Looking for a simple, easy and effective meal plan? The Daily Nutrition Meal Plans (below or download), created by Herbalife Nutrition dieticians and physicians, have built-in calorie counts and are designed to provide you with the protein your body needs every day to function at its best. All you need to do is select the plan that fits your needs. Then, create daily menus that include healthy and balanced meals, protein snacks and protein shakes (such as Herbalife Nutrition Formula 1).
Step 1: Meal Plan Selection Tool
No two people are alike and everyone’s protein and calorie needs vary. So how do you know which meal plan is right for you? Start with the Meal Plan Selection Tool. The charts will help you determine the suggested meal plan for you, and your plan is designed to match your individual needs for protein and calories.
The Meal Plan Selection Tool will guide you to the recommended Meal Plan based on your gender, weight and height. Each Meal Plan has four options (A, B, C and D). Once you know which plan is recommended for you, you’ll go to Step 2 to see your suggested plan.
Step 2: Meal Plans A, B, C and D
Each Daily Nutrition Meal Plan has three options: Weight Maintenance, Weight Loss and Weight Gain. Choose the option within the plan that best suits your personal goals. This Meal Plan chart shows you what a typical day will look like, with recommended meals, snacks and shakes to choose from each day. Meal Plans are created by choosing items from the following categories:
Daily Nutrition Meal Plans
Weight Maintenance
When coupled with an appropriate exercise program, this option replaces one meal per day (typically breakfast) with a shake.
Weight Loss
This option promotes weight and fat loss when coupled with an appropriate exercise program and replaces two meals per day (typically lunch and dinner) with a shake.
Weight Gain
Using this option, get more protein and calories by supplementing with up to three additional shakes per day. When coupled with an appropriate exercise program, gain healthy weight (as lean body mass).
Meal Builder Tool
The Meal Builder tool is a simple, step-by-step approach to putting together healthy meals. Meals are made up of foods from five categories: Protein, Vegetables, Beneficial Carbohydrates, Beneficial Fats or Omega 3’s and Seasonings. Depending on your Meal Plan, you will create meals that have either approximately 25 grams of protein and 400 calories, or 40 grams of protein and 600 calories. Using the Meal Builder, you can select the exact foods you need to create your healthy, balanced meals.
First, choose the column that corresponds to the meal you are going to build. Then, select the amounts of food that are listed in each food group and combine items in a variety of ways to create healthy, balanced meals.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Resources
When you have the right resources, it’s that much easier to achieve your weight management goals. Here is a complete set of these tools, plus some additional resources for meal and snack recipes.
Get started now and enjoy all of the benefits of improving your wellness. Download the Meal Plan Guide
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A healthy pasta option.If you want to eat more whole grains in the New Year, whole-grain healthy pastas are a good place to start. In the past, shape was the main deciding factor in the pastas we bought – ziti or curly cavatappi?
Now there are delicious whole-wheat pastas or noodles with spinach or tomato added, plus rice, corn and quinoa pastas. So, how do all of these different noodles stack up?
Most people buy regular pasta made from a type of high-protein wheat, such as durum or semolina, which gives pasta its characteristic yellow hue. A serving is defined on the package as two ounces of dry pasta (about a cup cooked, depending on the shape), which has about 200 calories, a trace of fat, about two grams of fiber and around 40 grams of carbohydrate. Not a bad deal. But if you switch to whole-wheat healthy pastas, you’ll save about 20 calories and more than triple your fiber per serving. That’s a great deal, nutritionally speaking. And those numbers look more impressive when you consider what people typically eat – not one cup of cooked pasta, but more like three.
There are gluten-free pastas on the shelf, too. They’re made with grains other than wheat, like corn, rice or quinoa. Calorie-wise, they all come in at around 200 per cup, but they may have less fiber, and some have less protein than wheat pasta. But for those who are going gluten-free, they’re great alternatives.
I’ve also been seeing more ‘super pastas’ in stores, too. These are products with more protein and fiber, and even some touting omega-3 fatty acids. The three extra grams of protein or so usually come from a blend of higher protein grains and ground flaxseeds, which provide the omega-3 fatty acids. These pastas will probably cost you a bit more. Also, keep in mind that the omega-3s found in flax don’t provide quite the same health benefits as those you get from eating fish. You’d be better off cooking up some whole-wheat pasta with some shrimp tossed in.
Those pretty red and green pastas have tomato and spinach powder added to them, but the amounts are so small that they don’t increase the nutritional value all that much. They’re fine if you like how they look on your plate, but they won’t take the place of a fresh or cooked veggie.
