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Have you recently reached a resolution to go vegan? You need to invest in learning how to make balanced meals combining protein, fats, and carbohydrates. There are a number of one-pot vegan meals you can prepare no matter what time of the day it is. Whether you are planning for breakfast, lunch or dinner, one-pot vegan meals come with a number of benefits.
Benefits of One-Pot Vegan Meals
Vegan meals usually consist of plant only foods. They provide numerous benefits for you and your family. The following are reasons to consider eating one pot vegan meals:
•Nutritional value
Vegan meals, by their nature, tend to have a high nutritional value. They have more fiber, potassium, magnesium, antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, and Vitamin E. Even without meat, you can still have adequate amounts of proteins as long as you include the right foods in your meals. You should essentially eat more legumes, grains, seeds, peanut butter, and nuts. Include wheat, raisins, broccoli, and beans, which are great sources of iron.
•Boosting mood
People who eat vegan meals have been found to feel happier than those who eat meat. On average, vegans are less moody and depressed compared to those who eat meat and fish. One-pot vegan meals, therefore, help keep your mind and thoughts positive.
•Preventing disease
One-pot vegan meals tend to contain less saturated fats. They, therefore, help reduce the risk of getting heart disease, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. That is because plant-based foods contain carotenoids, flavonoids, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber. If anything, you are more likely to get parasites, bacteria, and toxins in seafood, poultry, and meat. Vegans also tend to eat less chemically processed foods.
•Reducing migraines
On top of warding off other diseases, one-pot vegan meals also play an important role in reducing the incidence of migraines. In most cases, migraines come as a result of poor diets. Vegan foods are usually purer when it comes to the chemical content thus saving you from the devastating effects of poor diets.
•Weight loss
If you are looking for a diet to help you lose weight fast, think vegan. It’s a fact that one-pot vegan meals have fewer calories. That’s if they include vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. Since it is much easier to digest plant-based foods, they are softer on your digestive system.
Components of One-Pot Vegan Meals
If you are planning one-pot vegan meals, you need to know the foods to include as ingredients. No doubt the meals would include only plant-sourced foods. The following are some of the foods you might want to mix in a one-pot vegan meal:
Legumes
In place of eggs, fish, poultry, and meat, legumes serve as great sources of proteins. Legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils also contain substantial amounts of iron, zinc, folate manganese, carbohydrates, antioxidants, and other healthy compounds.
The best way to eat legumes is to properly cook, ferment, and sprout legumes to make it easy for the body to absorb the nutrients.
Seeds, Nuts, and Nut Butters
When it comes to plant-foods, nuts rank very highly as protein sources. Nuts and seeds also supply your body with vitamin E, selenium, zinc, magnesium, fiber, and iron. They are also good sources of antioxidants and tons of other healthy compounds. While you can consume nuts on their own, they are best included in one-pot meals, especially desserts and sauces.
Flax, Hemp, and Chia Seeds
These seeds have more proteins than any other. Take hemp seeds which have 50 percent more protein than other seeds. Apart from the protein content, flax, hemp and chia seeds have omega-3 fatty acids for a healthy nervous system. When preparing baked one-pot vegan meals, substitute eggs with chia and flax seeds.
Tofu and Tempeh
These soybean-sourced foods contain substantial amounts of protein. You can use them in place of meat, whether you want to scramble, grill or have it sautéed. You can also use it in place of eggs and fish, depending on the one-pot meal you are preparing.
Plant Milk and Yogurt
Plant milk can be fortified with calcium to ensure that you maintain your nutritional intake. Some of the greatest sources of this milk include hemp seeds and soy. You may also consider oats, rice, almonds, and coconut. If you are preparing milk-related one-pot vegan meals, these are options you must consider.
Fermented and Sprouted Plant Foods
Plants are undoubtedly great sources of nutrients. They, however, contain a number of antinutrients that reduce the ability of the body to absorb minerals contained in the food. To reduce the anti-nutrient content, it is important that you ferment or sprout certain plant foods. This can serve as a great beginning to the preparation of one-pot vegan meals.
These foods are sources of probiotics and vitamin K2 for a richer nutrition. In the stores, you will find fermented foods such as kombucha, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, natto, miso, and tempeh.
Whole Grains and Cereals
These are some of the greatest sources of selenium, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. There are a number of grains including teff and spelt which have more protein content than rice and wheat. You can start preparing grains by sprouting them to reduce their anti-nutrient content.
Vegetables and Fruits
Rich in vitamins, fruits and vegetables are great inclusions into one-pot vegan meals. For instance, mashed bananas can be used in place of eggs in baked meals. On the other hand, mushrooms and eggplants are great replacements for meat. You can also prepare one-pot vegan meals by using cauliflower in pizza crust recipes. Don’t forget leafy green vegetables such as mustard, watercress, kale, broccoli, turnips, blackcurrants, artichokes, spinach, and Choy.
One-pot vegan meals are meant to be quick and easy to put together. You ought to be careful when planning them to put together nutritious foods for a balanced diet. After all, the fact that you are vegan doesn’t mean you get rid of essential nutrients from your diet. If you are wondering how to go about it, go online and search for great recipes for preparing one-pot vegan meals.
