The Plant-Based Bowl
There is a formula to making a plant-predominant meal. This formula ensures optimal nutrition with high protein, encourages plant variety so you can reach your weekly goal of eating 30 different plants, and makes your meals delicious.
The six components include:
1. A starch – any whole grain, soba noodles, whole grain pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
2. A protein source – such as beans of all varieties (canned is fine), tofu, edamame, tempeh, nuts, or small amounts of wild-caught salmon, small oily fish like anchovies, shellfish, an egg, or chicken(just not fried). Note that the protein is just one component of the bowl and NOT the center of the plate. This should be the goal whether your protein is plant or animal-based.
3. Colorful veggies – raw or cooked, the more different varieties on your plate the better. Shoot for half of your plate to be colorful and leafy veggies.
4. Leafy veggies – lettuce, kale, purple or green cabbage, spinach, chard, watercress, leafy herbs
5. Flavor and nutrition boosters – nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, fresh herbs, pickled ginger, dried fruit, pepperoncini. These tend to be in higher calories, so use them as a garnish, if weight loss is a goal.
6. A great nutrient-rich sauce or dressing – herb sauce, hummus, salsa, balsamic vinegar, pesto, etc.
Once you have these six components, throw some of each in a bowl, and your meal is done. At our house, I put out the items, and everyone assembles their own meal to their own liking.
Here is a recent breakfast bowl. It includes pre-cooked farro, spinach, garbanzos, a medley of veg that I roasted a few days ago, toasted pepitas, and an easy herb sauce. Yum!
For those of you worried about protein, this meal came out to 23 grams. Two more meals like this, and I will easily be above my 55 gram requirements for the day. If you are worried that a plant-predominant diet will leave you protein deficient, you can find a moe thorough discussion of plant-based protien here: www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/but-where-do-you-get-your-protein
Wishing you excellent health and happy eating!
🌱💕