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Metabolic-Health Meal Plan for Your Calorie Target

A ready-to-eat 5-day rotation of real food — pastured meat, eggs, fish, non-starchy vegetables, butter, and olive oil. No sugar, no refined grains, no seed oils.

Inspired by principles from Stay Off My Operating Table by Philip Ovadia, MD.

The 5-day sample rotation below is inspired by those principles, not copied directly from the book. For the full protocol and a complete 4-week structured plan, see Dr. Ovadia's follow-up book, Stay Off My Kitchen Table.

Units
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Portions scale automatically. Range: 1,000 – 4,500 kcal.

Day 1 — Classic

≈ 2,000 kcal · 3 meals · no snacks
Breakfast
527 kcal
  • 3¼ large — Pasture-raised eggs, cooked in butter
  • 3¼ strips — Turkey bacon
  • ½ medium — Avocado
  • 1 cup — Black coffee or tea (unsweetened)
Lunch
828 kcal
  • 6½ oz — Grass-fed ribeye steak
  • 2¼ cups — Mixed greens with olive oil & vinegar
  • ½ cup — Cherry tomatoes & cucumber
  • 1 oz — Feta or aged cheddar
Dinner
645 kcal
  • 6½ oz — Wild-caught salmon, pan-seared in butter
  • 1 cup — Roasted asparagus in olive oil
  • 1 cup — Cauliflower mash with butter
  • 1 glass — Sparkling water with lemon

Day 2 — Poultry & Greens

≈ 2,000 kcal · 3 meals · no snacks
Breakfast
492 kcal
  • 3¼ large — Scrambled eggs in butter
  • 1 cup — Sautéed spinach & mushrooms
  • 2 oz — Smoked salmon
  • 1 cup — Black coffee with heavy cream
Lunch
702 kcal
  • 6¼ oz — Roasted chicken thighs (skin-on)
  • 1 cup — Roasted Brussels sprouts in olive oil
  • ½ medium — Avocado slices
Dinner
806 kcal
  • 6¼ oz — Grass-fed ground beef burger patty (no bun)
  • ½ cup — Sautéed onions & mushrooms in butter
  • 2 cups — Side salad with olive oil
  • 1 oz — Aged cheddar

Day 3 — Seafood Focus

≈ 2,000 kcal · 3 meals · no snacks
Breakfast
489 kcal
  • 1 cup — Full-fat Greek yogurt (unsweetened)
  • 1¼ oz — Walnuts & pecans
  • ¼ cup — Fresh berries
  • 1¼ cup — Black coffee or tea
Lunch
737 kcal
  • 7¼ oz — Tuna or sardine salad (olive oil, not seed-oil mayo)
  • 7¼ leaves — Butter lettuce cups
  • ½ medium — Avocado
  • 12¼ pieces — Olives
Dinner
775 kcal
  • 9¾ oz — Pan-seared shrimp in butter & garlic
  • 1¼ ½ cups — Zucchini noodles sautéed in olive oil
  • ½ oz — Parmesan
  • 1¼ cup — Side of roasted broccoli

Day 4 — Beef & Roots

≈ 2,000 kcal · 3 meals · no snacks
Breakfast
578 kcal
  • 3 large — Pasture-raised eggs over-easy in butter
  • 3 oz — Chicken sausage (no sugar, no seed oils)
  • 1 cup — Sautéed kale in olive oil
  • 1 cup — Black coffee or tea (unsweetened)
Lunch
775 kcal
  • 6 oz — Slow-roasted beef brisket
  • 1 cup — Roasted radishes in butter
  • 2 cups — Arugula salad with olive oil & lemon
  • 1 oz — Goat cheese
Dinner
647 kcal
  • 6 oz — Grass-fed beef short ribs
  • 1 cup — Roasted carrots & parsnips in ghee
  • 1 cup — Steamed green beans with butter
  • 1 glass — Sparkling water with lemon

Day 5 — Liver & Legacy Fats

≈ 2,000 kcal · 3 meals · no snacks
Breakfast
646 kcal
  • 1 omelet — Omelet (3 eggs) with cheddar & chives, cooked in butter
  • ½ medium — Avocado
  • 2¼ strips — Turkey bacon
  • 1 cup — Black coffee with heavy cream
Lunch
689 kcal
  • 4¼ oz — Grass-fed beef liver, pan-seared in butter with onions
  • 2¼ cups — Mixed greens with olive oil & vinegar
  • 2¼ large — Hard-boiled eggs
  • 8½ pieces — Olives
Dinner
667 kcal
  • 7½ oz — Wild-caught cod baked in butter & herbs
  • 1 cup — Roasted cauliflower in olive oil
  • 1 cup — Sautéed spinach with garlic
  • ½ oz — Small square dark chocolate (85%+)

The 5 metabolic-health markers

Dr. Ovadia defines metabolic health by five simple markers. Meet all five and your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type-2 diabetes drops dramatically.

  • Waist size
    < half your height
  • Triglycerides
    < 150 mg/dL (ideally < 100)
  • HDL cholesterol
    > 40 (men) / > 50 (women) mg/dL
  • Blood pressure
    < 130/80 mmHg
  • Fasting glucose
    < 100 mg/dL

Guiding principles

  • • Eat real food. If it has an ingredient label with more than a few items, skip it.
  • • Prioritize protein and healthy fats. Meat, eggs, fish, butter, olive oil, avocado.
  • • Avoid seed oils. Soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, grapeseed.
  • • Cut sugar and refined grains. The biggest lever for reversing insulin resistance.
  • • Fiber from vegetables, not grains. Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables.
  • • Stop snacking. Three satisfying meals a day, then let your body rest and burn fat overnight.

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, especially if you take medication for diabetes, blood pressure, or heart disease.