How to love vegetables

Vegetables. We know how good they are for us, yet we struggle to eat them. Nobody can deny that after eating a tons of veggies you feel superiorly better than after eating a big greasy big mac meal from McDonalds. Still, we tend to go for the greasy maccie. Why? I want to blame biology, because why do we ever want to put the blame on our own poor self control?

DSC04182

Biology and our evolution has made us prone to prefer sugary, fatty, and high calorie foods. Back in the days when we were living as hunters and gatherers, food everyday wasn’t always a guarantee. To survive we had to store up on high calorie foods to make sure we had some kind of energy source when food was scarce. As we’ve evolved our bodies are still working on this same theoryto crave more calorie, fatty, and sugary foods. The differencetoday we don’t need to walk a thousand miles or go starving for three days before we might get another meal.

img_0872

We can take a walk down the street and pick up food, or let’s take it to another level, we can sit on our sweet asses and order in take out. Not a single step required. Obviously this has a bad impact on our health, and that’s why we see a rise of obesity and sickness around the world. Not to mention, that the fast food options we have today are far more unhealthy than the fatty food options our ancestors had to choose from. A good source of fat and energy could come form nuts and fruits while we today can chug down an extra large, extra cheese pizza from Pizza Hut and finish off with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream.

So, are we fucked? Is there nothing we can do to learn to love our veggies?! Obviously we can! To our luck, our taste buds are capable to change taste preferences, and our body has the capability to change how certain foods make us feel and crave. It’s just a little learning process.

IMG_5613

Give it time – You know how you have to start making something a routine before it sticks with you forever? Well, the same things goes for loving your veggies. The more we try something, the more we will want it. It takes around 7 tries for us to start liking the taste of certain foods. So man, give veggies 7 chances! For the sake of your health.

Try new things – If you haven’t been a veggie lover you have a whole foreign world to explore. That’s pretty exciting! Try something new every week, and incorporate it within a new recipe. There’s endless possibilities when you try new things! The same goes for your food.

Try new cooking styles – A sweet little carrot. You can devour it raw, boiled, roasted, pureed, baked in cake!! The possibilities are endless. Try out all these different styles and find out which technique you like the most.

Sauce it up – A liquid fountain of joy, that’s what sauces are. They can make anything better! Am I right or am I right? Sauces are also a great way to sneak in veggies from left and right. Thinly grate vegetables into your sauces. You won’t even notice that these nutritious bad boys are in there!

img_2061

Think texture – We love foods with texture. When a meal has a perfect mix of textures like crunchy, sweet, spicy, soft, chewy we tend to enjoy it more. The awesome thing about vegetables is that they can perform a variety of textures to any meal depending on the way you prepare it. Make a soft element by pureeing a mix of greens such as spinach and avocado, add it on top of bread and finish off with some raw slices of red bell peppers. Fresh an delicious!

Spice it up – Make it fun, man. Just like any food can taste bland and boring, so will your veggies if you don’t give them a nice spice party. If you like heat, bring on the heat! Saute veggies with loads of spices, or bake them with even more. Spices makes everything nice. That’s a fact, and we all know it.

IMG_5959

I was never a huge veggie lover in my younger days. I could wake up and gulp down cake and kit kat bars from breakfast. Yes, healthy, vegan little Linnéa was a huge, like I’m talking huuuuuge junk food lover!! Cakes, chocolate, McDonalds – that was my life. As I hit my teens I started to incorporate more exercise in my life and I cut down on some sugar and tried to incorporate more healthy foods in my life. Tadaaa! Look at me today. I love, honestly yes, I do loooove fruits and vegetables. I love the way they provide a natural source of water, how they make my skin look, and most importantly – how they make me feel. Trust me, one day you will feel this way to. It’s all about baby steps, and when your baby steps have reached adulthood we will go out on a great veg fest together!

 

Feed your light bulb

You’re a smart ass, and you know it. But sometimes, even the smartest of asses can have brain fog, feel tired, and not be as sharp as they normally are. You know what I’m talking about, right?

It’s important and really helpful to be on your A-game all the time, or at least as often as possible. What you eat plays a huge role in your brain function, of course. Your gut and brain are really good friends, and they connect with each other on a deeper level. Our “second mini brain” is basically our gut, hence our “gut feeling”. Food plays a huge role in everything. Okay, food might not be the lead actor of the newest Marvel movie, but he is definitely the lead role in our bodies.

