The TikTok salmon rice bowl.

Nobody has missed the infamous salmon rice bowl by miss Emily Mariko circling the TikTok sphere like a cyclone in stormy weather. That this bowl is hyped is an understatement. Like it’s hyyyyped. Salmon, rice, mayo, and sriracha. Microwaved with an ice cube and eaten with chopsticks and see weed chips. Simplicity at its finest. While I won’t be showing you how to make this meal, Miss Emily Mariko can do this herself, I will break down just why this meal is so great. From a nutrition standpoint.

Salmon rice bowl
https://www.tiktok.com/@emilymariko/video/7013103700654689542 Credit: Emily Mariko/TikTok

Salmon and rice.

This combo is A1. OG. The most real MVP. Absolutely fabulous. With just these two ingredients we have a complete meal with the macronutrients, protein, carbs, and fat. Salmon provides both protein and healthy fat together with rice as a carb source.

When we eat meals that have such a balance of macros, and also from “good sources” we keep our insulin spikes on a steady level. This also leads to easier satiety and regulates our hunger hormones.

Seaweed.

Can we just play with the thought about how many stores have had to order massive amounts of see weed chips after this video? I’m all for it! If any food deserves more hype it’s definitely seaweed. Not only does it add a nice crunch and wrap up your food in the most comforting bites, but it also packs so much nutrition. Omega 3 fats, antioxidants, vitamin k, and vitamin e. Small but almighty.

Eating with chopsticks.

I don’t know about y’all, but I find it extremely cozy to eat with chopsticks. Where applicable of course. I would try to scoop up my soup with them obviously, but they have their place for basically any other meal in my opinion.

In Asian cultures, chopsticks are the utensil standard. Besides being cozy it’s also a great way to slow down when eating. Too many people inhale their food without actually savoring and enjoying it. Add in chopsticks to this mix and you will most likely slow down. If you’re not some ninja that could kill people with chopsticks. Eating slowly also makes us recognize when we’re actually full, which can prevent overeating.

Kimchi for gut health.

Together with her salmon rice bowl, Emily eats avocado and kimchi. Avocado, as we know has its healthy fats and kimchi, this fermented goodness is a pure gift to our gut. Full of probiotics that support a healthy gut microbiome.

A healthy gut places a huge part in our immune system, fighting cancers, regulating our metabolism, and helping in anxiety and depression. The gut and kind connection are real and a reason why you often feel sad or anxious when you’re having stomach issues.

Normalize normal meals.

What’s really refreshing with Emily’s salmon rice bowl is not really the originality, because we’ve seen salmon rice bowls before. But the fact that it is just that, salmon with rice, condiments, and toppings. No cauliflower rice substitutes, not trying to make the meal “low carb” or “fat-free”. It’s a normal, healthy meal. Not only is this a normal meal, but also a leftover meal. I’m all here for it!

So the real question is, how are you eating your salmon rice bowl?

Why we should eat meat. By a former vegan.

I can already feel that I’m about to stir up the pot with this post. As a former vegan, I know why. I was a hard-core vegan advocate, like hard hard. I preached veganism as the only source of true health and demonized anything that had to do with animals (in the food sense). Before we get into the post I want to make it clear that I’m only referring to health in this post. Regarding animal cruelty – yes, being vegan is the better option. So what changed? What made this vegan babe crave the meat again? That’s what she said…

Baby steps. It all started with eggs.

After about 5 years into being completely vegan (being vegetarian about 4 years before that) and consuming whole foods such as beans, lentils, vegetables, rice, and potatoes I started to feel like “something” was missing. I couldn’t really pinpoint exactly what this something was but I found myself thinking about omelets and scrambled eggs in a way I’ve never thought about eggs before…So after a mental battle between myself, I went to the store and got myself some eggs. What happened when I ate that bad boy? Nothing. It was good. Like actually good, and as I continued to incorporate eggs into my diet again I could feel this “something” started to go away.

Eggs are the healthiest food on the planet.

Or at least one of the healthiest foods. Eggs are a natures protein bar packed with vitamin A, B, omega 3, and cholesterol which isn’t a bad thing! It’s 2021, can we please stop demonizing cholesterol as the root of all evil?! Sure if you’re blood is made with only cholesterol, maybe not optimal, but cholesterol itself is extremely important for our body to make vitamin D and A. Eggs are also very versatile food that we can find in the sneakiest of things. Pasta, bread, vegetarian meat alternatives, sauces, fried stuff, the list goes on. Without eggs, in your diet, you have to remove even more things than “just the eggs”.

why we should eat meat.

Omega 3 from fish.

The natural second step was to get fishy. Not that I had to, more that I started to crave it. A nice salmon was literally screaming my name. Fish and seafood, in general, are healthy sources of protein and essential fatty acids such as omega 3 which can be hard to get on a vegan diet. Even though walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds contain a fair amount of omega 3 you will need to eat a lot more of it to hit your targets. Omega 3 is essential for your brain, skin, and reproductive health. Looking at other types of fish such as cod and tuna, we are getting a lot of good quality protein for a little to no fat.

