28 Day Plan

Food lists

The Higher-Protein Diet Food Lists from the 28 Day Plan resource pack, colour coded so you can see at a glance what to enjoy, what to have in moderation, and what to minimise.

Build meals around real, whole foods with plenty of protein. Use these lists to guide your choices: at least 70% of your food from the “Enjoy” categories, and less than 10% from the “Minimise” categories. Ultra-processed (junk) food and sugar should be minimised or avoided altogether.

Green = Enjoy (as much as you want) Amber = Moderate (have some if desired) Red = Minimise (keep to smaller amounts)

Protein Fat Carbohydrate

Foods higher in protein and/or fat

Very low carbohydrateCarb

  • High protein · very low fat

    Egg white Prawns Lobster Shellfish Scallops Squid Chicken & turkey (light meat) Venison Tripe Non-oily fish Crab (white meat) Mussels

  • High protein · low fat

    Ham Lean beef Lean pork Chicken & turkey (dark meat) Rabbit Kidney Liver Heart

  • High protein · medium fat

    Gammon Back bacon (fat trimmed) Beef steak Pork Poultry with skin Pheasant Whole eggs Half-fat cheese Oily fish Crab (brown meat) Lamb Duck Oxtail

  • Medium protein · medium fat

    Cheese Bacon Fatty cuts of meat Tongue Nuts (Brazil, hazelnut, almond, walnut, macadamia) Pâté

  • No protein · high fat

    Cream Crème fraîche Sour cream Butter Lard Dripping Olive oil (Vegetable oils — avoid heating as risk of oxidising)

Low carbohydrateCarb

  • High protein · low fat

    Quorn

  • Medium protein · medium fat

    Tofu Tempeh

  • Low protein · medium fat

    Avocado Seeds (pumpkin, melon, sunflower) Nuts (peanut, pistachio, cashew)

  • No protein · high fat

    Coconut Olives

Medium carbohydrateCarb

  • Medium protein · low fat

    Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, green peas) Beans (aduki, mung, pinto, blackeye, black, haricot, broad/fava, borlotti, butter, cannellini)

  • Low protein · high fat

    80%+ dark chocolate

  • Protein & fat vary — check foods

    Dairy & alternatives: Quark Fromage frais Yoghurt Cow's milk Soya milk Coconut milk Oat milk

Vegetables & fruit

Low in protein and fat, listed by carbohydrate content. The numbers are grams of carbohydrate per 100 g.

Very low carbohydrate 0–4 g per 100 g

Mushrooms 0.3 Alfalfa sprouts 0.4 Watercress 0.8 Rhubarb stems 0.8 Rocket 1 Celery 1 Cucumber 1 Lettuce 1 Radish (red) 2 Endive 1 Artichoke 1 Kale 1 Limes 1 Fennel bulb 2 Pak choi 2 Chinese cabbage 2 Spinach 2 Radicchio 2 Spring greens 2 Asparagus 2 Courgette 2 Aubergine 2 Pumpkin 2 Celeriac 2 Chives 2 Lemons 3 Leeks 3 Broccoli 3 Chard 3 Chicory leaf 3 Radish 3 Runner beans 3 Gourd 3 Tomatoes 3 Cranberries 3 Cauliflower 4 Brussels sprouts 4 Kohl rabi 4 Mangetout 4 Green beans 4 Beansprouts 4 Bell peppers 4 Shallots 4 Chillies 4 Cabbage 4 Mustard leaves 4 Loganberries 4

Low carbohydrate 5–6 g per 100 g

Turnip 5 Squash (spaghetti) 5 Pea (sugar snap) 5 Sweetcorn (baby) 5 Grapefruit 5 Raspberries 5 Guava 5 Mushrooms (dried) 5 Swede 6 Bamboo shoots 6 Blackcurrants 6 Blackberries 6 Plums 6 Strawberries 6 Passion fruit 6 Quince 6 Pears 6

Low–medium carbohydrate 7–14 g per 100 g

Melon 7 Elderberries 8 Apricots 8 Beetroot 8 Peaches 8 Pomegranate 8 Onions 8 Orange 8 Butternut squash 8 Sweetcorn 8 Mulberries 8 Blueberries 9 Kiwifruit 9 Gooseberries 9 Damsons 10 Greengages 10 Nectarine 10 Papaya 10 Figs (fresh) 10 Apples 10 Water chestnuts 11 Pineapple 11 Mango 11 Physalis 11 Parsnips 12 Prickly pears 12

Medium–high carbohydrate 15–25 g per 100 g

Lychees 15 Cherries 15 Grapes 17 Sharon fruit 19 Carrots 20 Potatoes 20 Sweet potato 20 Bananas 20 Jackfruit 22

High carbohydrate over 25 g per 100 g

Wholewheat pasta (cooked) 28 Pearl barley 28 Yam 28 Plantain 28 Rice (all types, cooked) 30 White pasta (cooked) 32 Cassava 33 Bread (all types) 50 Quinoa 55 Dried dates 58 Raisins 63 Dried fruit 63 Crispbread (rye) 63 Flour (all types) 70 Porridge oats 70 Sultanas 70 Currants 70 Breakfast cereals (all types) 80–90

28 Day Plan tracker Recipes

Prefer paper? Download the resource pack (PDF): the food lists are on pages 9 and 10. Read more about the 28 Day Plan.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you take medication for diabetes or blood pressure, speak to your healthcare professional before changing how you eat. Read the full disclaimer.