4 Plant-Based Foods You Should Eat Everyday
What foods you should consider including in your daily meals to maintain a healthy lifestyle? People who largely count on plant-based food, especially for consuming a nutritious diet must cautiously select and plan balanced meals to avoid any nutritional deficiencies. Although vegan food is filled with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and other phytonutrients, it may still put people at risk of getting undersupplied with protein, vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, iron, calcium, zinc, and long-chain omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA).
Knowing the vegan sources of nutrient-rich foods to eat every day would help boost your overall health. It would also prevent you from chronic conditions that you otherwise may suffer from using animal-based products, mainly heart diseases. Therefore, we have listed some of the foods or food groups that you can add to your everyday vegan diet plan.
1. Legumes
According to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), the minimum protein requirement of a human body is 0.8g of protein per kg of weight. In other words, it is the amount that will keep you from getting sick. Legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils are excellent plant-based food sources of protein. They also contain fiber, iron, calcium, folate, potassium, zinc, and antioxidants to promote health and longevity.
Properly soaking, fermenting, and cooking legumes would help nutrients to absorb well. Make sure that you do not take legumes with calcium-rich foods as this can hamper the absorption of iron and zinc.
2. Kale
This super healthy food includes plenty of vital nutrients. The surprisingly high content of calcium in kale makes it a valuable addition to your nutritious diet. The kale, raw contains 150mg of calcium per 100g. This green leafy vegetable is also high in vitamin C, A, and K1. Hence, the regular intake of such calcium-rich vegan foods would eliminate the alleged need for the diary to have stronger bones.
The flavonoids present in kale protects your body against damage through oxidative stress, thereby decreasing the risk of cancer and heart problems.
3. Flax, Chia, and Hemp Seeds
These are of great significance for the number of health benefits they comprise. Hemp seeds, in particular, contain double the amount of protein found in some other seeds. There is 9.46g of protein in every 30g of hemp seeds. Moreover, they include iron, folate, and vitamin B6 in abundance. These nutrient-rich seeds aid in reducing inflammation and improving skin disorders.
Flax and chia seeds are high in omega 3 fatty acids primarily alpha-linolenic acid. Your body converts this acid into EPA and DHA i.e. eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid respectively. These fatty acids improve your brain and heart health, calm inflammation, and help to deal with stress and anxiety.
4. Fruits
Incorporate fruits in your diet so as to get multiple essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Be it fresh or frozen, eat everyday. Fruits such as grapefruits, blueberries, avocados, apples, pomegranate, oranges, strawberries, and many more are packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties necessary to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion
So, a well-balanced diet can be extremely effective for your health which you can easily accomplish from the variable plant-based options.
Merely, vitamin b12 is somewhat difficult to obtain. Yet, you can get it from avocados, nuts, grains, leafy greens, legumes, fortified cereals and bread, and some mushrooms in minimal amounts.
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