Rainbow nourish bowls are a nourishing balanced meal, that provide us with a wide range of nutrients. Here’s how to make a rainbow nourish bowl for any allergy and dietary requirement. Healthy, quick and easy lunch or dinner, made in just 20 minutes.
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What are nourish bowls?
Rainbow nourish bowls, also called Buddha bowls, power bowls or poke bowls, are composed of carbohydrates, protein, a range of different coloured vegetables and healthy fats. So they’re a balanced nourishing meal that provides your body with all the nutrients it needs.
How to make a rainbow nourish bowl
For my rainbow nourish bowl, I typically include:-
Benefits of rainbow nourish bowls
Rainbow nourish bowls are my go to for lunch and dinner most days as they’re: –
1). Simple and quick to prepare. So they’re perfect for when you’re low on time and energy. Just steam the ingredients for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender and serve in a bowl topped with your chosen dressings and herbs. You can buy the veg pre-chopped and buy pre cooked tinned fish (UK Link/US Link) to save more time and energy.
2). Can easily be adapted for all dietary and allergy requirements:-
- If vegan, avoid animal protein and use beans/legumes, nuts or seeds for protein
- If following the auto-immune protocol:-
- Avoid grains, beans/legumes, peas, nightshade vegetables (red peppers, tomatoes, eggplant/aubergine, okra etc.), nuts and seeds.
- Use starchy vegetables for carbohydrate.
- Use fish or meat for protein.
- Use avocado for healthy fat.
- For paleo and whole30:-
- Avoid grains and beans/legumes.
- Use fish or meat for protein
- Use starchy vegetables for carbohydrates.
3). Perfect meal prep. Steamed vegetables can be cooled completely and stored in air tight containers in the fridge for 2-3 days so you can cook once and have your lunch and dinners prepared for a few days.
4). Easy way of including lots of nutritious vegetables and leafy greens in your diet. This provides your body with:-
- Antioxidants, which reduce inflammation.
- Polyphenols, which support the mitochondria to increase energy, improve concentration and reduce brain fog and fatigue.
- Fibre, which feeds the good bacteria in our gut, so they’re great for improving gut health, where 80% of our immune system is located.
Benefits of eating the rainbow
Eating different coloured fruit and veg provides different nutrients and supports different functions in the body:-
- Red – heart health
- Green – bone, cardiovascular, tooth and digestive health
- Yellow/Orange – Eye, skin and immune system health
- Blue/Purple – Brain and heart health
- White/Brown – Heart and immune system health
Ingredients in this Rainbow nourish bowl
This rainbow nourish bowl includes: –
- Leafy green base – Spinach,
- Carbohydrate – Sweet potato,
- Protein – Sprouted flaxseeds (UK Link/US Link) and 1/2 tin of mackerel (UK Link/US Link) – for elimination diet and auto-immune protocol (AIP) replace flaxseeds with avocado. For vegan and vegetarian, replace mackerel with jackfruit (UK Link/US Link). Sprouting the seeds reduces the amount of antinutrients, which damage the gut, while also maximising the protein, fibre, vitamin and mineral content. Jackfruit is a meat substitute, making it suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
- Vegetables – Broccoli, cauliflower and red cabbage,
- Healthy fat – Sprouted flaxseeds (UK Link/US Link). Substitute for half an avocado for elimination diet and AIP.
- Add ins: –
- Sauerkraut (UK Link/US Link). Fermented foods contain probiotics which improves gut health. Store bought sauerkraut and kimchi is often pasteurised, which kills the good bacteria and, therefore, has minimal health benefits. Instead, Loving Foods, The Sauerkraut Company’s or Eden’s sauerkraut is unpasteurised.
- Dressings – apple cider vinegar (UK Link/US Link), lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder and fresh herbs.
- Mustard seed powder (UK Link/US Link) to be sprinkled over steamed broccoli (omit for AIP). Cooking broccoli significantly reduces the sulforaphane content, a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Sprinkling mustard seed powder over steamed broccoli almost completely restores the level of sulforaphane back to pre-cooked levels.
Rainbow nourish bowl Dietary Requirements
This recipe is free from:-
- Gluten
- Wheat
- Dairy
- Soy
- Lactose
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Grains
- Oil
- Refined sugar
It is also:-
- Vegan – use jackfruit instead of mackerel
- Vegetarian – use jackfruit instead of mackerel
- Paleo
- Whole30 friendly
- Autoimmune protocol AIP friendly if you replace flaxseeds with avocado and omit mustard seed powder
tag me in your creations on social media
I really hope you enjoy this rainbow nourish bowl. If you make one I’d love to see your creations. Tag me on social media – I’m @lbhealthandlifestyle on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & YouTube and also use the hashtag #lbhealthandlifestyle.
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Rainbow Nourish Bowl
Rainbow nourish bowl. Healthy, quick and easy meal, made in 20 minutes. Can be adapted for any dietary and allergy requirement.
Ingredients
- 80 grams (3 ounces) spinach
- 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
- 80 grams (3 ounces) broccoli, chopped
- 80 grams (3 ounces) cauliflower, chopped
- 80 grams (3 ounces) red cabbage, chopped
- 60 grams (2 ounces) sauerkraut
- ½ tin jackfruit (for AIP, replace with 1/2 tin mackerel for greater protein content)
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 2 teaspoons juice from a lemon
- 60 grams (2 ounces) kale sprouts
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of choice
- 30 grams (1 ounce) sprouted flaxseed (replace with 1/2 medium avocado for elimination diet and AIP)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons juice from a lemon
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed powder (omit for AIP)
Directions
- Step 1 In a small bowl, coat the mackerel in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs.
- Step 2 Place the spinach, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage and mackerel in a steamer and steam for 10-15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Step 3 Place the spinach across the bottom of a serving bowl and top with the sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, sauerkraut, kale sprouts and jackfruit.
- Step 4 Sprinkle the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, chopped fresh herbs and flaxseeds on top
- Step 5 Sprinkle the mustard seed powder over the broccoli
- Step 6 Serve and enjoy!
- Step 7 Above links are for UK readers. Links for US readers – mackerel, sauerkraut, kale sprouts, apple cider vinegar, sprouted flaxseeds, mustard seed powder.
