Vegetables are superfoods

 My interest in super foods began about 12 years ago when I was doing some research for a summer menu I was putting together for my restaurant The Sky apple. I was looking into goji berries in particular and was thinking maybe incorporating them into one of my dishes. They were everywhere on the internet and being extolled for their many health qualities-  antioxidant, anti flammatory, antimicrobial, anti diabetic etc

As I began to dig deeper into this subject I realised that one doesn't need to import any exotic seeds or vegetables from far flung corners of the world. In fact you only need to look as far as your local supermarket. All vegetables have some kind of amazing health benefit. They all supply necessary fibre, various vitamins and minerals, some have bags of anti oxidants, some flavenoids, the list goes on and on. Many are officially listed as super foods such as kale, spinach, pulses, garlic, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and so much more.

Tomato and red lentil soup

A simple tomato and lentil soup (pictured above) will provide:

Tomatoes: Vitamin C, Potassium, reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

Onions and garlic: organosulphur compounds, reduced cholesterol and blood pressure.

red lentils: B vitamins, thiamine, folate, protein, loads of minerals.

and that's just scratching the surface so to speak. Oh and it's tasty too!

So the question is why don't we eat more?  I mean it's a no brainer right? Eat lots of vegetables and you will reduce your chance of heart disease, blood pressure, strokes, digestive problems, cancer, as well as boosting brain power and immune system! Answering this question would probably take a blog load of articles to address so I won't be here. All I will say is that there is a way you can introduce more vegetables to your diet and improve your overall health. I'm not suggesting becoming vegan or vegetarian because that doesn't necessarily mean you eat lots of vegetables. I'm suggesting replacing some of the carbs and meat you eat with vegetables and or fruit.

Mushroom bhajee

This can be as simple as adding a mixed salad or accompanying your meal with a selection of boiled vegetables. That can get a bit boring. So the way I am confident that I can help is by creating lots of simple vegetable recipes to keep things interesting and flavoursome. Over time you will build up a repertoire of dishes that will drive you further and faster into your journey to bring more vegetable super foods into your life.