A 16:8 meal plan

How a 16:8 day works

On 16:8 you fast for 16 hours and eat within 8. Most of the fast happens overnight. The aim of each meal is simple: enough protein to protect your muscle, enough fibre and volume to keep you full, and starch and sweets towards the end of the meal, which softens the rise in blood sugar ¹. Every meal below follows that pattern. Protein amounts are rough, for typical portions.

Day 1: noon to 8:00 p.m.

The most common 16:8 window: you skip breakfast and keep your evening meal. Black coffee or tea in the morning is fine.

Time	Meal	Protein from
12:00 p.m.	Vegetable omelette (spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms) with a little feta, then a slice of wholegrain toast and an apple	3 eggs and feta, about 25 g
3:30 p.m.	Greek yoghurt with berries and a handful of walnuts (optional)	Yoghurt, about 15 to 20 g
7:00 p.m.	Salmon, roasted broccoli and peppers with olive oil, then new potatoes	A salmon fillet, about 25 g
8:00 p.m.	Window closes: water or herbal tea	None

Day 2: an early window, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Eating earlier may suit your body clock, which handles glucose best in the morning and around midday ². In a small trial, an early window improved insulin sensitivity and blood pressure even without weight loss ³. It's harder to fit around family dinners, so it suits some weeks better than others.

Time	Meal	Protein from
8:00 a.m.	Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and wilted spinach, then wholegrain toast	Eggs and salmon, about 25 g
12:30 p.m.	Big salad with chicken, chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes and olive oil, then wholegrain bread	Chicken and chickpeas, about 35 g
3:30 p.m.	Turkey or bean chilli with rice, or a bowl of lentil soup with cottage cheese on rye	Turkey or beans, about 25 g
4:00 p.m.	Window closes: water, tea or sparkling water through the evening	None

Day 3: vegetarian, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Time	Meal	Protein from
11:00 a.m.	Tofu scramble with peppers and onions, then rye toast with avocado	Firm tofu, about 20 g
2:30 p.m.	Cottage cheese or skyr with sliced pear and pumpkin seeds	Cottage cheese or skyr, about 20 g
6:30 p.m.	Lentil and vegetable dal with a side salad, then brown rice	Lentils, about 18 g, plus yoghurt on top
7:00 p.m.	Window closes: water or herbal tea	None

Swaps and vegetarian alternatives

Instead of	Try	Protein, roughly
Eggs	Tofu scramble, or Greek yoghurt	About 20 g a portion
Salmon or chicken	Tempeh, tofu or a tin of chickpeas	About 20 g
Turkey mince	Lentils or black beans	About 15 to 20 g
Meat at lunch	Edamame, beans and a boiled egg or two in a salad	About 20 g

Plant proteins work well: combine different sources, such as legumes and grains, over the day. If you're vegan, tofu, tempeh, soya milk yoghurt, lentils and beans carry most of the load.

Making it work

For the whole plan, sample windows and what the trials found, see 16:8 intermittent fasting. Not sure what to buy? There's a shopping list to match these days.

Sources

1. Shukla AP, Andono J, Touhamy SH, et al. Carbohydrate-last meal pattern lowers postprandial glucose and insulin excursions in type 2 diabetes. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017;5(1):e000440. doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2017-000440
2. Poggiogalle E, Jamshed H, Peterson CM. Circadian regulation of glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism in humans. Metabolism. 2018;84:11-27. doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2017.11.017
3. Sutton EF, Beyl R, Early KS, et al. Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes. Cell Metab. 2018;27(6):1212-1221.e3. doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.04.010
4. Shukla AP, Dickison M, Coughlin N, et al. The impact of food order on postprandial glycaemic excursions in prediabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2019;21(2):377-381. doi.org/10.1111/dom.13503
5. Grajower MM, Horne BD. Clinical Management of Intermittent Fasting in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus. Nutrients. 2019;11(4):873. doi.org/10.3390/nu11040873