Energize with Plant Based Foods over the Holiday Season
How was your delicious journey in 2016? Back in January I gave you a three part series on food trends and plant based foods had a starring role! Have you added more seeds, nuts, and seaweed to your menu? 2016 was celebrated as the year of the pulses. Did you add more lentils to your menu?
It’s that time of year again when festive foods and drinks are the centre of attention. And let’s be honest, often the festive foods are high in calories, so it’s important to balance the menu out with healthy options too. In my last post, I recommended immune boosting foods for your holiday menu; now let’s explore how you can energize with plant based foods over the holiday season!
Planting Your Holiday Menu!
Fermented Veggies
I’ve been writing about fermented foods for half a decade and this food trend is continuing for 2017. Fermented foods are among humanity’s oldest attempts to preserve food. They are good for immune and digestive health. Happy gut, happy mind. I recommend adding sauerkraut to your holiday menu and if you’re feeling adventurous why not try kimchi? Kimchi is a Korean culinary tradition of pickling vegetables. Usual flavours added to kimchi, aside from the cabbage and salt; include hot peppers, garlic and ginger. One of my favourite local kimchi producers is Green Table Foods.
Pulses
Hopefully you’re not saying, “What the heck are pulses” after The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations General Assembly declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses! Pulses are good for both digestive and heart health. What are you making this holiday season with beans, lentils, chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) and peas?
Jane’s Recipe
Add my recipe for cocoa lentil bars to your holiday menu – they are a healthy, delicious swap for high calorie brownies on that never ending festive dessert tray!
Seeds
These small but mighty are the latest nourishing must-haves for your holiday menu. Seeds are no longer the nutrition dark horses. Chia, flax, hemp and pumpkin seeds are four of the seven seeds I feature in my book The Need for Seeds. From decreasing inflammation to promoting heart health; their outstanding nutritional properties are just one of the reasons why you need them this holiday season!
Jane’s Recipe
This blueberry mango hemp seed smoothie is the perfect nutritious and delicious kick-start to your day over the busy season! I love drinking this early in the day so I’m fuelled to energize with exercise to help stay on track with my healthy lifestyle during the festivities.
Wishing you a Wonderful Holiday Season and I look forward to sharing more
delicious and informative Grow with Nutrition with you in 2017!
Copyright © 2016 Jane Dummer | All Rights Reserved