Recently I’ve been looking for ways to include more veggies into my diet.
I eat a mostly plant based diet, and feel that I’ve got a pretty good sense of what works well for me. But one area that I would like to improve on is just generally adding more veggies, especially raw green veg.
While contemplating this situation I looked up what advice is floating around these days. This always seems to be a path fraught with confusing mixed messages and alarmist statements, with various studies coming up with a baffling whirlwind of advice. Today was no different.
I came across a study which has found that eating upwards of 7 servings of fruit and veg a day, and ideally 10, with just two of those being fruit, would lead to optimal health. I watched the video of one of the scientists talking about it, and he made a lot of sense. Basically he was saying that the benefits of eating your veggies increase the more of it that you eat. Makes sense. He also believes that it should be fun, it’s food, and life and we should find creative ways to eat more of the good stuff and enjoy it.
I think that studies like this are important, and the bodies involved with this particular study are now endorsing subsidies on fruit and veg to make them more accessible for everyone. I do however think that sometimes the reporting on issues surrounding nutrition are often quite alarmist and can leave you feeling that if you don’t spend your days chomping down large amounts of raw, local and seasonal veg then you are doomed to a gloomy fate of ill health and pre-mature death. Not very helpful. This kind of gloom-and-doom reporting makes me a little bit nuts because it inevitably leads to feelings worry and guilt surrounding food, rather than positive feelings of empowerment and joy. I think while it’s important to know the information, embracing healthy food in the joyous manner it deserves rather than feeling like you must eat it out of fear is a much healthier, happier, and sustainable route, and one that leads to real understanding instead of weird food issues.
I guess for me I feel that eating veggies is beneficial, and the more that I can fit in the better. If I take the time to notice the food that I’m eating and the way that it makes me feel, it becomes obvious how massively beneficial it can be. I feel really good in my energy levels, physical well being, and mental state when I eat whole, nourishing and fresh foods, and I feel lethargic, grumpy and horrid when I eat highly processed and sugary stuff. Armed with this knowledge of myself I don’t have to panic, feel guilty or stressed about food, on the contrary, I find in it a source of joy and creativity which filters out into every aspects of my life.
So with that rather long-winded veg-love in mind, today I decided to have a lovely mixed greens salad of spinach, watercress and rocket (arugula), with yam (one of my great loves in this world), some buckwheat for some whole grain goodness, and nutritious, protein filled egg. I topped my salad with a dressing made from tahini and buttermilk, and loaded with taste from chili powder and smoked paprika. The lovely nutty flavour of the tahini against the sweet yam, and the smoky chili spice was gorgeous. Set against the rich just-set egg yolk, the tender spinach, and peppery watercress and rocket, this smoky yam and buckwheat with greens salad is a joy indeed.
I am going to continue to endeavor to add more veg into my diet (anyone have any good veggie breakfast ideas?). I love the science, and love having an understanding and knowledge of the benefits that different foods offer. It is a joyous knowledge. I have no room for food-guilt and alarm-ism. Glorious food and our awe-inspiring bodies deserve to be celebrated!
- 25g buckwheat groats, rinsed well
- 1/2 small yam (sweet potato), cut into 1” cubes (peel left on)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- Large handful of mixed spinach, watercress and rocket
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp tahini
- 1 Tbsp buttermilk
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- Pinch of sea salt
- Place the buckwheat into a small pot with enough water to amply cover and set it over medium-high heat(Do not add salt to the cooking grains as it will make them tough). Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes until the buckwheat is tender. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile put the yam onto a small tray and sprinkle over the oregano, chilli powder and smoked paprika and mix until the yam is evenly covered. Drizzle over the oil and mix well again and then place the yam into a hot oven and leave to roast until tender, about 25-30 minutes. Once cooked remove from oven and set aside.
- Once the buckwheat is cooked make the dressing by mixing the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. It will be quite thick. You can loosen it up with a splash more oil if you’d like. Season to taste and then mix the dressing into the cooked buckwheat to evenly coat it.
- To cook the egg put it into a small pot and pour in enough cold water to just cover it. Cover with a lid and set the pot over high heat. Allow it to come to a rolling boil and the moment that it does remove it from the heat and start a timer for 7 minutes. When the 7 minutes are up, immediately place the pot into the sink and pour cold water into it until the cold water has replaced the hot. Leave it to float around in the cold water for about 5 minutes while you assemble the salad.
- In a large bowl toss together the greens, dressed buckwheat and cooked yams. Arrange the salad onto a large plate. Carefully peel the egg and slice vertically. Place the halves of the egg on the salad, drizzle with a bit of oil if you’d like, and serve immediately.
- For a runnier egg reduce the timing to 5 minutes, or for a harder boil, increase it to 10.