Cooking a delicious, healthy dish is all in the details. When selecting foods to add to a meal we should be selecting foods that taste amazing (that’s a given) and have a health benefit to go with it. If the food we eat does not have a health benefit, then what purpose is it serving us?
A good rule of thumb: If it’s not working for us, then it’s likely working against us.
Whole foods are the way to go! Combining colorful (especially dark colored) vegetables typically will increase the nutritional benefit because certain vitamins are better absorbed when paired with other vitamins. Therefore we have greater access to the nutrients stored in our food, the good stuff. Some examples of using food combining include using foods to make a complete protein and combining vegetables to increase nutrient absorption. You can combine foods from dark chocolate to turmeric and much more.
Why would we want to make a complete protein?
Protein is the building block of our tissues, meaning we need protein to build muscle and any cell in our body if you think about this. This is why protein is also important for healing and recovery. Often times people think increasing protein intake with increase bulk, however protein is crucial to maintaining a lean and cut physique. If our diet is vegan, vegetarian or primarily vegetables we likely are not getting foods with protein that is highly bioavailable. This is just a big word that means the food contains all of your body’s essential amino acids. Complete proteins are easily absorbed and taken up by the cells. A complete protein is typically an animal based protein or grains such as amaranth, quinoa, chia etc. When you do not have a complete protein it is best to create a complete protein by combining the right foods.
Food combining to make a complete protein:
Eggs and oatmeal make a complete protein. Try it! Add 1 egg to your oatmeal, then cook the oat meal for a thicker more filling meal. Don’t be afraid of change, if you think about it these are the key ingredients to oatmeal cookies.
Combining foods to increase nutrient absorption:
Add Black Pepper and Tumeric to a dish to eliminate inflammation. Tumeric has powerful anti-inflammatory properties in curcumin the major anti-inflammatory component of tumeric.
Snack on a sweet and healthy treat of Dark chocolate and Apples. We have the perfect Dark Chocolate, packed with nutrients and flavor with very low sugar. Introducing our June Fit Snack partner FlavaNaturals. Learn about the immense benefits of flavanols from Flavanaturals.com. This is the dark chocolate highest in the plant based antioxidants, flavanols. Flavanols ultimately help your body maintain nitric oxide levels to relax your arterial walls and increase blood flow. This combo includes the powerful antioxidant quercetin and essential flavanols.
Chocolate was your weakness, now it’s your strength!
It’s great to take vitamins, but don’t you want to tap in to your body’s natural ability to absorb nutrients you need from food you eat. In other words don’t let your body get lazy. If you support the process, you’ll be surprised your body is capable of some pretty amazing things.
Dark Chocolate and Apples. Don’t forget the perfect dessert for either of the two meals below.
Fit Fajitas
1 Beet Tortilla
1/2 c. Broccoli Leaflets
1/4 c. Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 c. Red Onion, diced
1/2 c. Red Cabbage, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced
1 whole clove Fresh Garlic
Seasoning: Garlic powder 1 tbsp, Sea Salt 1 tsp, 1 tsp Turmeric, Black Pepper 1 tsp, Oregano 1 tsp
1 chicken breast, boiled & shredded into large chunks
1 tsp coconut oil
Aminos Spray (Braggs)
- Boil chicken and 1 whole garlic clove, for 20 minutes or until light pink in the center and let cool 5 minutes.
- Using hands shred chicken into large chunks and lightly coat with Aminos spray. Coat chicken with garlic powder, then add the pepper, oregano and Sea Salt. Stir and mix well before adding to pan.
- Sauté 2 cloves of minced garlic with red onion and red cabbage in coconut oil while adding turmeric for 2 min. Add broccoli, red bell pepper and chicken. Sauté until chicken is fully cooked and has no pink in the center.
Tip: if chicken is dry add 2 tbsp water and sauté for 1 more minute
Nutritionist Tip: By boiling the chicken first helps to ensure you do not over cook your meat and keep the moisture. Over cooking meat can have a negative impact on your gut and can increase inflammation. This meal is great for healthy digestion.
SunFresh Spirulina Green Eggs
5 whole Eggs
1/4 c. Onion, diced
1/2 c. Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 c. Red Cabbage, diced
5 Fresh Cilantro leaves
1/2 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp. SunFresh Spirulina
1 tsp. Oregano, dried
1 tsp. Parsley, dried
1 tsp. Tumeric
1 tsp Freshly ground Black Pepper
Pink Himalayan Salt, pinch
Instructions:
- Whisk eggs, adding SunFresh Spirulina, Oregano, Parsley, Turmeric, Garlic powder, Sea salt and Black pepper.
- Saute Onion and 1/2 garlic clove in coconut oil for 2 minutes. Add Red Bell Pepper, Red Cabbage and fresh Cilantro leaves.
- Add more coconut oil to the pan then pour in egg & spirulina mixture. Scramble eggs with vegetables or combine to make an omelet.
Nutritionist Tip: Macros and Micros at work! Notice the variety of seasonings, each one has major health benefits and all contribute to fighting inflammation. Inflammation is caused not only by poor food choices, but also by stress. Keep inflammation down and increase your lifespan.
SunFresh proteins and Flavanaturals are two amazing Fit Snack partners both making the best of their particular product. SunFresh Proteins ensures they have the highest quality spirulina though a sustainable means. Flavanaturals is your Sneak Peek at our June Fit Snack box and is unique in that it contains the highest levels of flavonoids which are super nutrients that support brain, heart and skin health.
Enjoy and don’t forget your tasty treat apples and flava bars. If you want to try Flava Naturals sign up for our June Fit Snack box today.