acids, and although high in calories, they are teeming with nutrients to include into your plant-based diet. I eat about ¼ cup of raw nuts on a daily basis, rotating through an assortment of almonds, pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts.
Sea vegetables. Usually just called seaweed, sea vegetables are not usually part of the North American diet, but they should be. They veggies are incredibly nutritionally dense, packed with calcium, iron, chlorophyll, and naturally occurring electrolytes. Different types of sea vegetables are nori (I use this often), dulse, kelp, wakame, arame, agar, and kombu. I use nori about twice a week, and whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant, I order a wakame salad. Soooo yummy.
Eat the Rainbow
Did you know that the color of your produce is indicative of the healthful benefits that it contains? Vegetables rich in color are full of phytonutrients (plant nutrients), which are recently found to offerimmense health benefits. There are many types of phytonutrients, including antioxidants, plant sterols, natural acids, and enzymes. 215
Think about what you eat for dinner. If your average meal consists of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a processed, white bun, what colors are present? Brown and white? Your diet would be extremely lacking in vitamins and minerals, which are absolutely essential to not only digestive health, but your overall state of form and function. In order to benefit from all of nature’s nutritional gifts, you must get used to eating the rainbow.
Red
Lycopene is a nutrient found in red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, red bell peppers, pink grapefruit, cherries and watermelon. It is good for the skin, and is known to help prevent against certain cancers. 216
Orange
Beta-Carotene is present in such foods as carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, mangoes, cantaloupe and apricots. This well-known phytonutrient helps to improve cellular communication, and is great for protecting eyesight. 217
Yellow
Yellow fruits and vegetables such as lemons, papaya, pineapple, nectarines, and peaches contain flavanoids and Vitamin C. Flavanoids possess anti-inflammatory properties, which is essential for digestive health. Vitamin C plays a huge role in protecting the body against infections by strengthening the immune system, which is also happy news. 218
Green
Green bell peppers, honeydew melon, kiwi, green beans, avocados, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables are among the members of the green family that provides the plant nutrient lutein. Luteinprotects the body against free radicals and macular degeneration. It also is great for the skin. 219
Purple
Anthocyanins are highly concentrated in fruits and vegetables that are blue and purple, such as blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, plums, prunes, beets, red cabbage, purple grapes, and acai. They are strong antioxidants, and are fantastic for immune health, among other benefits. 220
The Vegan Food Pyramid
We all remember the USDA food pyramid from our elementary school years, right? Beginning at the bottom, it recommended 6-10 serving of grains and cereals, then 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables, then 2-3 servings of dairy, 2-3 servings of meat, poultry, or fish, and then finally it recommended that you only eat sweets, fats, and oils sparingly.
Well, out with the old, in with the new! The brand new 2011 “MyPlate” is the equivalent of the old-school food pyramid from the past. It almost divides veggies, fruit, meat, and grains into quarters, and then recommends dairy on the side. The serving suggestions appear to be somewhat equal, and I guess I would perceive it as this: 40% of your food intake should be produce (awesome), 35% should be “protein” and dairy (a little high), and 25% grains (a little low).
While I do have to give the government props for the larger percentage of fruits and veggies, and also for labelling the previous “meat and alternatives” category “protein,” I still argue that 35%
Sea vegetables. Usually just called seaweed, sea vegetables are not usually part of the North American diet, but they should be. They veggies are incredibly nutritionally dense, packed with calcium, iron, chlorophyll, and naturally occurring electrolytes. Different types of sea vegetables are nori (I use this often), dulse, kelp, wakame, arame, agar, and kombu. I use nori about twice a week, and whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant, I order a wakame salad. Soooo yummy.
Eat the Rainbow
Did you know that the color of your produce is indicative of the healthful benefits that it contains? Vegetables rich in color are full of phytonutrients (plant nutrients), which are recently found to offerimmense health benefits. There are many types of phytonutrients, including antioxidants, plant sterols, natural acids, and enzymes. 215
Think about what you eat for dinner. If your average meal consists of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a processed, white bun, what colors are present? Brown and white? Your diet would be extremely lacking in vitamins and minerals, which are absolutely essential to not only digestive health, but your overall state of form and function. In order to benefit from all of nature’s nutritional gifts, you must get used to eating the rainbow.
Red
Lycopene is a nutrient found in red fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, red bell peppers, pink grapefruit, cherries and watermelon. It is good for the skin, and is known to help prevent against certain cancers. 216
Orange
Beta-Carotene is present in such foods as carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, mangoes, cantaloupe and apricots. This well-known phytonutrient helps to improve cellular communication, and is great for protecting eyesight. 217
Yellow
Yellow fruits and vegetables such as lemons, papaya, pineapple, nectarines, and peaches contain flavanoids and Vitamin C. Flavanoids possess anti-inflammatory properties, which is essential for digestive health. Vitamin C plays a huge role in protecting the body against infections by strengthening the immune system, which is also happy news. 218
Green
Green bell peppers, honeydew melon, kiwi, green beans, avocados, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables are among the members of the green family that provides the plant nutrient lutein. Luteinprotects the body against free radicals and macular degeneration. It also is great for the skin. 219
Purple
Anthocyanins are highly concentrated in fruits and vegetables that are blue and purple, such as blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, plums, prunes, beets, red cabbage, purple grapes, and acai. They are strong antioxidants, and are fantastic for immune health, among other benefits. 220
The Vegan Food Pyramid
We all remember the USDA food pyramid from our elementary school years, right? Beginning at the bottom, it recommended 6-10 serving of grains and cereals, then 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables, then 2-3 servings of dairy, 2-3 servings of meat, poultry, or fish, and then finally it recommended that you only eat sweets, fats, and oils sparingly.
Well, out with the old, in with the new! The brand new 2011 “MyPlate” is the equivalent of the old-school food pyramid from the past. It almost divides veggies, fruit, meat, and grains into quarters, and then recommends dairy on the side. The serving suggestions appear to be somewhat equal, and I guess I would perceive it as this: 40% of your food intake should be produce (awesome), 35% should be “protein” and dairy (a little high), and 25% grains (a little low).
While I do have to give the government props for the larger percentage of fruits and veggies, and also for labelling the previous “meat and alternatives” category “protein,” I still argue that 35%
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