Easy, balanced weekly vegetarian meal plan: free, in grams and with enough protein

Before the plan: what makes a vegetarian menu balanced

The position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2016) sums up the starting point: appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, are healthful and nutritionally adequate, and vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain conditions, such as ischaemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity. The same document adds a condition: vegans need reliable sources of vitamin B12. "Planned" is the word that matters. The typical mistake is to take the meat off the usual plate and put nothing in its place, so the plate is left without protein and hunger arrives. A balanced vegetarian menu is built the other way round: first the protein (legume, tofu, tempeh, edamame, egg or dairy), then half a plate of vegetables, then a wholegrain or potato and, finally, measured fat. With that skeleton, and the nutrients to watch under control, it is easy to repeat all week.

The structure of each day (~1600 kcal)

Every day in the plan follows the same skeleton. Learn it and you will be able to improvise with whatever is in your fridge:

• Breakfast (~340-425 kcal): protein + wholegrain cereal or bread + fruit. E.g.: 200 g of skyr + 40 g of rolled oats + 1 banana (100 g) + 10 g of walnuts (~425 kcal and ~28 g of protein).
• Lunch (~550-655 kcal): cooked legumes (150-250 g) or soy protein + vegetables + wholegrain (40-80 g dry weight) or wholegrain bread + 1 tablespoon of olive oil (10 g).
• Dinner (~405-555 kcal): tofu, tempeh, edamame, egg or legumes + plenty of vegetables + a little grain or wholegrain bread + 1 teaspoon of oil (5 g).
• Snack (~135-190 kcal): skyr or cottage cheese with fruit, fruit with a small handful of nuts, or edamame with carrot sticks.
• Total: ~1570-1690 kcal and ~89-112 g of protein a day. Water as the default drink; tea and coffee are better kept away from main meals.

The complete weekly vegetarian meal plan (free, in grams)

A lacto-ovo vegetarian plan with approximate weights. Legumes are cooked and drained; rice, pasta, quinoa, couscous and red lentils are dry weight. We added up each day with per-100 g values from USDA FoodData Central (1 tablespoon of oil = 10 g; 1 teaspoon = 5 g; 1 egg = 50 g without the shell), and Saturday counts the free meal as ~550 kcal and ~25 g of protein. "Skyr" can also be strained 0% Greek yoghurt: in USDA it has around 10 g of protein per 100 g, but many creamy "Greek-style" yoghurts contain far less, so check the label. If you swap a food, look up its calories in food calories.

3-meal version (no snack), ~1650 kcal

If you prefer not to eat between meals, spread the snack across the three meals. An example day with approximate weights and USDA FoodData Central values:

• Breakfast (~425 kcal, ~28 g of protein): 200 g of skyr + 40 g of rolled oats + 100 g of banana + 10 g of walnuts.
• Lunch (~655 kcal, ~30 g of protein): 200 g of cooked chickpeas + 150 g of spinach + 100 g of tomato + 50 g of quinoa (dry weight) + 1 tablespoon of olive oil (10 g).
• Dinner (~575 kcal, ~44 g of protein): 200 g of firm tofu stir-fried with 200 g of broccoli and 100 g of pepper + 40 g of brown rice (dry weight) + 1 teaspoon of oil (5 g).
• Daily total: ~1650 kcal and ~102 g of protein, spread across about 28-44 g per meal.
• For the rest of the week: use the plan above and share the snack out across the meals (a little more skyr at breakfast, more legumes at lunch or more tofu at dinner).

Protein on a vegetarian diet: how much and where from

The general reference for adults is 0.8 g of protein per kilo of body weight per day (Harvard T.H. Chan), and in the systematic review by Neufingerl and Eilander (2021) protein intake among people on plant-based diets was lower than among meat-eaters but within recommended levels. If you want to lose weight or you do strength training, going higher is usually worthwhile: the review by Leidy et al. (2015) places higher-protein diets at 1.2-1.6 g/kg and, potentially, at least ~25-30 g per meal. These are portions from the plan and the protein they provide, using USDA values:

• Cooked lentils, 250 g: ~23 g of protein (~290 kcal).
• Cooked chickpeas, 200 g: ~18 g (~330 kcal). Cooked white beans, 250 g: ~24 g (~350 kcal).
• Firm tofu, 150 g: ~26 g (~215 kcal). Tempeh, 100 g: ~20 g (~190 kcal). Edamame, 150 g: ~18 g (~180 kcal).
• Skyr or strained 0% Greek yoghurt, 200 g: ~20 g (~120 kcal). Low-fat 1% cottage cheese, 150 g: ~19 g (~110 kcal).
• 2 eggs (100 g): ~13 g (~145 kcal). Rolled oats, 40 g: ~5 g (~150 kcal). Quinoa, 50 g dry: ~7 g (~185 kcal).

