As I’ve said repeatedly, the Food Matters style of eating isn’t dogmatic. Beyond “Eat fewer animal products and more plants” there are really no rules, so providing meal plans feels a bit counterintuitive.

Nevertheless, there are good reasons for giving you some guidelines. For one thing, people I talk to are interested in hearing about what I eat in a normal day; once they learn that many dinners still include sausage, steak, pasta, or roast chicken, they’re less intimidated. I’ve also discovered that many people really want to see what a typical day or week looks like before they consider a change in their dietary behavior, which makes sense. There’s also an expectation that a book like this will have meal plans; that’s fair enough.

So that’s what the next few pages will give you: a sense of the Food Matters diet in practice. If you’re someone who likes more concrete directives, these can help you get started. But even if you might resent being told what to eat when, they can still serve as an inspiration for integrating the basic concepts and recipes into your daily life on your own terms.

I’ve included suggested snacks—they sound formal—but remember that throughout the day, every day, you can (and probably should) be eating fruit, nuts, raw and cooked vegetables, popcorn, salads, vegetable soups, and the like.

And keep in mind that these are all suggestions, no more: Use what you can, but make it simple and seasonal. If peaches aren’t in season, make a banana smoothie instead. If the eggplant looks like it’s seen better days, there’s nothing wrong with zucchini and chicken Parmesan; or make paella with scallops instead of shrimp. Remember, this is all about what you can eat, not what you can’t.