9
A 12-day starter plan
Twelve days of heart-friendly breakfasts, lunches and dinners — varied, real, and family-friendly.
These are ideas, not orders — swap days around freely. Portions follow the slider above (children smaller). Oily fish appears twice a week. Snacks, if you want them: whole fruit, a small handful of nuts, plain yogurt, or vegetable sticks with hummus. The GF mark means gluten-free or easily made so with a simple swap.
Day 1ω-3 day
Breakfast GF
Greek yogurt with berries, walnuts & a sprinkle of seeds and GF oats
Lunch
Lentil & vegetable soup with a slice of seeded sourdough GF*
Dinner GF
Grilled salmon, roasted new potatoes & greens, olive oil
Day 2
Breakfast GF
Porridge (GF oats) with grated apple, cinnamon & mixed seeds
Lunch GF
Chickpea, tomato & spinach salad with a little feta & olive oil
Dinner GF*
Chicken & vegetable stir-fry (tamari) over brown rice
Day 3
Breakfast GF
Two-egg omelette with mushrooms, tomato & spinach
Lunch GF*
Mackerel on rye/sourdough with watercress & lemon
Dinner GF
Bean & vegetable chilli, small brown rice, avocado
Day 4ω-3 day
Breakfast GF
Overnight GF oats with chia, milk & blueberries
Lunch GF
Big salad with tinned salmon or sardines, beans & olive-oil dressing
Dinner GF*
Wholewheat pasta with tomato, garlic, olives & sardines
Day 5
Breakfast GF
Plain yogurt, sliced pear, almonds & a little honey
Lunch GF
Quinoa tabbouleh with chickpeas, herbs, cucumber & tomato
Dinner GF
Roast chicken breast with ratatouille & new potatoes
Day 6ω-3 day
Breakfast GF
Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon & tomatoes
Lunch GF
Lentil dahl with spinach & a small portion of basmati rice
Dinner GF
Grilled white fish, large salad & herby new potatoes
Day 7
Breakfast GF
Berry & spinach yogurt smoothie + a boiled egg (keep banana separate from berries)
Lunch GF
Jacket sweet potato with tuna, sweetcorn & salad
Dinner GF
Stir-fried tofu & vegetables with buckwheat noodles
Day 8
Breakfast GF
GF oat porridge with stewed apple & walnuts
Lunch GF*
Hummus, roasted veg & mixed-leaf wrap
Dinner
Lean beef & vegetable stew with butter beans, small wholegrain bread
Day 9ω-3 day
Breakfast GF
Greek yogurt, mixed berries, seeds & a few oats
Lunch GF
Three-bean salad with egg, avocado & olive oil
Dinner GF
Baked mackerel with roasted vegetables & quinoa
Day 10
Breakfast GF*
Two poached eggs on sourdough with avocado & tomato
Lunch
Minestrone-style vegetable & bean soup with a small wholegrain roll
Dinner GF
Prawn & vegetable brown-rice "paella" with peas & peppers
Day 11ω-3 day
Breakfast GF
GF oat porridge with banana, cinnamon & walnuts
Lunch GF
Roasted vegetable & butter-bean salad with feta & olive oil
Dinner GF
Grilled trout with new potatoes & green beans
Day 12
Breakfast GF
Shakshuka — two eggs poached in spiced tomato & pepper
Lunch GF*
Lentil & spinach soup with seeded sourdough
Dinner GF
Chicken, chickpea & vegetable traybake with olive oil & herbs
GF* = make gluten-free with a simple swap (certified GF oats, GF bread/wrap/pasta, tamari instead of soy sauce).
10
Ten easy swaps that punch above their weight
Small, painless substitutions that quietly improve every week.
Breakfast cereal / granola
→
Porridge oats or eggs
Drops a big morning sugar hit for steady energy and fibre.
Fruit juice / smoothie
→
Whole fruit + water
Keeps the fibre that flattens the spike — juicing throws it away.
Sunflower / vegetable oil
→
Extra-virgin olive oil
Better fat profile plus protective polyphenols.
Sausages, bacon, deli meat
→
Fish, chicken, beans, eggs
Removes nitrates and the poorer-quality saturated fat.
Low-fat flavoured yogurt
→
Plain Greek yogurt + berries
"Low-fat" usually means added sugar; this swaps it back out.
White bread
→
Seeded sourdough or rye
Lower glycaemic load, more fibre, slower digestion.
Crisps / biscuits
→
Nuts, fruit, yogurt, veg & hummus
Real food that actually fills you and steadies blood sugar.
Big baked / mashed potato
→
New potatoes or sweet potato
Noticeably lower glycaemic load for the same comfort.
Milk chocolate
→
A square of 85% dark
Far less sugar; its fat is largely cholesterol-neutral.
Plain rice / pasta, fresh-cooked
→
Cooked, cooled, then reheated
Cooling forms resistant starch — a gentler blood-sugar curve.