In today’s video, I’m answering a question that quite a few of you have asked: what’s the healthiest grain? There is of course no single straightforward answer to that, but I used my scientific expertise from getting my PhD and publishing studies to create a metric that scores grains in terms of how much they help fill in vegans’ micronutrient categories that tend to be lowest (especially wfpb vegans). See the details in the video!
Table: the percent daily value provided by each grain in each category in 200 calories (for average height 5’6″ woman), and my score for each grain. Note that it’s all relative, so it doesn’t matter how tall you are or how much you eat, or anything like that! For the nutrients, the winner in each category is bolded.
Confession time: I’ve never been a fan of veggie burgers. Especially grain or bean-based burgers.
When I first went vegetarian 15 years ago, vegetarian burgers weren’t anything like they are today. Having to eat them at every school function or barbecue got a bit tiring, and I never found a very satisfying recipe for veggie burgers. Then the Beyond and Impossible burgers came on the scene, and since then I’ve pretty much just eaten those whenever I have a burger craving.
But, I love to eat whole food plant based (aka unprocessed food) most of the time. So I decided to try coming up with my own recipe that would be good and unique enough that it could have its own role at the table, besides just trying to replace a burger.
I went with a Caribbean vibe, and was inspired by empanadas since black bean & plantain are a match made in heaven when used in empanadas… so why not burgers? I also made an avocado lime spread for it, and the combo is so good that I actually enjoy just having the patty + spread at times, without a bun or anything.
In a food processor, add all the ingredients and process until the mixture still has some small pieces remaining, but holds together well. If it is too dry to stick together easily (if youāre using more absorbent cornmeal, for instance), add a tbsp of water at a time until it sticks together.
There are a LOT of different types of nut & seed butters out there. Peanut, almond, cashew, hazelnut, walnut, sunflower seed, tahini… all with their unique uses.
First, although there’s no definitive answer to this because of how many factors are involved, I’m answering this based on a few nutrients that are particularly important for vegans (and vegetarians).
Vegan diets, for example, tend to naturally have quite a lot of B vitamins, vitamin C, copper, fiber, etc., so although articles aimed at omnivores might focus on “healthiest” in terms of those types of nutrients, I’ll be looking at nutrients that 1) are most likely to make a difference on a vegan diet, and 2) vary significantly between different nut butters:
Zinc: One of the few nutrients that vegan diets typically provide substantially less of. It’s important for immune functioning, skin health & acne prevention, and digestion, to name just a few things.
Iron: The other main nutrient that vegan diets often get less of. It’s especially important for women to get enough, to avoid anemia.
Magnesium: 50% of the US population is actually magnesium deficient1. Having low magnesium can cause anxiety, poor sleep, muscle twitches, and more.
Calcium: Although not as pressing of an issue as the media and milk industry would have you believe, low calcium intakes have been linked to osteoporosis.
Vitamin E: Especially important for your brain and nerves! Studies show that people who eat more vitamin E have less damaged white matter in their brain as they age2.
I also included omega 3, fiber, and protein in the table below in case youāre curious!
I’ve bolded the nut/seed butter that wins in each nutrient category, and below I’ll go over which I think are the overall winners.
All of these values assume that each butter is made JUST out of the nut/seed, without any added oils or anything. The amounts below are per 300 calories.
Nut/seed butter
Zinc (mg)
Iron (mg)
Calcium (mg)
Magnesium (mg)
Omega 3 (g)
Vitamin E (mg)
Protein (g)
Fiber (g)
Cashew
3
3.5
20
159
0
0.5
10
2
Hazelnut
1.2
2.2
55
78
0
7.2
7
4.5
Sunflower
2.6
2.7
40
167
0
18
11
4.5
Tahini
2.3
4.5
215
48
0.2
0
8.5
4.7
Walnut
1.5
1.3
45
73
4.2
0.3
7
3
Almond
1.6
1.7
170
136
0
12
10
5
Peanut
1.4
0.8
30
91
0
2.5
12.5
4.3
Per 300 calories; values are from the Cronometer.com database
Based on being consistently high across multiple of these nutrients, the winners are…
Tahini and Sunflower Seed Butter
And the runner ups are cashew butter (also high in a lot of things) and walnut butter (for the omega 3).
For a breakdown of how each one stacks up versus the others:
Cashew butter: High in zinc, iron, magnesium, and protein
Hazelnut: High in vitamin E and fiber
Sunflower seed: Very high in vitamin E, high in zinc, iron, magnesium, protein, and fiber
Tahini: Very high in iron and calcium, high in zinc and fiber
Walnut: Very high in omega 3; in fact it’s the only one that has a substantial amount
Almond: High in calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, protein and fiber
Peanut: High in magnesium and protein
If you already know you’re missing a certain nutrient (like iron for example) based on blood tests or diet tracking, then the healthiest nut butter for you is the one that fills in that need the most! And of course, the best nut butter is the one you enjoy the most, since they’re ALL a healthy part of any diet.
Are there any other nut/seed butters you’re curious about?
Today I have a video for you answering a question that a lot of you have asked: do nuts cause weight gain?
They don’t quite fit into a high carb low fat diet (which is known to be a great way to lose weight), but they’re also an unprocessed, very nutritious food. So are they good for weight loss too?
Today Iām teaming up with Goode Foods to bring you a recipe that’ll help keep you warm in the cold weather: chili!
Iāve been eating Thanksgiving leftovers for almost every. single. meal. since we celebrated it last weekend. I guess thatās what happens when you make 7 dishes for 4 people. š And after all that heavy comfort food, all I wanted this weekend was something veggie packed and oil freeābut still comforting. And this chili fit the bill perfectly!
I also made tofu sofritas to put a fun spin on it and up the protein factor. Itās so chewy and delicious, and a perfect contrast for the melt-in-your-mouth beans and veggies!
So, thank you Goode foods for inspiring me to make this! Iām a big fan not only because their canned beans & veggies are delicious and grown by local farmers, but they support veganismāall their products are vegan, and they team up with vegan bloggers (like me!) to get more healthy vegan recipes out there.
Chili Ingredients:
Large yellow onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic
3/4c chopped bell pepper
1 large carrot, chopped
4 large celery stalks, chopped
3 – 15oz cans of pinto and black beans (I used Goode Foods: 2 cans black, 1 can pinto–any combo works!)
Mince or press garlic (I use this garlic press) and add to a large pot over medium heat, along with the onion. Saute until the onion begins to get translucent, about 3-5 mins.
Add bell pepper, carrots, celery, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika to pot. Saute about 2 mins, or until veggies begin to get tender.
Add the beans and tomatoes to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. You want the veggies to be tender, and the beans to be very soft and start falling apart.
Stir in the lime juice, maple syrup, can of corn, and the tofu sofritas.
Enjoy on its own, or top with vegan sour cream, or cornbread muffins (stay tuned for that recipe!)
Tofu Sofritas Ingredients:
1 block super firm tofu (~400g)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp smoked paprika
Tofu Sofritas Directions:
Combine nutritional yeast, soy sauce, lime juice, syrup, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Stir until combined.
Using your fingers, crumble the tofu into a large skillet. Pour in the sauce you made in step 1, and stir until tofu is evenly coated.
Saute tofu on medium heat, stirring frequently, until it browns. (The drier it is, the chewier it’ll be in the chili!)
Remove from heat and set aside until step 4 of the chili.
Miche, Ph.D. 