Tip: The base rule is to create and follow a schedule of meals while intermittent fasting. You must also remember that while the below-mentioned vegan diet plan is structured around when you eat, what you eat is still important.
Important Considerations for Vegans and Intermittent Fasting
The reason intermittent fasting is such an effective weight-loss tool is that it makes eating more calories more difficult. This makes perfect sense, you are restricting the time in which you can consume calories.
Issues can arise for some Vegans who try intermittent fasting.
Veganism cuts out entire food groups and can make getting the right amount of calories and micronutrients difficult. Not impossible, just more complicated.
It means taking more care and effort to get a wide variety of nutrients into your diet.
Sometimes, the combination of intermittent fasting and veganism can be too much at the same time, particularly if you are new to both styles of eating.
I am not trying to say that if you are vegan, you should not try intermittent fasting, I am just saying that more care and diligence is needed.
I advise tracking your calories whilst you try intermittent fasting and veganism at the same time.
I also have an Intermittent Fasting Short Course which will go into detail about how to make the most out of intermittent fasting.
My Thoughts on Meal Plans for Fat Loss
Towards the start of my 10 year’s experience working as a fat loss and fitness coach, I believed that meal plans were a great way to help people lose weight.
Now that I have more understanding about what it takes to create long-term behavioral change, my views have changed.
Meal plans can be a useful tool to help people lose weight in the short term, but not in the long term.
Ultimately, the best “diet” someone should adopt, is the one that they are already on.
It is my goal as an effective fat loss coach, to help my clients lose weight, without changing too much in their lives.
The bigger the changes, the less likely they are to be sustained.
I now focus on developing habits and behaviours with my one-on-one coaching clients, which can be sustained in the long term.
Meal plans can be great for recipe inspiration and developing good cooking skills but don’t depend on them in the long term.
My Recommended Vegan Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan
My recommended Vegan Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan includes two meals and one snack in between those meals. The snack in between will make it much easier to get the right amount of nutrition in.
You will also need to adjust portion sizes to suit your goals, and use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your calories.
The below recipes are created for people who are opting to skip breakfast and eat lunch and dinner. I would also like to add, just because you don’t eat breakfast at a traditional time, doesn’t mean that you can’t eat breakfasty things later in the day.
BLUEBERRY HEMP PEAR PORRIDGE (1 Serving)
Calories 479
Protein 17
Carbs 78
Fats 11
Ingredients:
250ml almond milk 45g porridge oats 50g blueberries
1⁄2 medium pear, sliced 1⁄2 tbsp hemp seeds
Method:
Add the almond milk and porridge oats to a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the porridge to a bowl, garnish with the remaining ingredients and serve hot.
LENTIL, TOMATO AND KALE SOUP (3 Servings)
Calories: 392
Protein: 60
Carbs: 20
Fats: 8
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1⁄2 tsp ground coriander
- 1⁄2 tsp smoked sweet paprika, to taste
- 1⁄8 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1 can (400ml) diced tomatoes, with juices 1.25 to 1.5L low-sodium vegetable broth, as needed
- 190g dried red lentils, rinsed and drained Fine-grain sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 handfuls kale leaves or baby spinach, destemmed and chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
3 handfuls kale leaves or baby spinach, destemmed and chopped
In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil for about 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Add the celery, then sauté for a few minutes more.
Stir in the bay leaf and all the spices.
Next, add the can of tomatoes (including the juice), broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer, uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes, until lentils are tender and fluffy.
Stir through the kale or spinach and cook until just wilted. Divide into 6 bowls.
The cooled soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days, or you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container (leave 1-inch at the top for expansion) for up to 1-2 months.
Cuban Black Beans (Serves 2)
CALORIES 942
PROTEIN 32
CARBS 144
FATS 22
INGREDIENTS
- 225g white or brown long-grain rice, to serve 2 cans (400g) black beans
- 2 tbsp salted butter (substitute additional olive oil for vegan)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion), minced
- 1⁄2 green bell pepper, minced 1⁄4 jalapeño pepper, minced 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
- Fresh coriander, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a pot of water to boil and cook rice according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile, use a strainer to drain the black beans over a glass measuring cup, reserving the can liquid (no need to rinse).