On a dry weight basis, all pastas have about the same calories, around 100 per ounce of dry pasta. But most of us think of our portions in cups, not ounces. So consider this: the calories in cooked pasta can range from 175 to 240 per cup, depending on the shape. If you’re a calorie watcher, go for the big wagon wheels or the bow ties instead of the fine angel hair. The big shapes pack less tightly, so you’ll get fewer calories per cup.
I’ll admit that when I tried the first whole grain pastas to hit the market, most were not for me. I found them tough and grainy. But the products have gotten so much better. Their texture is a true match for regular pasta, and the nuttiness of the whole grain adds a depth of flavor to finished dishes that I’ve really come to love.
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A heart-healthy diet is your best choice.Heart-healthy meals start with heart-healthy ingredients. Here are some tips for selecting and preparing foods that support heart health.
To me, calling a diet “heart-healthy” can be a bit misleading. It seems to suggest that a heart-healthy diet is somehow different from a more general “healthy diet,” but they’re really one and the same.
A heart-healthy diet is one that calls for a variety of good-for-you foods––including lean proteins, plenty of fruits and vegetables, adequate amounts of fiber and modest amounts of sugar, salt and saturated fat. Sounds like a healthy diet to me.
A heart-healthy diet not only supports the health of your heart, it also supports your overall health in a number of ways. Low fat protein foods keep you full and give your body what it needs to build and repair important body proteins, all while keeping your total fat and saturated fat in check. The right carbohydrates give your body the fuel it needs, along with generous doses of vitamins, minerals and fiber. And small amounts of the right fats contribute essential fatty acids and flavor. When taken all together, these foods make up a well-balanced diet that’s filling and flavorful.
The protein that you eat every day provides the basic building blocks that your body needs to perform literally hundreds of functions. Protein is found in a variety of plant and animal foods, but saturated fats often tag along—especially in the case of animal proteins. So, you’ll want to select from a variety of plant proteins and lean/low fat animal sources. Fish is generally a good choice, since it contributes heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Look for plant proteins like lentils and beans, and particularly the complete protein of soy and soy products. Also include eggs, fish and seafood, poultry (especially white meat), nonfat and low fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat.
Aim for several vegetarian meals per week that rely on beans, lentils and soy-based foods like tempeh and tofu to provide protein. In recipes that call for meat or poultry, experiment with using tofu or seafood instead. Replace high-fat meats with lower fat choices (ground poultry breast can replace ground beef, for example).
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for your body’s engine. Their fiber content can also help fill you up, which can help you control your weight. Many fruits and vegetables are rich sources of potassium, which supports healthy blood pressure. And some are also good sources of nitrate, a compound used by the body to make nitric oxide which supports the health of your blood vessels. Avoid carbohydrates from sugars and highly refined grains, which offer up much less nutrition and more calories per bite.
Keep your focus on vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains and whole grain products to provide the carbs your body needs. Try to reduce your intake of sweets, juices, sugary drinks and refined grain products like white rice, and “white” flour products like regular pasta, white bread, cereals and crackers.
Aim for a fruit or vegetable at every meal and snack. Add fruits and vegetables to your protein shakes and use them for snacks, and add veggies to soups, stews, casseroles and mixed dishes. Frozen fruits and vegetables are fine—they’re convenient and their nutrient content is preserved. Choose whole grains––such as brown rice, barley, quinoa, wild rice and oats––over refined grains. To retain nutrients in vegetables, cook by steaming, microwaving or stir-frying.
Your body needs small amounts of fat in order to function properly. What’s important is choosing
the right fats and keeping your overall fat intake moderate. In general, fats that are derived from plant sources are considered to be more heart-healthy than animal fats. Animal fats contain more saturated fats, which tend to raise blood cholesterol levels.
Nuts, seeds, avocados and olives are some of the best sources of healthy fats, as are the oils that are derived from these foods. Olive oil and canola oil are good sources of monounsaturated fatty acids and are great for cooking. Small amounts of nuts and seeds can add a lot of flavor to dishes. Limit your intake of sources of saturated fats like butter and shortening, as well as foods that contain a lot of animal fat such as cheese, fatty meats and ice cream.
Use olive and canola oil for cooking. Use mashed avocado to replace foods like mayonnaise, sour cream or butter in cooking and at the table. Use moderate amounts of nuts for snacks (heart-healthy, but the calories can add up).
