I was on the phone the other day discussing the Wisconsin Union Busting by President Reagan or the Koch Brother.. I mean the Fitzgerald's. Okay, I've been informed it was ACTUALLY Scott Walker and not his cast of cronies nor his idol that came up with all this. Regardless, during the conversation I was referred to (sarcastically.. I think) as a liberal hippie. He then mentioned my lifestyle change and was worried that I don't get enough nutrients in my diet. I giggled to myself remembering that he really doesn't eat vegetables.. at all. Maybe an onion, lettuce, and tomato on a burger or celery with his wings.
So, I decided to look up the meal I made for supper last night which was couscous, simmer sauce, kalamata olives, carrots, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds alllll topped on top of spinach. BOOM. I'm not sure where to start with the nutrients because I don't know what I may be missing.
Guess I'll start with my base layer, the spinach. As we should all know, spinach is a superfood, meaning.. it's amazing and 100% good for you. According to a reputable site, "The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese." They also have it ranked 5 of 5 on optimal health and weight loss. Outstanding.
Next, in the tasty supper is the couscous, cooked, of course. Before I say much more about it, you should know that couscous is the easiest thing in the world to cook. You put a cup of water in a pot, boil it. Then, get a cup of couscous and put it in the boiling water, cover it and remove it from the heat; let it sit for 5 minutes and YAHTZEE. There's your couscous and with that easiness you get this, "This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a very good source of Selenium." None of the DV% jump out at you, but it's a solid food to eat because it's full of carbs, fills you up and is relatively healthy. It also has 12% protein which isn't that bad; although, it's certainly not quinoa!
I mentioned blending in some other things, so I'll get rid of the most useless of them right away which I added in for the flavor. Kalamata olives. What do I get from them? Well.. I can get some sodium (which I'm addicted to) and fat. Since I don't eat a lot of processed foods, I guess I could use some salt and since Kayla and I don't have any avocados and since I didn't make anything with olive oil I guess I didn't eat a lot of fat yesterday.
Except.... I added sunflower seeds to the meal knowing I really needed some fat. They, of course, were delicious! They also pack some punch health-wise, "This food is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Copper, Manganese and Selenium, and a very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol)." More fat, more calories as well as over 10% DV in 12 categories like proteins, vitamins and minerals. YAHTZEE
What do carrots add to the mix? Oh, only this.. "This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium." 14% fiber, 428% vitamin A, (that's not a typo.. FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY EIGHT), and some more healthy stuff. I wouldn't have added carrots if Bugs Bunny wasn't always munching on one.. I guess that makes it the same for Spinach and Popeye.
Tomatoes also can't get much further over/up on the healthy meter either. My fiber, folate, vitamin A, and more are on point and tomatoes certainly don't hurt that! "This food is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese." By the way, 5 out of 5 optimal health and weight loss on the scale, no big deal. 5 more categories of 10% more vitamins and vitamins. Just another day at the office.
And finally, my favorite ingredient of all, NUTRITIONAL YEAST! This stuff is on point, I blogged earlier about how amazing it is on toast. We add it into all sorts of stuff, I add it into salads and on top of random things.. from time to time I'll even have a mini spoonful of it just like peanut butter. You're going to be shocked at how amazing this tiny flake substance can be for your health and I'm not even lying.. it's on point. Before I was excited to count %DV's over 10%. This.. try over 100%. It's like a vitamin, but way sweeter and better tasting. 5, FIVE, items over 100% DV (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12). Vitamin B12 is one thing that vegans actually have a hard time consuming without taking vitamins, but not in this case! It's packed with it, maybe that's why I'm always adding it to my meals. In addition, there are 7 other vitamins/minerals that add over 10% of your DVDV's over 10%. This.. try over 100%. It's like a vitamin, but way sweeter and better tasting. 5, FIVE, items over 100% DV (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12). Vitamin B12 is one thing that vegans actually have a hard time consuming without taking vitamins, but not in this case! It's packed with it, maybe that's why I'm always adding it to my meals. In addition, there are 7 other vitamins/minerals that add over 10% of your DV. This, of course, includes protein which is a sad misconception that vegans don't get. Maybe, more importantly, it includes fiber which keeps your entire body clear and keeps toxins from building into your intestines, stomach, and kidneys.
All in all, it appears I hit a lot of mineral and vitamin groups that many/most meat and potato eaters abandon. I even got some fat and a good amount of calories into my meal. I loaded up on B12, fiber, and plenty of other healthy body necessities. What am I missing? Beats me, because this meal is just one meal in one day. Add in the nutrients from all my other meals and I'm sitting in a pretty healthy place, one that I can be proud of nutrition wise and conscience wise. I limit major corporations and their processed foods, eliminate the dishonest and disgusting and ugly and pathetic and potentially (so I don't get sued) unhealthy factory farm produce. In turn, this also saves corn, grain, fuel, and clean water for citizens of the country.
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