How many dates should I eat a day?

There's no fixed number. Dates are sweet and calorie-dense: the 40 g in the sample day, about two Medjool dates, comes to roughly 110 calories by USDA values. Count them as part of your snacks.

Can I eat kabsa or mandi on this plan?

Yes. Serve a measured portion of rice with a larger share of chicken and a big salad, and eat a lighter meal earlier in the day.

Cuisine Meal Plan

Middle Eastern meal plan: a week of Arab home cooking

This Middle Eastern meal plan follows everyday Arab home cooking from the Levant to the Gulf: eggs and bread with olives and vegetables at breakfast, grilled chicken with bulgur, hummus and salad at lunch, and lentil soups, stews and rice dishes in the evening, with dates and yogurt in between.

Below you'll find the full week, one sample day weighed ingredient by ingredient with calories, protein, carbs and fat calculated from USDA data, and notes on bread, rice and tahini, where the calories in Middle Eastern meals tend to build up.

Updated October 22, 2026

Sample day

1,640 kcal

Protein

92 g · 22%

Carbs

200 g · 47%

Fat

60 g · 32%

What a balanced Middle Eastern week looks like

Fill the table with salads and mezze. Fattoush, tabbouleh, cucumber and yogurt, and grilled vegetables add volume and flavour to every meal.
Count the bread and rice. Flatbread comes with almost every meal, and kabsa or mandi portions can be generous. One portion of starch per meal keeps the day balanced.
Use legumes daily. Lentils, chickpeas and fava beans in soups, hummus, ful and falafel add protein and fibre.
Treat tahini and olive oil as rich ingredients. Hummus and tahini sauce are made with sesame paste and oil, so a couple of spoonfuls is a portion.

Your 7-day Middle Eastern meal plan

Day 1 is the sample day worked out below. Leftovers from one dinner become the next day's lunch where it makes sense.

Day 1
breakfast
Shakshuka with whole-wheat pita
lunch
Chicken shawarma bowl with bulgur and hummus
snack
Dates and plain yogurt (laban)
dinner
Red lentil soup (shorbat adas) with fattoush-style salad
Day 2
breakfast
Ful medames with egg and vegetables
lunch
Leftover lentil soup with a chicken skewer
snack
Cucumber and carrots with a little hummus
dinner
Chicken kabsa (measured portion), salad
Day 3
breakfast
Labneh, olives, tomatoes and pita
lunch
Kabsa leftovers with yogurt
snack
Orange
dinner
Baked falafel wrap with tahini sauce and salad
Day 4
breakfast
Boiled eggs, za'atar bread, cucumber
lunch
Mujadara (lentils and rice with onions) with salad
snack
Dates
dinner
Grilled fish with sumac, rice and tabbouleh
Day 5
breakfast
Yogurt with honey and fruit
lunch
Chicken fatteh (lighter on fried bread)
snack
Apple
dinner
Bamia (okra and tomato stew) with rice
Day 6
breakfast
Shakshuka
lunch
Kofta (lean mince) with bulgur salad
snack
Laban
dinner
Stuffed peppers with rice and mince
Day 7
breakfast
Ful and eggs
lunch
Chicken mandi (smaller portion) with salad
snack
Fruit
dinner
Freekeh soup with chicken

A sample day with calories and macros

Day 1, weighed ingredient by ingredient. Rice, pasta, beans, lentils and meat are cooked weights.

Breakfast: Shakshuka with whole-wheat pita

450 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Eggs	100 g	143	12.6	0.7	9.5
Tomatoes	150 g	27	1.3	5.8	0.3
Red pepper	60 g	16	0.6	3.6	0.2
Onion	40 g	16	0.4	3.7	0.0
Olive oil	10 g	88	0.0	0.0	10.0
Whole-wheat pita	60 g	157	5.9	33.5	1.0
Meal total		447	20.8	47.4	21.1

Lunch: Chicken shawarma bowl with bulgur and hummus

500 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Chicken thigh, cooked	120 g	215	29.7	0.0	9.8
Bulgur, cooked	150 g	125	4.6	27.9	0.4
Hummus	40 g	95	3.1	6.0	7.1
Cucumber	60 g	9	0.4	2.2	0.1
Tomatoes	60 g	11	0.5	2.3	0.1
Parsley	10 g	4	0.3	0.6	0.1
Lemon juice	10 g	2	0.0	0.7	0.0
Olive oil	5 g	44	0.0	0.0	5.0
Meal total		504	38.7	39.7	22.6

Snack: Dates and plain yogurt (laban)

210 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Dates	40 g	111	0.7	30.0	0.1
Plain low-fat yogurt	150 g	95	7.9	10.6	2.3
Meal total		205	8.6	40.5	2.4

