Overnight oats with plant milk, banana, nut butter and coconut flakes

Lunch: Chickpea salad with veg of your choice (tomato, cucumber red pepper, arugula) in a lemon vinaigrette

Dinner: Grilled turkey, baked sweet potato, steamed green beans

Snack: Fruit, handful of nuts

Day 2

Breakfast: Overnight oats with plant milk, banana, nut butter and coconut flakes (I like to batch my breakfasts)

Lunch: Same as yesterday, you can batch this too!

Dinner: Grilled salmon, orange couscous, steamed broccoli

Snack: Carrot sticks with hummus

Day 3

Breakfast: Plain yoghurt with honey, berries and nuts

Lunch: Yep, repeat the salad again

Dinner: Avocado chicken salad with homemade dressing (vinaigrette or honey mustard)

Snack: Apple with peanut butter

Day 4

Breakfast: Breakfast smoothie with fruit and almond butter

Lunch: Turkey wrap (wholemeal wrap, sliced deli turkey, hummus, sliced tomato, red onion, lettuce) (make double)

Dinner: Pureed butternut squash soup (make enough for 2 days)

Snack: Hard-boiled egg, wholemeal crackers

Day 5

Breakfast: Wholegrain toast with almond butter and sliced bananas

Lunch: Wrap, prepared yesterday

Dinner: Lentil soup (make enough to have leftovers for Day 7 lunch), pitta or wholemeal roll

Snack: Fruit of your choice with a small handful of almonds

Day 6

Breakfast: Plain yoghurt with honey, bananas and cinnamon

Lunch: frittata with whatever veg you need to use up in your fridge (spinach, courgette, mushrooms, asparagus, tomato)

Dinner: Pureed butternut squash soup (already cooked on day 4), with wholemeal croutons

Snack: Air-popped popcorn tossed in a small amount of olive oil, garlic powder and nutritional yeast

Day 7

Breakfast: Poached egg with half an avocado and a slice of wholegrain toast

Lunch: Leftover lentil soup from Day 5

Dinner: Grilled shrimp with linguine in a lemon-olive oil sauce

Snack: Sliced bell pepper dipped into hummus

What to avoid

Of course, what you don’t eat is just as important – if not more – as what you do eat when you’re trying to get back on track to healthy eating after the holidays. You probably won’t follow this healthy meal plan to the letter, but try to stay away from processed foods, sugary foods, carbonated drinks and alcohol. They’ll only contribute to that uncomfortable feeling of bloating and can also impact your mood. 

Other tips

As you recover from too much holiday merriment, you’ll want to drink lots of water. It may seem counterintuitive, but this helps your body get rid of excess sodium, which can help you de-puff. A glass of water right before your meal can also prevent overeating.

Try to fit in a short walk each day. Even a little bit of movement can help your digestion, and it’s a great chance to connect with your kids and get everyone away from screens for a little while.

Finally, don’t fret! A few days of bad eating aren’t as hard to bounce back from as you might think, so don’t be too hard on yourself. And don’t forget: We can still hide behind our jackets for another month or two!

Happy new year to you and your loved ones 🥳

Love,

Nakita xxx