Here are 5 foods to eat every day for an optimal plant-based diet
Best 5 Foods to Optimal Plant-Based Diet. The growing popularity of a plant-based diet has led to a considerable increase in vegan-friendly foods readily available, at low cost, now in all supermarkets. The increase in the availability and availability of these foods certainly has several advantages from an ethical standpoint, making plant-based eating affordable for everyone, but it can hurt the nutritional quality of the diet.
The plant-based diet, like any diet, is all the less healthy the more processed foods, rich in sugar, poor quality fats, and salt, are consumed. A balanced and healthy plant-based diet should be based on the following food groups:
Vegetables
Fruit
Whole grains
Legumes
Seeds & Dried Fruits
In addition, there are “superfoods” that can lower the likelihood of getting chronic degenerative diseases and ensure optimal health if taken regularly. These are not rare and expensive foods such as Goji berries or Andes Mica, as much as these foods may have documented benefits; there are much more affordable, equally nutritionally valuable foods that we can eat every day to optimize our plant-based diet.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is a truly exceptional food that is critically important to the plant-based diet: it ensures an adequate share of Omega-3s in a stable, safe, and low-cost manner. Omega-3s can be obtained in a variety of ways in a plant-based diet: they are contained in other seeds (such as chia or hemp seeds), in dried fruits (particularly nuts), and in small amounts in fruits and vegetables. But to ensure we get a sufficient share, flaxseeds are the best source.
Flaxseed oil is also a good source of Omega-3 but we should make sure to buy flaxseed oil in which the cold chain has not been broken and consume it within 2 weeks of opening. Flaxseeds enclose their oil in their very hard shell, protecting it from oxidation and rancidity. Flaxseeds also have several health properties related to their valuable content in lignans, powerful antioxidants. One more reason to consume them daily? They improve intestinal transit.
Tips for use in cooking:
The easiest way to use flaxseeds is to grind them with a coffee grinder and sprinkle a spoonful on dishes (avoid foods that are too hot or wait for them to cool).
You can also create a “sea-flavored” dressing by blending 3 tablespoons of flaxseed, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 sheet of crumbled nori seaweed 1 tablespoon of capers, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, adding water until it reaches a creamy, smooth consistency.
Edible yeast
Unlike ordinary yeast, it is not used to leaven baked goods but to flavor dishes by imparting a cheese-like aroma. To produce food yeast, S. cerevisiae cells are cultured for several days on a sugar-rich medium, such as molasses. The yeast is then deactivated with heat, harvested, washed, dried, crumbled, and packaged for distribution.
In addition to flavoring dishes, it enriches them with nutritional properties. In just a few grams of yeast, we can get a considerable amount of B vitamins (even B12, if it is fortified nutritional yeast), folate, and protein. Dietary yeast contains all 9 essential amino acids, and with just 2 teaspoons we can get 5 grams of complete protein.
In addition to high-quality protein and B vitamins, the fiber in nutritional yeast promotes gut health. It also contains beta-glucans, a specific type of fiber that supports immunity and bone density, reduces cholesterol and improves immunity by promoting a healthy microbiome.
Tips for use in cooking:
Dietary yeast can be sprinkled directly on dishes, both hot and cold. To make the most of its “cheesy” potential, you can create a substitute for Parmesan cheese by blending it with a handful of cashews and almonds, also adding a pinch of salt and garlic powder to taste.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a spice valued especially in the East for its culinary uses and numerous health benefits. It has a rich history in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine as a natural remedy for healing wounds and skin disorders and promoting joint, digestive, and respiratory health.
To date, studies have confirmed many of the medicinal properties of this spice, so much so that it deserves to be included daily in our diet. In particular, curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, anticancer, and antioxidant properties that benefit the brain, heart, digestive system, and immune system.
Tips for use in cooking:
Turmeric is the basis for creating recipes with an oriental flavor. For a simple and flavorful curry sauce, add turmeric while sautéing onion or leek, then add canned coconut milk and stir.
To create a drink with multiple benefits, heat vegetable milk in a saucepan and stir in a pinch of turmeric, a pinch of black pepper, a cinnamon stick, and agave or maple syrup for sweetening.
Cruciferous vegetables
You should eat vegetables every day, but of all vegetables, you should place your attention on cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli, cabbage, and arugula. Besides containing extraordinary amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, beta-carotene, and calcium, they contain a phytochemical compound with unique properties: sulforaphane.
This compound is a promising anti-cancer agent, and may also help protect the brain and eyesight, manage allergic rhinitis, and keep type 2 diabetes under control. With all these benefits and the low cost of these vegetables, it would be a shame not to bring them to the table every day.
Be careful, however, because the presence of sulforaphane is affected by cooking: the formation of this compound requires a chemical reaction between a precursor compound present inside the plant cell and an enzyme present outside the plant cell that is degraded at high temperatures. For the enzyme and precursor to come into contact, the cell wall must be destroyed before cooking, either through chewing or by shredding the vegetable with a knife. Both the precursor and sulforaphane withstand high temperatures, so crucifers can be cooked, just be careful to cut and shred them a half-hour before cooking them so that the reaction between precursor and enzyme can take place.
But if you are in a hurry, there is an alternative solution: just consume along with the cooked vegetable a raw vegetable that contains the enzyme, such as arugula or radishes or, even better, a spice such as mustard.
Tips for use in cooking:
Cruciferous vegetables can be eaten either raw or cooked. When they are cooked, care should be taken not to cook them too long and possibly shred them first and let them rest as described above.
They can be used as a side dish or as a base for soups and velvety soups. Freshly blanched savoy cabbage leaves can be used to make excellent rolls stuffed with rice and/or legumes.
Tahini (sesame butter)
Of all condiments, tahini (or tahini) deserves a special place in the plant-based diet: one tablespoon of this sesame-based cream is a valuable source of calcium, copper, iron, other minerals, protein, and good-quality fats. In particular, the high copper content improves iron absorption and prevents clot formation.
To further enhance its anti-anemia properties, it can be mixed with lemon juice, which not only makes it a perfect condiment for vegetables and pasta dishes but also improves the assimilation of the iron contained in tahini itself and in the foods you will choose to season with it.
Sesame also contains more phytosterols than other seeds and nuts, helping to lower cholesterol. Tahin is also rich in selenium, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. About 50 percent of the fats in this cream are monounsaturated, thus linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases.
Tips for use in cooking:
Tahina is a key ingredient in hummus. The combination with chickpeas makes hummus a food rich in calcium, iron, and protein.
You can create a very simple and versatile sauce by mixing tahini and lemon taking care to add the lemon juice little by little, stirring until the tahini changes consistency from pasty to creamy, turning ivory white. Various sauces can be made with this base; here are some interesting combinations:
Yogurt sauce: mix two tablespoons of white vegetable yogurt, one tablespoon of tahini, two tablespoons of lemon juice;
Greek-style sauce: blend two tablespoons of white vegetable yogurt, one tablespoon of tahini, two tablespoons of lemon juice, one cucumber, a few mint leaves, and basil;
Mediterranean Salsa: Blend one tablespoon of vegetable yogurt, one tablespoon of tahini, one tablespoon of lemon juice, one sun-dried tomato, one teaspoon of capers, and a few basil leaves.
