Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and Brazil nuts are all wonderful and easy additions to your diet. Eat them as a snack or add them into your meals for an extra boost of plant-based protein, amino acids, antioxidants, fiber and healthy fats. Nuts are also super easy to incorporate into your everyday routine as you can eat them whole or churned into a butter (choose ones that don’t have added sugar) at which point you can blend into smoothies, sauces, and even baked goods.
Eggs: Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. They contain thirteen essential vitamins and high quality protein all for just 70 calories. Eggs are also one of the only foods that naturally contain Vitamin D, lutein and zeaxanthin (which is great for eye health). Eggs are also a godsend in the kitchen for chefs. They can be cooked and used in so many different ways. There are even cookbooks dedicated to the beauty of eggs and how you can prepare them in over 100 different ways. If this isn’t enough to convince you to eat at least an egg a day, I don’t know what will.
Oats: A high fiber diet is very important in keeping good digestive health, regular bowel movements, and lowering sugar level and cholesterol which in turns help combat diabetes and heart disease. Thus, it’s crucial to include foods in your diet that are high in fiber. High fiber grains such as oats are a critical addition to a healthy diet, be it oatmeal in the mornings, baking muffins with oats, or blending them into a smoothie.
Quinoa: This high fiber grain not only contains a high amount of protein, but also essential amino acids and is gluten free. It’s extremely versatile as you can eat it steamed as an alternative to rice, add it to soups or stews to make a heartier meal, serve cold as a salad, or even baked into muffins.
Berries: Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are all powerhouse fruits. Berries contain fiber, are lower in sugar than most other fruits, and contain loads of antioxidants. It’s more of a super fruit if you really think about. They also contain a ton of vitamins and are low in calories. So snack away on nature’s candy!
Spinach: Dark leafy greens have always been an essential piece to any healthy diet. They tend to pack more vitamins, minerals and fibers than those vegetables that are not leafy and dark green. In fact, one cup of raw spinach provides all the Vitamin K you need in a day, along with half of the Vitamin A you need in a day, with other wonderful nutrients like folate and magnesium. Blend them into a smoothie, toss into a salad, add into soups, or sauté or puree them into a sauce.
Salmon: When it comes to consuming protein that is not plant based, there are many options to choose from. Salmon is one of the best proteins you can dine on. This fatty fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids which supports heart health, Vitamin B-12 for healthy nerves and red blood cells, and Vitamin B-6 for boosting the nervous system and immune system. If you’re going to eat actual protein that isn’t plant based, salmon is one of the best choices. Try to eat salmon at least once or twice a week.
Greek Yogurt: Calcium, protein, and healthy bacteria (probiotics) for gut health are a few shining benefits of eating yogurt. It’s crucial to helping you grow and maintain bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, hair, and blood health. Yogurt also contains potassium which can balance out sodium intake in your body which is helpful in maintaining good blood pressure levels.
Legumes & Beans: These are a high protein food that contain a good source of fiber, loads of nutrients and are low in calories. Legumes and beans are not only a wonderful food to eat for those who are weight conscious, but also health conscious. You can’t really overdo it with beans as they are so low in calories, fat, and sugar. They are also extremely affordable and available year-round. They should always be a staple in your pantry and in your diet.
Chia Seeds: These tiny super seeds are is healthiest food on the planet. They contain fiber, protein, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and many other nutrients. There’s actually more calcium gram by gram in chia seeds than in dairy and they have Omega-3 fatty acids. The best part is you only need to eat two tablespoons for all the healthy benefits. Chia seeds are super easy to incorporate into your diet — toss them into oats, porridge, salads, smoothies, sauces, eggs, baked goods, anything!
