Fall is here! The season of change and adaptation is upon us. The time of year when the weather cools, the days grow shorter, and with the kids back to school, it’s a good time for making meals and snacks packed with as many nutrients as we can!
I often talk about eating nutrient-dense food, or “nutrient-densifying food.” What does this mean?
It means really looking at our food and eating with intention! Sometimes, it may mean removing or eliminating a food we know is “bad” for us, or not serving our body well. The other side to that coin aims to ADD healthy ingredients to our food, making it more dense with nutrients. This is often a more palatable way (pun intended), to create momentum by getting us excited about our food again!
Here are some of my favorite ways to pack more nutrients into food:
· Adding desiccated liver or organ meat to whatever I am making. I simply open a couple capsules and sprinkle in! I include this in soups, sauces, yogurt, cream of rice cereal, toast, popcorn – honestly, it doesn’t matter if it’s sweet or savory, my kids don’t even know! “Pluck” is another wonderful product that incorporates spices and seasoning along with the benefit of quality organ meat powder.
· Eating & adding in pasture-raised eggs, which are more nutrient-dense than conventional ones, containing significantly higher amounts of anti-inflammatory omega-3s, antioxidants, and fat-soluble vitamins A & E.
· Adding powerhouse items with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids such as hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds. I add 1-2 Tbsp. to salads, eggs, soups, popcorn, and baked goods.
· Sprinkling 1-2 Tbsp. of nutritional yeast elevates your dish to one that is chock-full of beneficial B-vitamins, and offers a nutty, cheesy flavor. This can be used in soups, sauces, popcorn, vegan nacho cheese dip – any savory dish you want to level up!
· Adding power-player herbs and spices to each meal, such as onion, garlic, turmeric, horseradish, gives you anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits. Some of my favorite spices are smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric and sumac for their flavors and antioxidant qualities!
· Home-made bone broth creates a base for soup, or daily drink that can be tailored to your favorite flavors. Adding ingredients such as grass-fed beef or chicken bones, fennel, roasted veggies, parsley, and beets will infuse your broth with the beneficial types of collagen, flavors and micronutrients that will nourish and repair your gut inside and out!
· Enhancing filtered water with a pinch of quality sea salt and a squeeze of citrus creates an electrolyte-infused drink that will really hydrate you on a cellular level – crucial for proper hydration.
As you add more nutritious foods to your mealtimes, you can begin to assess which foods your body is urging you to go without. Nutritional therapy adheres to the idea that our miraculous bodies have innate wisdom built-in, whose purpose is to protect, repair, and heal. When we can listen to what it tells us, healing is sure to follow. Just adding one or two of these foods to your everyday, over time, can help your body for the better. Small changes now = big results later. Experiment to your liking and have fun leveling up the nutrients in your food!
References
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2019). Evolution of the Modern Diet [PDF Document].
Nutritional Therapy Association. (2019). Culinary Wellness [PDF Document].
Yashin A, Yashin Y, Xia X, Nemzer B. Antioxidant Activity of Spices and Their Impact on Human Health: A Review. Antioxidants. 2017; 6(3):70. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox6030070
Sergin, S., Jambunathan, V., Garg, E., Rowntree, J. E., & Fenton, J. I. (2022). Fatty Acid and Antioxidant Profile of Eggs from Pasture-Raised Hens Fed a Corn- and Soy-Free Diet and Supplemented with Grass-Fed Beef Suet and Liver. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 11(21), 3404. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11213404
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