World Vegetarian Day - Green Up your Grab with ‘GREEN HEALTH PARTNER’

Today, I’m not going to ask you to switch over to #vegetarianism & #veganism but would like you to do a simple task with your smart phone..

Just before you dine, POSE A SELFIE with your meal plate for a day! Now focus on the veggies –check its color & space occupied among other items in the plate.

Surprised!!! Are Veggies occupying LESS SPACE on the plate? Are ‘beige’ color foods taking over green color???

Hey! It’s alarming …. TIME to contemplate, WHAT AM I EATING?

These days a lot is spoken of plant-based foods, fibre, and microgreens but astonishingly the average low level consumption pattern per person is more worrying in a vegetarian dominated country like India.

All very well know the nutritional health benefits of this universal green partner are enormous & ‘supposed’ to eat enough with Meals…..I bet Aren’t!

Reason being, the habitual snacking on #processed, deep fried foods (high in fat, starch, sodium, refined sugar and low fiber foods) have outsized space in each food plate. Further, as time saving gizmo & harmonizing with each family member’s common veggie preference…routinely more potatoes, other starchy tubers with tomatoes, onions are chosen to cook with lesser green veggies (leafy greens, stalk & its fruit)…… BALANCE IS MISSING.

Don’t you think, this is a pretty good reason ensuring early invitation to increased health stressors starting with bloating, constipation & common micronutrient deficiencies - finally progressing to other diet related chronic diseases- all cause of mortality? Yes, seriously.

You are supposed to eat almost 300g /day (excluding starchy tubers) to meet your daily allowance. Don’t stress over the numbers—just add more vegetables where you can.

Try Cozyfoodcorner’s ideas,

• Use seasonal fresh, frozen ones (all offer the same great nutrients) – embellish your favorite-soups or toss it with a teaspoon of nut butter – tasty indeed.

• Combine flavored greens, micro greens, cucumber, beetroot & tomatoes with plain yogurt for a delicious cooling dip and sandwich / burger spreads & smoothies for a nutritional oomph!

• Mix vegetables & micro greens into your go-to dishes, uttapam, chillas, pulao, pasta macaroni, noodles, one-pot meals or as filling into rotis, frankies, tortillas, tacos, sandwiches or patties for burgers.

• Stuff into momos or try recipes like capsicum cups, stuffed cabbage cups.

• Toss them into your grains (variety-rice, broken wheat /millet/ quinoa khichidi, bisi bele bath)

• Use Lettuce wraps to make low carb sandwiches and bunless burgers.

• Swap out your cookie jar for carrots, cucumber, beets, with hummus, chats, bhel, jhal-muri or tuck them into cooked salads.

• Make an effort to cook traditional indigenous yummy Indian recipes like Undiyu, Avial, sukhto, navratan korma, patra, baigan bharta, methi theplas,sarso-da-saag, dumplings, etc.

• Try bunch of lingering veggies oven-roasted with broccoli, mushroom, bell peppers, beets, carrots, zucchini, sweet potato and thyme & drizzle of balsamic vinegar - Damn delicious!

• Mix with protein rich foods ! Try Veg sambhar, dal dolma, dal palak, palak paneer, veggie-cutlet.

• Sneak them into non-veg centric dishes (scrambled egg, minced chicken, mutton, tuna salad, thai beef cabbage cups, veg paella) for superfluous fiber load!

• Do not let pass western cuisine (pasta-free lasagna, veggie stew, casserole or baked veggies, cheesy cauliflower) or try creating a ‘fusion dish’ for more taste-fun!

• Incorporate leftover veggies in stuffed parathas, koftas, tikkis or egg quiche.

• Get picklin’ at home to move beyond typical ones. Think sliced carrots, green beans, cauliflowers, brinjal pickles or mixed-veg pickle.

Hey, you might even be making your quota now without realizing it.

Wait not!!! There is enormous stuff in the market…pick your favorites – FEEL the AWE through its vibrant rainbow colors, exotic flavors - watch how including these miracle nature’s produce in your daily diet can make your skin glow, help you to get positive health benefits and more.

Unquestionably, you’ll ‘steal the spotlight’ in the next groupfie too !