In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent and lightly browned. Add the beans, cumin, oregano, and kosher salt and stir to combine.
Next, add 1/2 cup of the liquid from the black beans and simmer for 15 minutes until the beans are tender.
Divide the black beans and rice into four bowls and serve with a handful of chopped coriander leaves, to garnish.
VEGAN MACRO BOWL (1 Serving)
CALORIES 520
PROTEIN 31
CARBS 43
FATS 26
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1⁄2 sweet potato, diced
- 225g extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cubed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Pinch basil
- Pinch oregano
- 200g brown rice, cooked
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1⁄2 bunch broccoli, cut into florets and steamed 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 tsp sauerkraut
- 1 tsp pickled ginger (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 200oC/400°F/Gas 6, lightly drizzle sweet potato with olive oil and cook for about 35-40 minutes.
At the same time, bring a pot of water to boil and cook rice according to packet instructions. Place a steamer basket on top and steam broccoli for about 6-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the tofu, olive oil, soy sauce, basil, and oregano in a pan and cook on medium heat until the tofu is browned.
Once the rice is cooked, mix together with miso paste in two medium-sized bowls. Add the tofu mixture, sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, sauerkraut, and pickled ginger, if you desire.
AUBERGINE AND LENTIL VINDALOO
CALORIES 244
PROTEIN 12
CARBS 40
FATS 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 dried red lentils, rinsed and drained 3 onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, whole
- 1 large aubergine or 2 small ones, diced 1 tsp cumin (seeds or ground)
- 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 tsp star anise, or 1⁄8 tsp fennel seeds Ground black pepper
- 1–2 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice 30g spinach
INSTRUCTIONS
Firstly, thoroughly rinse and drain the lentils and place them in a pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for around 12 minutes until soft and swollen. Drain, rinse well, and set aside.
Meanwhile, soften the onions in a large pan with a little oil over medium heat. After about 10 minutes, add the garlic cloves (peeled, but whole) and aubergine, stirring often. Cook for 15 minutes, adding more oil if needed.
Add the cumin, cinnamon, star anise or fennel seeds, and pepper, as well as half of your chosen quantity of chilli, leaving half to garnish. Stir well to combine, then add 200ml water to the pan, and turn up the heat to medium-high.
Add the reserved lentils, tomato purée, and vinegar, or lemon juice, and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for around 30 minutes, stirring slowly every now and then.
If it still looks too watery, bring it back to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook a little more. Stir through the spinach a few minutes before serving, taste it, and add the extra chilli, if you like.
Divide into two bowls and serve hot with rice, if you desire.
MEDITERRANEAN SPICED TOFU KEBABS (Serves 2)
CALORIES 526
PROTEIN 11
CARBS 12
FATS 19
INGREDIENTS
- 250ml coconut milk
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1⁄2 tsp turmeric
- 1⁄4 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste 3⁄4 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1⁄4 tsp black pepper
- 1 package (400g) extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small courgette, cut into large chunks
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium bowl stir together the coconut milk, lemon juice, tomato paste, garlic, paprika, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Add the tofu, courgette, and pepper and gently stir to coat. Allow marinating at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Arrange the tofu, courgette, and pepper pieces on skewers. Next, we have two cooking options – grill or bake.
To grill: Lightly oil the grate and place the skewers on the grill. Grill over a medium flame until lightly charred and the vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes), brushing with excess marinade while grilling and turning halfway through.
To bake: Preheat the oven to 200oC/400°F/Gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Arrange the skewers on the baking sheet and bake until lightly browned in spots or until vegetables are tender (about 35 minutes) turning halfway through.
Divide the skewers onto plates, sprinkle with coriander, and a drizzle of tahini.
Want to Lose Weight Whilst Following a Vegan Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan?
I have helped 1000s of people make intermittent fasting a way of life, and allow them to lose weight, whilst still eating the foods they enjoy.
Even better, because I focus on habits and behaviours, not restriction and deprivation, my system teaches people to sustain the fat loss results.
I created a 30 Day Reset, which will teach you the habits and behaviours to create long-lasting change.
You can get access to that here.