Buddha bowls are all the rave right now. I’m honestly obsessed with them myself. Even my seven year old son knows I love it; he calls it my “birthday food” because he knows that if it was my birthday and I had to choose what my favorite dinner meal would be for the celebration, this is what I would choose. These delicious fiber and phytonutrient packed meals are a gut doctor’s dream come true!
For those of you who may not know, a Buddha bowl (otherwise known as Buddha’s delight) is a vegetarian dish that is traditionally enjoyed by Buddhist monks. It has become quite popular these days in the Western world as well. There are now restaurants that just make these delicious meals. For those of you who think that it is not possible to get in all the vegetables you need in a day, read on…your answer awaits!
This is my gut healing Buddha bowl:
- Quinoa (I prefer white quinoa)
- Sauteed onions and bell peppers
- Sauteed shiitake mushrooms
- Broccoli (I prefer roasted with a touch of salt and olive oil but you can cook it however you want)
- Cauliflower (try roasting this and switch it up with purple or orange cauliflower once in a while to give yourself an extra boost of nutrients and phytochemicals)
- Sauteed spinach
- Roasted asparagus
- Roasted garlic clove
- Chickpeas
First, cook all of the components and find yourself a nice big bowl. Then you put the quinoa down as the base. Then you put all the other components on top. Don’t forget to cook and season with spices! Turmeric is a personal favorite. Try to take it easy on the salt but a little bit of pink Himalayan sea salt is fine by me! You can get a little fancy and season the quinoa with saffron and use some cayenne pepper if you want to spice up some of the individual vegetables. If you are trying to go the extra mile you can throw some cilantro on top!
The meal I just described is loaded with so much gut healing power. Food truly is medicine, and a Buddha bowl is my favorite medicine to prescribe!
Let me break it down a little more, just so you get an idea of how awesome this meal really is.
- Quinoa: This gluten-free grain (which my kids affectionately call “dot rice”) is a source for protein, fiber, B vitamins, and minerals.
- Onions: this common vegetable from the Allium family has a variety of different polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, depending on the type of onion you use (red onions are my personal favorite and they have at least almost two dozen different anthocyanin pigments!). This fat fighting, anti-cancer vegetable is a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Bell peppers: These are great sources of Vitamin C and B6. Did you know you can get 97% of your daily Vitamin C value just in a bell pepper?
- Shiitake mushrooms: These anti-inflammatory powerhouses are felt to help with fighting obesity, boosting the immune system, supporting heart health, and even having anti-cancer properities. They are a decent source of fiber, vitamin D, and many other vitamins and minerals.
- Broccoli: If your mom always told you to “eat your broccoli” it was for good reason! This superfood is a great source of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, iron, and potassium and it contains lutein and sulforaphane, two great anti-oxidants. It’s no surprise that this awesome vegetable has anti-cancer properties.
- Cauliflower: This cousin of broccoli is also filled with vitamin C, Vitamin K, and several B vitamins. Another great source of fiber as well!
- Spinach: This is another classic superfood that is packed with vitamins and minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, folate, and iron. You have to eat your leafy greens! This is a great way to get them in!
- Asparagus: This is one of my personal favorites. This prebiotic food is backed with fiber, protein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, Vitamin E, vitamin K, B vitamins, riboflavin, rutin, folate, iron, potassium, copper, manganese, selenium, and many more! One of the noteworthy things asparagus contains is chromium which can help with glucose metabolism.
- Garlic: this cancer fighting, heart protecting, and immune boosting food is a powerhouse in my eyes. Not only does it contain vitamins and minerals (it’s a strong source of manganese by the way), it contains anti-oxidants that can protect us from cell damage and aging! It is also a good one (as is cilantro) to support detoxification.
- Chickpeas: this is a great source of protein and fiber and it contains key nutrients like Vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, zinc, copper manganese, choline, selenium, and many more. These are one of my personal favorites!
As you can see, you sure do get a ton of nutrition in this meal. The best part is that it tastes amazing! Plus, you can change it up in so many different ways by experimenting with different spices and different vegetables. For example, instead of onions, maybe substitute cabbage one day! The number of combinations are almost seemingly endless. Just eating this one meal puts you in a great position to be in the upper echelon of vegetable eaters! If you prep your produce ahead of time this can make your life easier when it comes to making the Buddha bowl. And, you can definitely put some good use to the leftovers in the days that follow to keep that gut healing going!
For dessert, don’t forget to have some mixed berries and sprinkle some fat burning cinnamon on top and throw in a handful of walnuts! If you end the day on that note, your gut microbiome will be buzzing with joy and excitement!