Nutrients to watch: B12, iron, calcium, omega-3 and iodine

In the systematic review by Neufingerl and Eilander (2021), people on plant-based diets had higher intakes of fibre, folate, vitamin C and magnesium than meat-eaters, but intake and status of vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, zinc, iodine and calcium were generally lower in plant-based patterns, and intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA was lower too. That does not mean you have to supplement everything; it means knowing where to look:

• Vitamin B12: plant foods contain none unless they are fortified (NIH); eggs and dairy do provide it. Vegans need a reliable source, such as fortified foods or supplements (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), and in the review by Pawlak et al. (2014) deficiency was relatively common among vegetarians too. More in vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Iron: on vegetarian diets it is absorbed less well (5-12% versus 14-18% on mixed diets, according to Hurrell and Egli, 2010). Legumes, tofu, leafy greens and nuts, with some vitamin C in the same meal, as the NHS advises. More in iron deficiency.
• Calcium: dairy, calcium-set tofu, green leafy vegetables and bread are sources listed by the NHS. If you are vegan, look after it: in the review by Neufingerl and Eilander, vegans had the lowest calcium intake and lower bone mineral density.
• Omega-3: the NHS lists flaxseed (linseed) oil, rapeseed oil, walnuts, seeds and omega-3-enriched eggs as sources suitable for vegetarians. Intake of EPA and DHA is lower in vegetarians and vegans than in meat-eaters (Neufingerl and Eilander).
• Iodine: in the systematic review by Eveleigh et al. (2020), vegans had the poorest iodine status, followed by vegetarians; and excessive intakes among vegans came largely from seaweed. If it worries you, especially during pregnancy, raise it with your doctor.

Can you lose weight on a vegetarian meal plan?

Yes, but because of the deficit, not the label. In the meta-analysis by Huang et al. (2016), with 12 randomised trials and 1151 participants over a median of 18 weeks, vegetarian diets achieved on average about 2 kg more weight loss than non-vegetarian diets. With vegan diets the difference was ~2.5 kg, and with lacto-ovo vegetarian diets ~1.5 kg, without reaching statistical significance; in studies lasting a year or more it was smaller (~1.1 kg). It is a modest advantage: what decides the outcome is eating less than you burn and sustaining it. A vegetarian menu can also make you gain weight if it is built on pasta, white bread, cheese and ultra-processed foods. Three practical keys: protein at every meal (in the review by Leidy et al., higher-protein energy-restricted diets were associated with more fat loss and better preservation of lean mass, with a modest effect on satiety), plenty of vegetables, and measuring oil and nuts, which are the most calorie-dense items on the plan. If 1600 kcal seems too little or too much for you, work out your number with the calorie calculator; and if your number is lower, there is the 1500-calorie meal plan.

How to adapt it (more or fewer calories, vegan, athlete)

The skeleton does not change; only the portions or a few pieces do. Quick rules:

• Towards ~1400-1500 kcal: drop the snack (between ~135 and ~190 kcal depending on the day) and, if needed, one teaspoon of oil (5 g = ~44 kcal). Keep the protein at meals.
• Towards ~1890-2070 kcal: add 30 g of oats (~115 kcal), 100 g more of cooked legumes (~115-165 kcal) and 15 g of nuts (~85-100 kcal).
• Vegan: swap eggs for tofu, skyr and cottage cheese for calcium-fortified soy yoghurt and soy drink, and cheese for more legumes. Check the protein on the labels, because soy yoghurt usually has less than skyr. And sort out B12 with a professional.
• Athlete or building muscle: increase legumes, tofu or tempeh, and add grains around training. Work out your number with the protein calculator.
• Gluten-free: avoid seitan (it is made from gluten), choose rice, quinoa, corn or buckwheat, and check the labels on bread and pasta.

The most common mistakes

First: removing the meat and putting nothing in its place, so the plate is left without protein and hunger arrives. Second: the "pasta, bread and cheese vegetarian", technically meat-free but with few legumes and a lot of calorie density; being vegetarian does not make a menu of ultra-processed foods healthy. Third: trusting the name on the yoghurt pot, when a creamy "Greek-style" yoghurt can contain far less protein than skyr. Fourth: forgetting B12, the one oversight that can have serious and partly irreversible consequences. And fifth: not measuring oil or nuts when you want to lose weight; one tablespoon of olive oil is ~88 kcal. A well-made vegetarian menu is varied, has protein at every meal, has B12 sorted and is based on real food.