The Healthy Choice Is The Easy Choice

Teaching people how to set up their kitchen, home, workplace in a way that makes the healthy choice the easy choice is one of my passions. A wholefood plant based vegan diet brings so many rewards. When you stop eating animal foods, tell everyone why you are taking such a step forward. You will no longer be a customer of animal agriculture that must be stopped if we are to survive as a species. If like us, you have a desire to see a healthy world for all, humans and nonhumans alike, please share our newsletters, videos and free eBooks.

Cook Once Eat Multiple Times

Keep you kitchen stocked with the following wholefoods and create delicious, nutritious meals. I guarantee you will love every bite. This simple and fast curry recipe below can be doubled or tripled allowing you to freeze in portions for your convenience and use.

Getting The Most from Grains

Using whole grains as the foundation of your diet is not only healthy but also economical. Grains can be cooked and stored to be re-used for up to five days. They can be reused as grain “burgers” mixed with vegetables or beans, used in soups and stews, or simply heated and used with a condiment or sauce. Try and have at least one or two servings of grain a day.

Getting The Most from Beans

As with grains, you can store beans for several day in the fridge and recycle them. Many people like beans when recooked better than the first cooking. Soups, stews and casseroles are common ways of using beans. They combine most very well with onions, and other root vegetables as well as the squashes. It is a good idea to have beans, or bean products at least once a day. I also suggest the use miso soup regularly several times a week.

Getting The Most from Vegetables

The key to vegetable consumption is variety. It is the diversity of vegetables that assure the best nutrition. Think in terms of colour. A healthy plate of food usually has a variety of colors. Roots, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, squash, and onions – vary with season and local availability but make sure of variety. Have vegetables at least twice a day and make sure to have some raw vegetables daily

Getting The Most from Sea Vegetables

Sea vegetables may be a new food in your kitchen, but you will find them a valuable addition. You don’t need large quantities to have benefit. Most people who are new to using them find using wakame in soups the easiest place to start. A tablespoon a day of cooked sea vegetables is about right.

Getting the Most from Fruits

Do you best to focus on locally grown foods in season. When this is difficult try regional fruits from similar climate. Use fruits that are shipped long distance seldom or not at all. Remember that dried fruits have high sugar content. Most fruit is best eaten raw, but cooking fruit is a healthy option for making fruit compote.

Getting the Most from Seeds and Nuts

Either roasted or raw nuts and seeds are a healthy addition to the diet as a snack or as a garnish. I usually suggest seeds over nuts as a breakfast garnish for porridge and Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds as a snack item. In our house we usually only use nuts in dessert items.

Red Lentil Coconut Curry

This warming curry in the South Indian style is flavoured with aromatic fresh ginger, cumin and coriander. It’s made extra creamy and luscious thanks to the addition of organic coconut cream. Serve the curry with white or brown basmati rice to round out this comforting meal.

3 shallots, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mild curry powder

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp turmeric

Pinch sea salt

2 cups filtered water

1½ cups red lentils

1 cup organic coconut cream

2 medium-sized courgettes, diced into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces

1 or 2 tbsp tamari

1 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Lime slices

In a heavy-based pan, cook the shallots, ginger and garlic in a splash of filtered water for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spices and salt and stir well. Stir in the water, lentils and coconut milk. Allow the mixture to simmer over a low flame, covered, whilst stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Stir in the courgette and tamari, cover and cook until courgette and lentils are tender. Add more water to reach the desired consistency. Taste-test then stir in the coriander. Makes 4–6 servings.

If you have a busy social life, you can find healthy vegan options in almost every restaurant.

In good health