Blueberries – These guys are an army of antioxidants. Small, but deadly, in a good way. Blueberries, together with other berries are one of the most healthy things you can stuff your face with. Filled with antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber. Eat them daily! Slam dunk some on your morning granola, oatmeal, or straight up in your mouth.

IZBN5G7AAB

Walnuts – With a shape similar to our brains, it’s a no brainer that walnuts are good for our thinker. They are an amazing source of plant based omega-3, vitamin E, fiber, and the healthy monounsaturated fats. Our brain loves this!!

KQK5TLH6E1

Greens – Greens are just great for everything. They always top the lists of everything health related. They’re like the Drake, or Beyonce. Whatever they do, it’s just going to be good. Kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, grass. Okay, maybe not grass, that was a dry, stereotypical vegan joke. But, all our leafy greens contains a lot of vitamin A and K, plus a ton of fiber. They also slow down the process of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

5I7JG8W7H7

Avocado – Our brain is basically a little fat boll, and it needs the good fats to thrive! Avocados are another magical little fatty for our brain. Containing the helahty monounsaturated fats, it protects us against strokes, and with vitamin E and K it keeps our skin glowing. You can’t go wrong with avocados. Ever.

995039RKO1

Beets – Not Beats by Dre, but the red, always staining your clothes kind of beets. These guys are one of the most healthy vegetables you can eat! They clean our blood form toxins, and increase the blood flow to our brains, which aids in mental stimulation. Beets are our brains hype man, and a pretty damn successful one.

f6ea5e6c256b9ad01560e9531b89911a

Chocolate – Yass, bitch, yaaaasss!!! You are reading right! Chocolate is an amazing little antioxidant, which our brain obviously loves. But, just the dark kind. The chocolate made with only cacao beans, and cacao butter. No added milk fat, or sugars, or all that other crap. The darker you go, the better. Black guys are going, “oh hell yeah” right now (and so you should, because you guys are pretty gorgeous).

0302SD6X8A

Turmeric – Another bad bitch. Turmeric heels everything. Know as one of the most ancient natural medicine, and still is, this magic root will slow down the aging of the brain, and keep your skin young and glowy. Turmeric contains curcumin, which is an antioxidant with amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Eat it together with black pepper for maximal absorption.

spices

Green Tea – Another great antioxidant in liquid form. It slows down the aging of both your brain, and your body. And yes, matcha is definitely a green tea, and an extra powerful one for that matter.

0ZS74TCOME

Our brain pretty much thrives on antioxidants and good, healthy fats. The more wholesome foods we eat in general, the more healthy our body will be, and in turn, our brains as well. In the end it is all connected. A healthy body, is a healthy mind.

Heavenly mush

What is the best part about going to a fancy restaurant? Seeing the food arrive, beautifully plated in front of you, to a few seconds later, mush it up on your plate. Eating out is the best. The  nice ambiance, and that pretty food, but let’s be honest – food tastes so much better when it’s all mushed together, getting all of those yummy flavors combined.

So, I’m about to give you just that. A lovely recipe, that’s already mushed up! Might not be the prettiest for the eye to behold, but yummy? Oh, hell yes!

The heavenly mush we are creating is a teriyaki spiced tofu, black bean, guacamole paradise. And if you’re feeling lazy, you can buy half of the ingredients ready made! Win, win, and win.

What you’ll need:

Guacamole, you can by a ready made guacc or make your own:

1 Avocado
1/2 tomato (cut out the the juicy middle part, and just use the harder part)
Chili powder
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of curry powder
Lemon juice
(If you’re an onion and garlic lover, add in some red onion and garlic)

We all know how to make guacamole, just smash all the ingredients together.

Teriyaki Tofu, can be bought pre-made at Trader Joe’s, or made yourself:

1 block firm tofu
3 table spoons soy sauce
1 table spoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup for sweetener
1 teaspoon ground ginger

To drain your tofu of as much water as possible, you place it in between two paper towels, and place a weight on it for about 30 min. While you’re doing this you whip up the remaining ingredients for the teriyaki sauce. Cut your tofu into small squares and mix it together with the teriyaki sauce. You can now either fry the tofu in a pan with some oil, or bake them in the oven on 425 for about 25-30 min.

1 can black beans
1/4 red bell pepper
Kale
Spinach
Lavash bread / pita bread


Once your tofu and guacamole is ready, you simply drain your canned beans, chop up some red bell pepper and greens, and throw it all together. Voila! A lovely mush is made and ready to be enjoyed. Serve with some lavash bread, or pita bread.