Dinner: Red lentil soup (shorbat adas) with fattoush-style salad

490 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Lentils, cooked	200 g	232	18.0	40.3	0.8
Onion	40 g	16	0.4	3.7	0.0
Carrots	40 g	16	0.4	3.8	0.1
Olive oil	12 g	106	0.0	0.0	12.0
Lemon juice	10 g	2	0.0	0.7	0.0
Romaine lettuce	60 g	10	0.7	2.0	0.2
Cucumber	60 g	9	0.4	2.2	0.1
Tomatoes	60 g	11	0.5	2.3	0.1
Parsley	10 g	4	0.3	0.6	0.1
Mint	3 g	1	0.1	0.3	0.0
Whole-wheat pita	30 g	79	2.9	16.8	0.5
Meal total		486	23.9	72.7	13.9

Day total: about 1,640 kcal, with 92 g protein, 200 g carbs and 60 g fat (22% / 47% / 32% of calories). To fit your own target, multiply every amount by your daily calories divided by 1,640; the macro calculator gives you that target.

Figures are estimates calculated from per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Brands, recipes and cooking change the real numbers, so treat them as a guide, not a label.

Middle Eastern staples to keep in your kitchen

Bulgur, freekeh and long-grain rice
Red lentils, chickpeas and fava beans
Tahini and extra virgin olive oil
Whole-wheat pita or flatbread
Plain yogurt or labneh
Cumin, sumac, za'atar and baharat
Parsley, mint, lemons and garlic
Dates

Vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian versions

vegetarian

Ful, falafel, mujadara, lentil soup, shakshuka and stuffed vegetables with rice are all vegetarian already; swap chicken for halloumi or extra chickpeas.

vegan

Use ful, falafel, hummus, mujadara and lentil soups, skip yogurt and labneh or use plant-based versions, and cook with olive oil rather than ghee or samneh.

pescatarian

Swap chicken and mince for fish: sayadieh (spiced fish and rice) and grilled fish with sumac are classic coastal dishes.

Allergens to watch in Middle Eastern cooking

Gluten: pita, flatbread, bulgur, freekeh, couscous and many pastries contain wheat. Rice, lentils and chickpeas are naturally gluten-free.
Dairy: labneh, laban, halloumi, yogurt sauces and samneh (clarified butter).
Nuts: pine nuts and almonds top many rice dishes, and baklava and ma'amoul are full of pistachios or walnuts. Tahini is sesame, and sesame isn't one of the allergens you can exclude in Meal Planner Pro, so check recipes yourself if you avoid it.

In Meal Planner Pro you can exclude nuts, lactose, gluten, shellfish and soy. If you have a severe allergy, always check the labels of the products you buy.

How Meal Planner Pro plans Middle Eastern meals

Choose "Arab / Middle Eastern" as one of your cuisines in the quiz. Each day of your plan is cooked in one of the cuisines you pick, and they rotate through the week.
Each day is built around a different main protein, and no dish repeats within the week.
Your allergies and any health condition you select always come before tradition: a dish is adapted rather than served with an ingredient you've excluded.
Your country is used to choose ingredients that are easy to buy where you live.
Daily calorie and macro targets come from your age, height, weight, activity and goal. You can swap any meal you don't fancy, and the week's ingredients become one grocery list.

General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet. Our editorial policy

Get your own Middle Eastern week

Meal Planner Pro builds a 7-day plan in the cuisines you choose, sized to your calorie target, with recipes and a grocery list.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, in a measured portion. Hummus brings protein and fibre from chickpeas, but the tahini and oil make it calorie-dense, so pair a couple of spoonfuls with vegetables rather than a whole bag of pita chips.

Middle Eastern recipes with calories and macros

Shakshuka 290 kcal per serving Shorbat Adas (Arabic Red Lentil Soup) 320 kcal per serving Chicken Shawarma Bowl 540 kcal per serving Mujadara 490 kcal per serving

Sources: USDA FoodData Central records used

Eggs: Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC 171287)
Tomatoes: Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457)
Red pepper: Peppers, sweet, red, raw (FDC 170108)
Onion: Onions, raw (FDC 170000)
Olive oil: Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413)
Whole-wheat pita: Bread, pita, whole-wheat (FDC 174916)
Chicken thigh, cooked: Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC 172388)
Bulgur, cooked: Bulgur, cooked (FDC 170287)
Hummus: Hummus, commercial (FDC 174289)
Cucumber: Cucumber, with peel, raw (FDC 168409)
Parsley: Parsley, fresh (FDC 170416)
Lemon juice: Lemon juice, raw (FDC 167747)
Dates: Dates, medjool (FDC 168191)
Plain low-fat yogurt: Yogurt, plain, low fat (FDC 170886)
Lentils, cooked: Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 172421)
Carrots: Carrots, raw (FDC 170393)
Romaine lettuce: Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw (FDC 169247)
Mint: Spearmint, fresh (FDC 173475)