7-Day No-Sugar, Antioxidant-Rich Meal Plan for Weight Loss, Created by a Dietitian

This meal plan is a great and delicious way to support your weight-loss goals.

If you’re trying to lose weight, research suggests that eating a diet rich in antioxidants may help you achieve your goals.1 In this nutrient-rich meal plan for weight loss, we map out a week of delicious meals and snacks that include foods high in antioxidants. You’ll find richly pigmented produce and tons of healthy fats, such as nuts and salmon. To maximize nutrition, we skipped added sugars. While the occasional sweet treat won’t derail the health benefits of eating more antioxidant-rich foods, many people eat more added sugars than they realize, making weight loss challenging.2 Whether you’re trying to lose weight or are looking to up your nutrition, this meal plan can help. Let’s get started!

Why This Meal Plan Is Great for You

Antioxidants play an important role in keeping your body healthy by protecting your cells from damage caused by free radicals. When selecting recipes, we focused on antioxidant-rich foods, such as colorful berries, purple fruits, plums, healthy fats from fish and nuts, and deeply pigmented vegetables like kale and squash.

In this meal plan, each day includes at least 74 grams of protein and 29 grams of fiber—two nutrients that can help with weight loss by promoting feelings of fullness between meals. We set the calorie level at 1,500 calories per day, which is a level where many people will experience weight loss. For those with other calorie needs, we also included modifications for 2,000 calories per day. As with all meal plans, this is meant to serve as a sample antioxidant-rich meal plan for weight loss. Feel free to make substitutions based on your taste preferences, grocery haul and routine.

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are a group of nutrients that help prevent and repair oxidative stress in the body. Cell damage caused by unrestrained oxidative stress is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, some cancers and inflammation.4 They’re often found in colorful fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish, such as salmon. Specific antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins (responsible for the dark purple and blue color in fruits such as blueberries, plums and purple cabbage), as well as lycopene, found in tomatoes and watermelon.1 Eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and nuts can help provide an array of antioxidants to your routine.