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A taste of the south.Fajitas are an easy-to-make Mexican dish. This colorful recipe is full of protein, vegetables and a delicious Latin flavor. So no need to head down to Mexico, this recipe brings the country’s delicious flavors to you.
Ingredients:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 lb. lean beef steak, flank steak or top sirloin
Rub spice mix over steak.
Marinade
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Pour half of this marinade over the meat and set the other half aside. Cover with plastic wrap. Let marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 large onion. Cook for several minutes, stirring, until soft.
Add
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
Cook for several more minutes until peppers are soft.
Add
1 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
Stir until vegetables are softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Pour in remaining marinade and stir for a minute or two. Cover and remove from heat. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry.
Add
1 TBSP olive oil
Cook steak 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice meat across the grain into strips. Toss meat and juices from cutting board into the pan with vegetables. Spoon meat-vegetable mixture into tortillas.
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Beans are a healthy soup ingredient. With a few basics in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer, you can make a healthy, delicious soup in no time.
When the cooler weather rolls around, my thoughts automatically turn to soup. These one-dish wonders are warm and filling, and it doesn’t take much to round out the meal – a simple green salad will usually do it.And, soups store really well – to me, most soups taste even better the day after they’re made.
There’s no question that the best soups are made from scratch – I’m the first to admit that great chicken soup starts with a whole chicken, not a can or box of broth – but when you’re pressed for time, you can put together a quick, great tasting soup as long as the kitchen is well-stocked.
You’ll want to start with a liquid, and your best bets are boxed or canned broths which come in a variety of flavors (beef, chicken, vegetable, mushroom, seafood). In general, these will provide your soup with a fresher flavor than if you use bouillon cubes (which also tend to be very salty). There are also some good paste-style concentrated soup bases in a variety of flavors. I’ve found pureed vegetable bases made from butternut squash or broccoli. Canned tomatoes in their liquid also make a good starter, too, after you treat them to a spin in the blender.
Canned beans make a great soup base, too. Start with the beans and the tasty liquid they’re packed in, and then add more liquid to get a soupy consistency. Black beans pair well with tomato puree, while white beans are great with chicken or vegetable broth.
Once you’ve chosen your liquid, you’ll want to boost the protein. You can turn your butternut squash or broccoli base into a creamy soup by stirring in milk or soy milk, or whirling in the blender with some soft tofu. Creamy soups pair well with seafood – so try adding frozen or canned shrimp, canned salmon, or minced clams with their liquid to make a quick chowder. Canned chicken and turkey breast are super-convenient for your broth-based soups; if your supermarket sells whole roasted chickens, even better – pick one up and add some diced oven-roasted chicken to give your soup a homemade flavor.
Next, think about seasonings. Want an Asian flavor? Add a dash of soy sauce, a bit of white pepper, a dash of ground ginger and a few drops of sesame oil. To add a southwestern flavor to your bean soup, try adding some chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder. Give your tomato-based soup a Mediterranean vibe with basil or rosemary and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. For the chowder, you can’t go wrong with a little garlic, celery seed, paprika and thyme.
Once you’ve seasoned your soup, it’s time to add the veggies – and you can never have too many. Keep some loose-pack vegetables (like spinach, carrots, lima beans, green beans, broccoli or mixed veggies) in your freezer to add to your soup during the last few minutes of cooking. Or, drain a can or corn kernels and add to your seafood chowder. For the finishing touch, add a bit of fresh vegetable if you have it. A sprinkling of minced parsley, or some freshly grated carrot or zucchini added at the last minute adds a fresh, bright color to your soup, and it’ll look like you spent hours – rather than minutes – on your creation.
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Colorful fruits and veggies should beHere’s why keeping your weight in check is so important for heart health, and how a heart-healthy diet can help you control your weight.
February is American Heart Month, which is why we’re focusing this month on heart health. A “heart-healthy” diet can help you to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. That’s important, because carrying too much body fat—especially around your midsection—may increase your risk for heart disease.
The larger and heavier you are, the harder your heart has to work. As you gain body fat, your body has to develop additional tiny blood vessels in order to supply oxygen and nutrients to the fat cells. But more blood vessels means an increased workload for your heart, because—in order for the blood to reach all of your cells—your heart has to work harder, and it takes more blood pressure, too.
Where you carry your fat also makes a difference. The fat that lies around the abdomen (often referred to as “belly fat”) is different from the fat deposits you have in other parts of your body. An excess of body fat that collects around your midsection and internal organs is associated with an increased risk for heart disease—in part, because of influences on blood pressure and levels of fats in the bloodstream.
