Ready to track your food intake? Here’s a simple, printable daily food checklist of what to eat every day. Store this food checklist in your recipe binder for easy access during meal planning.
Consult your physician
Individual needs vary, please consult your physician prior to making any changes to your diet. Eat as many servings of each items listed below that feels comfortable with your own body. Exclude any foods that you are allergic to or that are undesirable to you. Based on basic nutrition research, the following foods are recommended as part of a healthy diet.
What to eat every day
The below listed daily food recommendations are based on The Power Plate from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as well as the Daily Dozen diet recommendations from NutritionFacts.org. Both organizations are excellent resources for evidence-based nutrition information.
The Power Plate and Daily Dozen recommend a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet for permanent weight loss, diet-related disease prevention and survival, as well as optimum bodily function. The below food checklist is comprised of dietary recommendations from both organizations made simple and straight forward.
Plan your meals around the Daily Dozen
I created an easy-to-use printable meal planner for keeping track of your Daily Dozen food and water intake. It also helps you plan your meals, track your meals and leftovers. The Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ helps you PLAN, SHOP, PREP & TRACK your meals and is available for instant download. The planner comes in both PDF and spreadsheet formats so you can meal plan both online and offline.
- Learn more about the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ >
- Follow the Daily Dozen with me!
Daily Dozen recipes
On this site I share recipes that:
- Follow the Daily Dozen diet recommendations
- Are tagged with Daily Dozen categories
- Have nutrition facts
- Are budget-friendly
- Are easy-to-prepare
Daily food checklist: Here’s what to eat every day
In summary, here’s what to eat to maintain a healthy body:
- Legumes
- Whole Grains
- Berries
- Fruit
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Leafy Greens
- Cruciferous Vegetables
- Herbs and Spices
- Water
- Vitamins B-12 and D-3
For meal planning, ensure you’re getting your daily intake by planning around the above listed foods. Meal planning is fun when you get to choose from a big list of foods and be creative with putting them together into cravable meals.
Portion sizes
Here are some examples of approximate portion sizes for each food category:
- Legumes: 1/2 cup cooked legumes, tofu, tempeh; 1/4 cup legume dip
- Whole Grains: 1/4 cup dry grains; 1 piece bread, tortilla, or wrap
- Fruit: 1 medium piece; 1/4 cup dried
- Leafy Greens: 1 cup raw, 1/2 cup cooked
- Vegetables: 1 medium piece, 1/2 cup diced
- Berries: 1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried or frozen
- Cruciferous Vegetables: 1/2 cup chopped
- Seeds: 1 tablespoon, ground
- Nuts: 1/4 cup; 2 tablespoons nut butter
- Herbs & Spices: 1/4 tsp turmeric; any amount: garlic, ginger, basil, oregano, thyme, cayenne, and similar.
- Water/Beverage: About 8 cups.
Definitions of food categories
Here’s a brief explanation of some of the food categories listed above:
What is a legume?
A legume is a bean, lentil or pea. Servings can be whole legumes, tofu, tempeh, pureed soups, dips, spreads, legume flour.
What is a cruciferous vegetable?
Broccoli, cauliflower, and horseradish are examples of cruciferous vegetables.
What is a leafy green?
Kale, chard, collard greens, cabbage, spinach, beet greens, dandelion greens, and arugula are examples of leafy greens.
What is a vegetable?
A vegetable can be a root, tuber, or fruit vegetable such as carrots, tomatoes, beets, bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, eggplant, and similar vegetables.
Diet information resources
Here’s a list of online places to learn more about what to eat everyday:
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
- Dr. Michael Gregor, MD
- Dr. Neal Barnard, MD
- Blue Zones
- Engine2Diet
- Jane Esselstyn, RD
- The Exam Room Podcast
- The Gamechangers Movie
Printable daily food checklist
Here’s a simple daily food checklist of what to eat everyday. Print this and place it into your recipe binder for easy access during meal planning.
Grab your copy of the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ >
Daily Food Checklist
Shopping List
- 3 servings Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
- 3 servings Whole Grains
- 3 servings Fruit
- 2 servings Leafy Greens
- 2 servings Vegetables
- 1 serving Berries
- 1 serving Cruciferous Vegetables
- 1 serving Seeds
- 1 serving Nuts
- 1 serving Herbs & Spices
- 60 ounces Water/Beverages
Notes
Serving portion approximate sizes:
- Legumes: 1/2 cup cooked legumes, tofu, tempeh; 1/4 cup legume dip
- Whole Grains: 1/4 cup dry grains; 1 piece bread, tortilla, or wrap
- Fruit: 1 medium piece; 1/4 cup dried
- Leafy Greens: 1 cup raw, 1/2 cup cooked
- Vegetables: 1 medium piece, 1/2 cup diced
- Berries: 1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried or frozen
- Cruciferous Vegetables: 1/2 cup chopped
- Seeds: 1 tablespoon, ground
- Nuts: 1/4 cup; 2 tablespoons nut butter
- Herbs & Spices: 1/4 tsp turmeric; any amount: garlic, ginger, basil, oregano, thyme, cayenne, and similar.
- Water/Beverage: About 8 cups.
What is a legume?
A legume is a bean, lentil or pea. Servings can be whole legumes, tofu, tempeh, pureed soups, dips, spreads, legume flour.What is a cruciferous vegetable?
Broccoli, cauliflower, and horseradish are examples of cruciferous vegetables.What is a leafy green?
Kale, chard, collard greens, cabbage, spinach, beet greens, dandelion greens, and arugula are examples of leafy greens.What is a vegetable?
A vegetable can be a root, tuber, or fruit vegetable such as carrots, tomatoes, beets, bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, eggplant, and similar vegetables.Further reading:
- Follow the Daily Dozen with me!
- Oil-free Vegan Cooking 101: Complete guide to kicking your oil addiction
- Vegan weight loss 101: Complete guide to losing weight on a plant-based diet
- Meal prep equipment: Complete guide to stocking your prep kitchen
Found this post useful? Save this on Pinterest, Flipboard and Facebook because it helps other people find this helpful information:
