By: Lisa M. Pressey
Vegetable Medley is simply a combination of various types of vegetables. I love combining leftover rice with different vegetables for breakfast. There are numerous combinations you can put together to create a nutritious and satisfying meal. A complete protein can be made by adding some seeds, nuts, or beans with the rice. Moreover, don’t forget to add some greens and other vegetables to maximize your nutrients. Remember, to eat the rainbow to ensure you are getting all those wonderful phytonutrients in your diet.
The Link Between Chronic Disease and a Plant Based Diet
A whole food plant based diet is a powerful weapon against chronic disease. This includes mostly vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains. Eating plant based is not about labeling your type of diet, it’s about eating for a healthier lifestyle. Plants have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that protect you from chronic disease. Phytonutrients in plants are a huge contributor to keeping you healthy. Each color offers a different antioxidant, so don’t limit yourself to just a couple of vegetables or you’ll be missing out. Challenge yourself to see how many different vegetables you can eat in a week!
Eating a whole food plant based diet can reduce the risk of chronic disease, reverse chronic disease, and increase your risk of survival from cancer. Visit forks over knives for more information on a whole food plant based diet and take control of your health. Being diagnosed with breast cancer brought me to plant based eating and it helped save my life.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup brown rice, cooked
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat, when hot add the rice and cook for 3 minutes. (I used leftover rice.)
- Add the onion, cook for 3 minutes, then add tomato and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the spinach, then stir to combine and let it wilt.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Plate a healthy portion, then top with flax seeds or chia seeds.
The picture to the left has an egg and flax seeds added. On the other hand, if you are vegan, then just leave out the egg.
- Tomatoes – Lycopene
- Onions – Quercetin
- Spinach – Leutin and Zeaxanthin
- Flax seed – Omega 3’s, fiber, and protein
- Brown Rice – Phenols, flavonoids, and fiber
- Equally important, vitamins and minerals from all
Undoubtedly, a whole food plant based diet can only improve our health. Additionally, it has been shown to reverse chronic disease. Overall, eating a plant based diet has kept me cancer free for a little over 2 years now.