Carrying extra weight can also affect your heart health in another important yet less direct way. Many people complain that excess weight makes it difficult or uncomfortable to exercise—which, of course, is so important to heart health, weight management and overall health and well-being.
It’s no secret that a healthy, well-balanced diet is important to good health. But it bears repeating that eating the right foods—and not eating too much —is key to weight
management, which in turn helps promote heart health.
o Colorful fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, should be your go-to carbohydrates. They’re nutrient-rich, yet relatively low in calories, which makes them the best choices for meeting your carbohydrate needs. Their fiber and water content help to fill you up, and adequate intake of certain fibers—such as the soluble fiber found in foods like apples, oats and beans—are associated with lower levels of cholesterol in the blood, as long as you stick to a low-fat diet. And when you focus on these “good” carb sources, you’ll wind up eating fewer foods that have a lot of sugar and refined carbs, which can rack up calories quickly.
o Small amounts of healthy fats, such as a sprinkle of nuts, a drizzle of olive oil or a few slices of avocado, can boost flavor and nutrition in calorie-controlled meals. Using fats thoughtfully and sparingly will help you with calorie-control, since fats are more calorie-dense than either proteins or carbohydrates.
Cardiovascular exercise—exercise that boosts your breathing and heart rate— promotes heart health in a number of ways. Like any other muscle, your heart responds positively to exercise, becoming more efficient at pumping blood and delivering oxygen to your tissues. You also burn calories while you exercise, which can help in your weight-loss efforts, as well as to maintain a healthy body weight. Regular exercise also helps keep blood pressure under control and is a great stress-reliever. Keeping both blood pressure and stress levels in check is important to the health of your heart.
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A complete one-dish meal.This quick beef fried rice is a complete one-dish meal that can also be served as a side dish.
It’s a delicious way to use leftover rice, and a healthy way to satisfy your Chinese food craving. It’s an Asian-inspired recipe that that will bring Zen to your hectic life.
Ingredients:
2 TBSP chicken broth
2 TBSP rice wine or other sherry (or 2 TBSP more broth)
2 TBSP soy sauce
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1 TBSP canola oil, divided
1 cup finely chopped broccoli
½ cup finely chopped carrots
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cooked brown rice, cold
12 oz. cooked lean steak, diced
3 green onions, finely chopped
(4 scoops Simply Probiotic)
For sauce, combine broth, wine, soy sauce, pepper and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over high heat. Add asparagus, carrots and bell pepper, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until tender-crisp. Remove vegetables from skillet and set aside.
Pour remaining 2 teaspoons of oil into skillet and pour in beaten eggs. When the eggs are set on the bottom, add the rice and steak to the skillet. Cook and stir, breaking up egg, until egg is cooked and mixture is hot.
Add vegetables to the skillet and then add sauce mixture (and Probiotic). Stir until well combined. Top with chopped green onions.
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Eat to your heart’s content.Most people don’t need an excuse to party, but in case you need an official reason to celebrate, February doesn’t disappoint. Sure, there’s the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day, but we also have Groundhog Day and Presidents’ Day.
And in case you didn’t mark your calendars, February is also National Heart Health Month. You probably don’t want to celebrate this holiday with pizza and buffalo wings. So, instead, why not show everyone that you’ve got a heart of gold by preparing a delicious heart-healthy meal?
First, if you intend to drink alcohol, make a toast to your good health with a glass of champagne. Not only is champagne festive, but a glass of bubbly contains polyphenols—naturally occurring compounds found in grapes that affect the body’s regulation of blood flow and blood pressure. We don’t recommend you drink alcohol to get polyphenols for this purpose, but maybe thinking about them this way will remind you that you should find healthful sources of polyphenols in your diet.
Next, start your meal with a colorful salad. Bright orange carrots, red tomatoes and deep green spinach owe their colors to carotenoids. These are a group of antioxidant pigments that help the heart by inhibiting the oxidation of the ‘bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood, a key step in the development of atherosclerosis.
Don’t stop there, though. Toss some avocado into your salad for a bonus. Carotenoids are also fat-soluble, so avocado’s healthy fat helps your body absorb these beneficial compounds. Even better, add some beans to your salad. Their water-soluble fiber helps to keep cholesterol levels in check.
