Eating a balanced and nutrient-rich diet is essential for good health. But sometimes it can be challenging to get all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs. Fortunately, there are many simple and sneaky ways to add more nutrients to your meals without sacrificing taste.
In this blog post, we will discuss some of the best ways to add extra nutrients to your diet. This is great if you have young kids or picky eaters in the family, to ensure they are eating a well-balanced diet and getting all of the essential nutrients they need!
Add More Nutrients by Soaking Nuts, Grains, and Legumes
Soaking nuts, grains, and legumes before cooking can help to make them more digestible and increase their nutrient content. Soaking also reduces the amount of phytic acid, a bitter layer on the outer part of nuts, grains, and legumes, that can inhibit the absorption of minerals . There are many additional benefits to soaking and this practice has been used in ancient, traditional food prep for hundreds of years.
Boost Your Vitamins and Minerals With Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast is a great vegan and dairy-free way to add a cheesy flavor to your meals without the added fat, calories, or dairy. It is also an excellent source of B vitamins, protein, and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and copper. Add nutritional yeast to anything that you want a cheesy flavor in, such as macaroni and cheese, pasta sauce, creamy soups, or sprinkled on popcorn and kale chips. The last time I made mac and cheese for my kids, I used less of the organic packet cheese and added 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast. It was a big hit and they couldn’t even tell the difference!
I prefer the Bragg’s brand and order mine from Amazon, as I can’t always find this particular one in the stores.
Check out these recipes from Insanely Good Recipes for more ideas on how to incorporate this nutrient dense ingredient into your meals.
Add More Protein to Your Favorite Foods with Collagen
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and it plays a crucial role in numerous bodily functions. Collagen is only found in animals and in the human body, it can be found in almost every part of our body, including tendons, bones, ligaments, skin, cartilage, and muscles.
Since collagen is a protein, it is made up of amino acids, and is specifically rich in glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. One of the key functions of proline is building and repairing muscle tissue, and not just biceps and glutes. Remember that your heart is a muscle too!
Glycine plays an important role in your digestive system, as well as DNA and RNA synthesis. In the digestive system, glycine assists with the production of bile in the gallbladder and helps to maintain a healthy acid-base ratio throughout the digestive tract.
Many have heard of collagen due to its ability to promote healthy, youthful, glowing skin, but the benefits of collagen go further than just skin deep. Some of the other benefits of incorporating collagen into your diet include:
joint health support
improved gut function and digestion
keeping excess inflammation under control
building and restoring muscle
supporting the metabolism
maintaining a healthy appetite
promoting deeper sleep
supporting healthy brain function
helping to stabilize blood sugar
healing and repair of connective tissue
Our bodies have the ability to produce collagen on their own, but the production of this important protein decreases as we age, starting at around the age of 20. The need to supplement with different types of collagen has increased over time since the majority of us are not actively hunting large game and consuming the bones and cartilage.
Luckily for us, there are a variety of different forms of collagen, including hydrolyzed collagen (aka collagen peptides, which comes from the bones of cows), that are virtually tasteless and easily dissolve in cold and/or hot liquids. Other ways to get collagen include drinking bone broth, or using high quality, grass-fed organic gelatin to make jellies and gummies.
My favorite collagen products are from Perfect Supplements, because of their quality, purity, glyphosate residue-free certification, and affordability. Because I like to use collagen in so many different ways, I always have on hand the following:
Plus, Perfect Supplements has extended a 10% off discount to my readers at checkout. Just use my code GLOWING10 and you’re all set!
Here are some delicious recipes I developed that will satisfy your sweet tooth and give you an extra boost a protein and amino acids from grass-fed collagen.
Kombu is an edible type of seaweed or kelp that is rich in lots of nutrients, making it a superfood in its own right. A popular food staple in East Asia, Kombu is packed full of minerals, like calcium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, vanadium, zinc and iodine. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is lacking the vast majority of these nutrients, due to the overconsumption of processed foods and the depletion of minerals from soils due to poor farming practices. Iodine is severely lacking in many Americans’ diets, which can be attributed to many thyroid disorders and other related illnesses. Vanadium, a lesser known mineral, but is found in many sea vegetables, may help with the conversion of blood sugars into storable starches, possibly lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Here’s some ideas on how to use it:
Use when making homemade vegetable broth, bone broth, or dashi
Add to soups, either homemade or store bought, to add umami flavor and nutrients
Cook with soaked grains to increase flavor and add essential minerals
Cook with soaked beans to increase their digestibility, enhance nutrient absorption, and add essential nutrients
Kombu has a slightly sweet and salty taste that can add umami to any dish. It is an absolute staple in my pantry and such an affordable way to enhance both the flavor and nutrition of your favorite warm and brothy dishes!
Where to find Kombu?
Kombu can sometimes be found at your local grocery store, Co-op, or Asian food store, depending on where you live. But if you are having trouble finding any locally like me, Amazon has a great selection of quality seaweed brands. My go-to is by Eden Foods and can be found here.
Make Meals Healthier With Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice is a great way to add more vegetables to your meals, especially if you are trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake. It can be mixed into soups, stews, and chilis, as well as adding to ground meat to bulk it up. Cauliflower rice is also a great rice substitute and can be used in stir-fries, sushi rolls, and more. Cauliflower rice can be found in most grocery stores already prepared, but it is also super easy to make at home, and is more budget friendly too! I get quite a bit of cauliflower rice from just one large head of cauliflower, so I end up freezing most of it in 2 cup portions so its easy to add to any recipe during the week! Here is an easy recipe for making cauliflower rice at home.
