inspiration list

This is a very nice inspiration list. Varied, delicious and healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. There are a lot of delicious, healthy things that you can vary endlessly. With the following suggestions and idea’s we want to show you that there is so much more you can do with food, and how easy it can be.

Breakfast

After a night of detoxing, your body kick starts again with breakfast. How do you start? For some, they just manage to eat an apple, while others are happy with a bowl of oatmeal. Eventually it is about listening to your body and finding a pattern that works for you. How do you feel after you have eaten something in the morning? Does it give you energy to start the day? Here are some healthy breakfast options that you can use and vary.

• Vegetable based milk or yoghurt with muesli can be prepared in many various ways. You can add walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, shredded coconut, chia seeds, hemp seeds and/or sesame seeds. Add a spoonful of healthy oil, such as linseed oil or omega oil. Careful: make sure that your muesli doesn’t contain any added sugars (so no Cruesli) and check the preference list to see which sort of yoghurt works for you.
• Porridge is popular! And for a good reason. It is nutritious and filling. For some people, a warm start is half of the work, with oatmeal, buckwheat porridge or quinoa porridge. Make it taste even better with grated apple and cinnamon. Choose vegetable milk products such as oat milk and (homemade) nut milk.
• Green smoothie: a mix of green leafed vegetables and a bit of fruit in a blender. A huge power kick for your body and delicious! Take into consideration the fact that you’ll probably need a healthy snack later in the morning as the smoothie is digested quite quickly. A green smoothie itself is also a perfect snack for later in the day.

On your bread

Try to move away from the typical produced sandwich spread. Use a sandwich more often to consume more vegetables.

• Spread with: avocado, homemade tomato or olive tapenade.
• Raw vegetables: (cherry) tomatoes, cucumber, rucola, alfalfa, sprouts, watercress, carrot sticks, radish, chicory.
• Grilled vegetables: eggplant, zucchini, fennel, tomato, mushrooms.
• Herbs: basil, coriander, chives and dill.

Would you prefer more ‘standard options’? Then we advise the following choices.

• Butter: plantbased butter. You don’t need very much. Use it only with spreads that don’t stick.
• Spreds: humus, tartex, sugarfree spreads & tapenade.

Sweet: apple butter (‘stroop’ in Dutch, made from 100% apples), hazelnut-raisin paste, almond paste.

Refreshing drinks

The best is of course natural mineral water and herbal tea!

• You can add more taste to your water with: mint, lemon, raspberries, cucumber, apple, basil, ginger.
• Keep trying different sorts of tea: (fresh) ginger, camomile, nettle, sage, rose, verveine, raspberry, mint, jasmine, rooibos.
• Or make your own ice tea: cook ginger, add lemon juice and honey and allow to cool. You can also use different sorts of herbs such as camomile or sage.
• Fresh vegetable juices (and fruit juices in moderation).
• Coconut juice.

Coffee

Coffee is not nutritious, but for some it is delicious and essential. Try and drink less and enjoy it more, instead of drinking ‘muddy water’ the whole day through. If you always drink your coffee with sugar and sweeteners, then get out of this habit as soon as possible! It takes a bit of getting used to but soon you won’t want anything else. Spice it up with the following tips.

• Cappuccino or latte made with oat, almond or rice milk (soya milk in moderation. See the Preference list for more information).
• Add cinnamon, vanilla, pure cocoa or nutmeg for extra taste. Not yet ready to loose the sweeteners? Honey is also delicious in your coffee.

Snacks

Fruit and raw vegetables are by far the most nutritious, energy giving and refreshing snacks that there are. But an ‘apple a day’ and a piece of cucumber can get boring. Here are some healthy versions of unhealthy snacks.

• Hearty/savoury: fresh vegetable juices, artichoke hearts, olives, filled wine leaves, handful of nuts (unroasted and unsalted), cold grilled vegetables, half an avocado with pepper and salt, bowl of mixed sprouts with tomatoes.
• Sweet: rice cake, raw chocolate (health store), pure chocolate (at least 80% with no added sugars), small bowl of plantbased quark with linseed oil and honey, few pieces of dried fruit, such as mango, apricot (unsulfured), figs or dates.

Seasonings

Delicious herbs, dressings and other seasonings add just that bit extra.

• Fresh herbs: basil, coriander, oregano, mint, chives, dill (also dried or frozen).
• Other seasonings: anchovies, capers, olives, porcini, sundried tomatoes, garlic vinegar (all sorts; wine, rice, balsamic and herb vinegar), shoyu (soya sauce), mustard, lemon.
• Dressings: a mix of balsamic, good quality olive oil, mustard, crushed garlic and pepper and salt is a good base for a standard dressing. Not only for in the salad, but also for on your sandwich, to which you can add some grilled or raw vegetables.

Soup

Nothing is easier than soup! It also keeps you full and satisfied longer. Preferably not soup out of a can or packet because of all the artificial additives and low nutritional value. It’s better to make it your self. There are also, now, many more opportunities to buy fresh soup.

• Homemade: cook the vegetables you desire in a small amount of broth, mix it in a blender, add some fresh herbs and at the end add nuts, seeds and sprouts.

Vegetables

When you eat your vegetables raw, all the nutrients are still present. By heating too high or too long, many nutrients are lost. Vary your choices and cook them, preferably, not all the way through.

• Raw vegetables: all sorts are good. They taste even better with a dip made of hummus or avocado mousse.
• Cooked vegetables: if you cook your vegetables, do so in a small amount of water with the lid on the saucepan. This way you steam the vegetables, which means they are warm and most of the nutrients are still present.

Plantbased & high protein

• Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, Azuki beans, black beans and butter beans are nutritious and form a good base for salads. If you are unable to cook them yourself, buy them in an organic form in a glass pot or can and rinse them well to remove any added salts.
• You can also experiment with tofu, tempeh or falafel.

Super foods

Super foods are nutritional supplements, which could contain a concentrated form of healthy nutrients. For example: hempseed, chia seed, bee pollen, raw cocoa powder, wheat grass, spirulina, chlorella. They could be a valuable addition to your daily nutrition. You can mix them through your yoghurt or smoothie or add them to your salad.