For your entrée, grill up some fresh fish. Fish is one of the best sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which help to keep certain fats in the blood within normal range (like triglycerides and cholesterol). And that can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Let yourself go “a little nuts.” Tree nuts like almonds, walnuts and pistachios are rich in substances called phytosterols, which help to lower cholesterol. Toast nuts lightly to bring out their natural flavor and then sprinkle them over salads or veggies.
There’s no better finish to a great meal than a bit of chocolate. Naturally occurring compounds in cocoa called flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that fight free radical damage and help protect the heart. The darker and more bittersweet the chocolate, the better it is for you. So, enjoy a bit of dark chocolate, or drizzle some melted bittersweet chocolate over fresh berries for a doubly healthy dessert. Berries get their beautiful red-purple colors from anthocyanins, natural pigments that act as antioxidants, too. We don’t recommend sweets as a regular part of your diet because of the sugar they contain, but as with polyphenols, thinking about antioxidants in your desserts might help you remember to pay attention to them as part of your diet.
I’ll admit that National Heart Health Month isn’t exactly a “cards and flowers” occasion, but why not celebrate anyway? It’s a perfect time to feature heart-healthy foods in a delicious, healthy meal that you and your loved ones can literally “eat to your heart’s content.”
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Skip the cookies and try fruit for dessert. Planning your diet resolutions for the New Year? Try making a few small changes every month – all year long.
When January 1st comes around, it’s time to dust off that list of diet resolutions you made last year (and perhaps the year before that?) and vow to tackle them again.
It’s in our nature to look upon the New Year as a time to start fresh. It’s a time of promise and hope. We promise ourselves we’re going to eat right and get into shape, and we hope we can stick with our resolutions. But we often don’t. A lot of times it’s because our diet and lifestyle “to-do” list is a mile long, and it’s just too hard to make many changes all at once. We’re creatures of habit, and it just takes time for new habits to take hold.
Diet Resolutions for the New Year – A Step-Wise Approach
Make a Few Small Changes Every Month
Here’s a suggestion for you. Go ahead and make that to-do list, but just don’t try to make all your changes at once. In fact, I’m going to suggest that you tackle just three small changes in January – another three in February, three more in March, and so on until the end of the year. And here’s why. If you work on establishing just three new habits for a month, you won’t be overwhelmed with trying to focus on too many things at once. By the end of the month, the three new habits will be part of your routine, and you’ll be ready to take on three more changes in the following month.
Keep Your Diet Resolutions Going All Year Long
Suppose that those three changes you make in January cut out a total of 100 calories a day from your diet. That might not sound like a lot, but let’s say the same thing happens in February and March and April and May. Five months into the New Year, you’ve made a total of 15 small, sustainable changes to your eating habits, and you’re now saving 500 calories a day – enough to lose up to a pound a week.
Think about what you’d like to work on first. Maybe you’d like to cut your fat or sugar intake. Maybe your portions are just too large, or your problem is that you don’t eat enough fruits or vegetables. Maybe you’re an emotional eater and you want to work on that. Then determine the three things you plan to do in January and get to work.
Three Small Diet Changes a Month
Let’s say you want to cut back on your sugar intake. Your diet resolutions for January might be:
Maybe eating too much fat is your problem. In that case, your January diet resolutions might be:
If it’s portion control you need to work on, your January resolutions might look like this:
Maybe this is the year to take a different approach to your diet resolutions. Make a few changes, give them a month to settle in, and then build on those changes month after month. True, this step-wise approach isn’t the complete diet overhaul that you may attempt every January (and abandon by February) – but what have you got to lose?
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A good source of protein.The new year is the perfect time to start a healthy routine, but between work, kids and errands, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time.
These sweet and sour lettuce cradles are the answer to your busy schedule.
They’re quick to make yet healthy, and they’re a good source of protein to satisfy your hunger.
Ingredients:
Sauce
2 TBSP oyster-flavored sauce
2 TBSP light soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
1 TBSP brown sugar
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground white pepper
Stir in a small bowl to mix well. Set aside.
Meat
1 tsp canola oil
1 lb. ground chicken breast or turkey breast
Place skillet over high heat. Add canola oil, then ground chicken. Stir and cook between 4 and 5 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Remove meat from skillet and set aside. Wipe pan with paper towel, return pan to heat.
Vegetables
1 tsp canola oil
1 medium carrot, grated
⅓ cup canned water chestnuts, minced
2 green onions, chopped
Add canola oil. Add vegetables and stir until they soften. Add cooked meat, then the sauce. Stir until evenly coated. Spoon mixture onto lettuce leaf.
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