Homemade Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower
1-2 tablespoons of avocado oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Remove the leaves and stem from the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces.
Add the cauliflower pieces to a food processor. Pulse the cauliflower until it breaks down into small rice-sized pieces.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of avocado oil to the pan.
Add the cauliflower rice to the pan and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked through.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy your delicious and nutritious homemade cauliflower rice!
Boost Your Nutrition and Stretch Your Budget with Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a great way to add extra flavor and nutrients to your meals. They are rich in antioxidants, B vitamins, and minerals such as selenium and copper. Adding finely chopped mushrooms to ground meat is an excellent way to bulk it up and increase its nutrient content. My daughter HATES mushrooms, but cannot even tell that pretty much all of the tacos with ground beef she LOVES to eat at home are actually tacos with ground beef (and diced mushrooms!)
Conclusion
Adding more nutrients to your meals doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. By using some of these sneaky ways to add extra vitamins and minerals to your dishes, you can enjoy delicious and healthy meals without sacrificing taste. Soaking nuts, grains, and legumes, adding nutritional yeast, using collagen, adding kombu, using cauliflower rice, and adding mushrooms are all great ways to start. Try incorporating these tips into your meals and see how much better you feel! I can’t wait to hear about some of the creative ways you have leveled up your nutrition in meals by using some of these sneaky tips!
Related
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Purchasing via the links helps to support my small business and I am very grateful for your readership and support! Please know that I only recommend products and/or services that I have personally used and loved! Please read full disclosure for more information.
Jessica Sweet has always had a passion for helping others. Her nurturing nature, fascination with the human body and love for problem solving inspired her to open her own holistic wellness practice, combining her skills as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Hatha and Prenatal Yoga Teacher, and Reiki Practitioner to provide a beautifully balanced holistic path of wellbeing for her clients. Jessica’s practice is deeply rooted in the philosophy that everyone is unique and has their own personal path to wellbeing, which allows her to provide a truly personalized wellness program to each person she works with, considering their biological individuality and personality, as well as their personal goals and dreams.
Get to know
Jessica!
What is
Nutritional Therapy?
Nutritional Therapy is an integrative and holistic approach to nutrition that operates under the philosophy that each and every person is a biologically unique individual and that optimal health and balance within the body can be achieved by addressing each person’s individual needs. According to the Nutritional Therapy Association, ” …the myriad of health problems plaguing modern society result from weaknesses in the body’s physiological foundations brought on by poor nutrition.” Within the body, there is an underlying innate intelligence, that when “asked” the right questions, can provide insight and answers into what the body needs to be able to heal itself. As a nutritional therapy practitioner, the assessment techniques that Jessica uses when working with clients provides her with the tools she needs to ask the right questions, see beyond the symptoms, and to get to the root of the problem. Using the unique information that she gathers from each person about any nutritional deficiencies they may have or systems that are performing less than optimally, she then develops a nutritional program that is tailored to each individual’s biological needs as well as their own personal health goals. When balance and harmony is restored within the body, it has the ability to obtain what it needs to achieve and maintain optimal health simply by using food in its pure, natural state. Because every person is a bioindividual, nutritional therapy can be beneficial to all women, of all ages, and regardless of their issues or their ideals for optimal health, including:
Fatigue
Weight Loss & Weight Gain
Fertility
Healthy Pregnancy
Postpartum Recovery
PMS
Menopausal Symptoms
Hormone Imbalances
Mood & Behavioral Issues
Skin Issues
Cravings
Digestive Discomfort & Dysfunction
Click the photos to learn about my daily must-haves.
My essentials
I start my day with a glass of warm water to help my digestive system get fired up, as well as hydrate the cells in my body after a long night's sleep. I then, no matter what, eat a protein packed breakfast, such as eggs cooked any way, or, a smoothie with protein and collagen. Starting my day with super foods helps ensure a lasting GLOW!
Breakfast
Even if it is just a round or two of cat cow, or some gentle spinal twists, some sort of yoga & stretching is a daily must for me! The benefits of yoga go far beyond the physical, but I truly do feel like this daily practices helps ignite my GLOW!
Yoga
I spend 4 minutes a day visualizing my dreams and 15 to 20 in meditation. No matter what time of day I do it, I always feel present and re-energized afterward (almost like taking a power nap!) This daily practice also helps me proactively combat stress & anxiety, and ensures that neither of these things can dim my GlOW.
Meditation & Visualization
Spending a few moments at the start of each day writing down what I am grateful for sets me up to have a positive mindset for the rest of the day and helps me stay present in each moment. This, along with visualization and meditation, help mitigate the effects of stress & anxiety and ensure that I continue to look and feel my best!
Gratitude Journal
My morning coffee has turned into a legit ritual since I got my Chemex. The slow, pour-over method not only produces AMAZINGLY delicious coffee, but also helps me not feel so rushed and chaotic in the morning. My daily coffee ritual reminds me to enjoy the little things. Tip: I also add a scoop or two of grass-fed hydrolyzed collagen peptides to further boost my inner & outer GLOW!