The Health Benefits of Whole-food Plant-based Eating

Today starts the first in a series of 6 guest blog posts with healthy recipes from Teresa Ford of Take Root. We had the pleasure of attending Teresa’s presentation on “The Health Benefits of a Vegan Diet” at Curley Brewing Company September. Her presentation was very insightful as she shared how moving to a plant-based diet is beneficial to our overall health and wellbeing. From that presentation it is clear how adding all of Sunningdale Mills Organic Sprouted Grain products to a healthier and vegan diet is aligned with Teresa’s approach and coaching on healthy eating and wellbeing. Look for these posts each week, beginning today until November 19th.

Teresa Ford’s Bio

Teresa lives in London, Ontario, has a Nutritional Science degree and worked in the field of clinical research for many years. She was amazed when she learned of the large body of scientific evidence associating plant-based eating with wellness and longevity.

Through her company, Take Root, she inspires people to eat delicious and nutritious plant-based food for maximal wellness by way of writing, speaking and coaching services. As a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach, she applies best practices to help people make lasting improvements in their approach to eating.

The Health Benefits of Whole-food Plant-based Eating

Have you heard of The Blue Zones? These are five pockets in world where people live measurably longer, better. People reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the US. All Blue Zone populations eat a plant-based diet, eating meat on average only five times per month. Their diets are high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans and lentils), nuts and seeds. And this pretty much lines up with the World Health Organization’s definition of a healthy diet.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence showing that these nutrient dense foods help reduce the rates of some of our leading causes of death, including heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, type II diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. We also know eating unprocessed plant-based foods can positively impact other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, depression and asthma, to name a few. While there is still much to be learned about why unprocessed plant foods are so good for us, it is believed it is due, at least in part, to the fact that they reduce inflammation in our bodies. We know that long-term inflammation plays a role in many diseases.

Making delicious plant-based dishes doesn’t need to be complicated or time consuming. This Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa recipe is a great example. Sunningdale Mills Organic Sprouted Quinoa not only takes a mere 10 minutes to cook, but the nutrients in the quinoa are absorbed more readily due to the sprouting process. This dish is perfect to take on the road for lunch or dinner; it's filling and perfect either warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Ingredients - Serves 4

1 cup uncooked Sunningdale Mills Organic Sprouted Quinoa

1 can rinsed and drained black beans

2 diced medium tomatoes

4 chopped scallions

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 tsp grated lime zest

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

3 tbsp oil or melted vegan butter (e.g. Earth Balance)

1 tsp sugar

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.

2. For dressing whisk together lime zest, lime juice, oil (or melted Earth Balance) and sugar in a large bowl.

3. Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in black beans, tomatoes, scallions and cilantro (optional). Add salt and pepper to taste.

All of these products can be picked up at Remark Fresh Markets!