Weekly balanced meal which are easily affordable – 7 days meal plan

Due to increasing health awareness in the society, it is now a positive trend in searching the right food for nutrition. But low-income families including underserved population are still not able to access a healthy meal. The accessible nutrition type is mentioned in such a way that all types of people may be able to purchase the nutritious food according to their custom, tradition and basing on income.

Healthy eating should not be limited to the rich people. Due to increasing trend in healthy lifestyle related diseases viz. diabetes, obese, heart disease, it is now an essential for every human to limit the gap between the health condition & affording right food. Accordingly, if we try the diet based whole foods, local & easily available plant-based products with simple methods of cooking may boost the health promotion with wellbeing of everyone.

My blog is offering a 7 days meal plan which is easily affordable, based on cultural practices, tasty, easy to cook, seasonal produces with plant-based whole grains.

It’s not only limiting budget, but also it includes the following:

• Affordable: By utilizing different types of ingredients which are not so costly, easily locally available & also requires minimum processing. 
• Cultural Importance: Based on different local & cultural practices, focusing on the needs of community, taking suggestion from religious & regional eating process, diet according to local tradition etc. 
• Rich in Nutrient: Each meal type may provide essential vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats.
• Simplicity: Meals which can be easily prepared in local kitchen & not required VIP kitchen tools. Also, the ingredients are easily available in local market.
• Sustainable: It reduces the percentage of any kind of food waste, increasing trend of plant-based meals including an encouragement to use the re-usable resources which are local produces. 

Every day of this meal plan is including the breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. Such meals are having low budget including variety produces & rich in nutrition. 

• Breakfast: Ripe banana mixed with jaggery or may include oats. This is rich in fiber, iron and boosts energy in human body.
• Lunch time: Kichidi preferable made from Moong dal & curd. It is an one pot meal of rice & lentils which are served with probiotic rich curd.
• Snack: Any types of locally available seasonal fruit with roasted peanuts with less oils.
• Dinner: Upama with different types of green vegetables added with lemon juice. It is semolina-based diet having full of veggies with different taste, colour & flavor.

• Breakfast: Poha (Raw rice prepared after roasting which are flat in nature) may be cooked with peas, mustard seeds with lemon juice.
• Lunch time: Roti made with wheat, Mixed curry prepared with different types of green vegetables and yellow dal.
• Snack: Black Chana (boiled) or may be a full glass of buttermilk.
• Dinner: Dalia with Vegetable which are also a type of broken wheat.

• Breakfast: Gram flour which is locally called as Besan in Indian language and chilla with chutney made from coriander leaf. It is rich in high protein & also free of gluten.
• Lunch time: First green salad and then brown cooked rice Brown along-with Rajma curry which are locally nutritious food.
• Snack: Salad made with different types of local fruits which is called as “Fruit Chaat” & sprinkled with some lemon juice & black salt for taste.
• Dinner: Whole wheat bread which are toasted for taste including Hot soup made preferably with Moong dal.

• Breakfast: Ripen Banana Puree, oats with Milk. Milk may be focused on plant based as per availability.
• Lunch time: Roti made with different types of Millet-like Finger Millet (Ragi /Mandia), Pearl Millet (Bajra) etc. with Tomato & Potato curry and cucumber raita/salad.
• Snack: Boiled egg for non-vegetarian with Coconut piece & water. If vegetarian tofu may be taken as snack. 
• Dinner: Pulao with different green vegetables along-with curd.

• Breakfast: Sambar & Idli Cutney which is a type of fermented South Indian tiffin & is a great idea for improving gut health.
• Lunch time: Cooked rice & different types of Dal (pulses) preferably Chana Dal along-with sauteed seasonal greens pulses.
• Snack: Murmura which is a type of raw rice puffed-in pot and little roasted peanuts with zero oil.
• Dinner: Paratha (made with wheat & other pulses) stuffed with green vegetables/ panner/mushroom etc. with curd.

• Breakfast: Sprouted green salad with pulses, sweet corn with boiling and sprinkled with chaat masala & black salt 
• Lunch time: Cucumber & onion salad, Jeera rice with curd curry made with yogurt-based items.
• Snack: Ripen Banana along-with some almonds pieces
• Dinner: Upama or khichidi made with different millet preferably Foxtail Millet (Kangu) prepared with green vegetables.

• Breakfast: Zero oil Paratha (made with different readily available pulses at local level) with stuffed green vegetables with little pickle and a glass of warm water.
• Lunch time: Cooked white rice, dal with different locally available pulses with mixed vegetable curry.
• Snack: Green Tea or Lemon tea with zero oil roasted chana (pulses)
• Dinner: Khichidi made from yellow Moong dal curd and zero oil fried papad

• Fiber rich contents: Grains preferably whole, different legumes & green vegetables which actually supports digestion and also helps to reduce bad cholesterol in the body and improves the lipid profile.
• Readily available Plant Proteins: Lentils, beans & and chick-peas which generally offers a qualitative source of different protein for human.
• Macronutrients balancing: Every 7 days meal plan ensures a balancing carbohydrate, proteins & healthy fats
• Rich in Micronutrient foods: Such types of diversified fruits, green vegetables included in the 7 days meal plan covers essential vitamins & minerals which are required for human.
• Foods Fermented with: Different foods like curd, buttermilk and idli (South Indian Food) which actually support our gut health.

Internal link to my previously posted blog on Food: 10 Evergreen Foods : Heal your gut naturally – lovelyhealthtips2025.com

1. Purchase the foods: Which are locally & seasonally available, easily accessible & seasonal produces in bulk to minimize cost.
2. Cook at a time: You may cook different staple foods viz. dal/pulses, rice, & vegetable curries in advance.
3. Minimizing utilization of Packaged Foods: We may prefer the home-made snacks which are made with zero oil roasting process like nuts or fruits or pulses instead of going to purchase the packed foods which are heavily made with oils.
4. Recycling & Re-using: We may use our leftover vegetable curries in parathas made from wheat or may be sandwiches which is tasty and cost effective also.
5. Hydration needed: Drink enough clean & safe water, lemon water or coconut water instead of many types of drinks prepared with sugar. We may prefer jaggery instead of sugar.

We should know that healthy eating does not mean to be expensive or not affordable. We can proceed with specific plan to get the nutritious food which are easily locally available and make a daily habit. Such suggested 7 days meal plan with affordable ingredients & little creativity may be possible for healthy eating with enjoyment not hampering the local, cultural, traditional practices. It may be like a respectful meal for everyone.

Accessible nutrition is not just a food, but also it defines the health equity, dignity & opportunity to everybody for thriving. Hence, let start with promise that a good nutritious food is a right for all & not a luxury.

Reference from Harvard “The nutrition source”: Plate and the Planet – The Nutrition Source

Thanks and Regards

Lovely Health Tips — 2025

About the Author
The article has been written by the team “Lovely Health Tips-2025”, who dedicates itself to share the evidence & experienced-based health & wellness guides with solutions & helpful awareness campaigns. Learn more