The fishy thing about fish though is that we want to be kind to our oceans and not promote overfishing. There’s also a discussion about our fish containing mercury and other toxins. It’s all about quality. And maybe not eating fish all day every day. It should be an addition to your meal, not your staple.

Let’s get real about protein.

Okay guys, let’s talk about protein. We can’t shut up about it. No matter if you’re a gym rat or someone just trying to be healthy, we always come back to get in enough protein. But why is protein so important? Protein is the building block of literally everything in our body. Muscles? Protein. Hair, skin, and nails? Protein. Our DNA? Protein. Quick protein lesson. Our body is capable of making 11 out of the 20 amino acids by itself. The remaining 9 amino acids we have to get through our diet. Foods that contain all these 9 amino acids are called complete proteins.

Everything we eat has protein from spinach to chicken breast, even though they contain different amounts and especially different qualities of protein. Animal protein such as chicken, meat, eggs, dairy, and fish all make up a complete protein by themselves. Plant proteins such as beans and lentils are incomplete proteins meaning they don’t contain these 9 amino acids by themselves. To make a vegan protein complete they need to be combined with another incomplete protein such as rice, bread, or potatoes. Of course, you can still get enough protein from a vegan diet but it needs more planning and could potentially also lead to a higher calorie and carb consumption just to hit your targets. I still eat my beans, trust me! But I don’t make them my source of protein anymore.

Get cheesy for your gut.

Dairy was the hardest thing to start eating and I didn’t for the longest time just because it grossed me out. I’m also still a bit conflicted if I believe it’s that healthy for us, but after doing research I do believe that good quality dairy is very much beneficial to us. Natural sources such as greek yogurt and aged cheeses are extremely good for our gut. The fermentation process of these dairy sources packs with so many healthy gut bacteria and protein. The French do know something about finishing the meals with bread and cheese. Butter from grass-fed beef also contains a bunch of retinol (vitamin a) which is a vitamin the body can’t make by itself.

why we should eat meat.

Whole Foods.

Don’t get me wrong, I still preach whole foods with all my heart. Fruit, vegetables, and legumes are still the biggest staple of my diet but I’ve also started to incorporate more animal products with my meals. We need to eat vegan food way more than we do today, especially in the western world where we are deficient in so much fiber that it’s scary.

Change the way we eat meat.

The most important thing in this the animal perspective, and here we can’t argue that being vegan is much more animal friendly. Mass production of meet is wrong on all levels and nothing I support. When I do eat meat, it’s usually when I’m out at dinners and I make sure it’s good quality and locally sourced. At home I eat meat with my vegetables and not vegetables with my meat. I also make sure to get plenty of meat that isn’t from an animal source. What? Nothing.

Sources

https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/what-is-a-complete-protein

https://medlineplus.gov/cholesterol.html

Let’s add a bit of spice.

There’s two types of people. The ones who thinks too much pepper makes a dish spicy and the ones who need literal tears to form when eating a meal. Besides adding spice and flavor, spices packs a lot of healthy vitamins and minerals. And it’s about time you start adding more spices into your meals.For flavor and for health.

What is a spice?

Okay, we all know what a spice is. It’s that magic you sprinkle on top of your food to create a flavor explosion. Spices are vegetable substances in whole, ground, or broken form. Vegetables such as onions and garlic would also classify as a spice since it adds flavor to a dish.

Healthiest spices in the world

Turmeric

The gold of spices turmeric does not only give a yellow stain to literally anything it touches but it’s also packed with antioxidants and fights inflammation. What makes turmeric so great is the substance curcumin. Turmeric has a subtle taste and when mixed in curries and stews together with other flavors you can barely taste it all. Make sure to add black pepper together with turmeric for better absorption of curcumin in the body.

Spices

Cayennepepper

Being in the chili pepper family. Cayenne pepper packs a lot of spice and also the substance capsaicin. This substance helps decrease pain, both internal and external. A lot of pain relief creams contain capsaicin, and when eaten it can help reduce joint and nerve pain.

Cinnamon

The perfect companion to your bun, the missing piece to your apple pie, and the flavor that makes up Christmas. Cinnamon isn’t only sweet, tasty, and acts as a fun challenge but it’s also a miracle spice for heart health. This jolly spices keeps blood sugars in place and lowers blood pressure by regulating LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).

Cinnamon also has the rep of being a diabetic’s best friend, as it controls insulin levels and blood sugar. Of course, we can all enjoy these delicious benefits of cinnamon.

Spices

Ginger

Ginger shots are not trendy for nothing. Even though ginger shots are watered down with apple juice and other shit, the ginger itself provides a lot of healthy benefits. It’s anti-inflammatory, helps with headaches and nausea, lowers blood sugars, and some cases claim that it can slow down the growth of cancer cells. This still needs more research, but hey, still worth a mention right?

Garlic

Keeps the vampires at bay and any form of human interaction because of the lovely smell. Besides the vamp scare and the bad breath, garlic is a very healthy spice. Let’s call it spice since we usually add it for flavor. Garlic is great for improving your immune system, lower blood pressure, and packs a lot of antioxidants. Some people can experience allergies or intolerance towards garlic, but if you’re not one of them go crazy!

Sources

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-spices-with-healthy-benefits

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-cinnamon/amp