Healthy bowl: tips for setting up the dish and recipes to get inspired!

Bowls: what are they for?

Bowls, regardless of the type (salty or sweet), serve as a new alternative to consume healthy foods during the routine with greater practicality and nutritional variety.

In general, it is possible to assemble the bowl in countless ways, ranging from the simplest with 1 to 3 types of food for quick snacks, to the most complex with 5 or more ingredients that serve as complete meals.

In addition, at the end of the assembly, the person feels more willing to consume the dish, since the distribution of food and different colors make the bowl very attractive, increasing appetite.

What are the benefits of eating bowl?

Some of the benefits of consuming bowls are:

• Practicality: the bowls or cranks where food is placed offer more ease in daily life than conventional dishes, being a great option for those who have a busy routine and need more practicality.
• Variety: most healthy bowls offer a wide variety of food, as they are made up of various items such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, cereals, dairy products, creams. The assembly will depend on the personal taste and time of the meal.
• Presentation: the aesthetics of the healthy bowl is one of the biggest positive aspects of the dish, since the combination of different food groups allows a colorful and attractive look, stimulating the appetite.
• Experience: this style is associated with the specialty of gastronomy called comfort food, which means transmitting the feeling of nostalgia, happiness, pleasure and warmth during the meal. Therefore, the experience of consuming a healthy bowl is satisfactory for many people.

Tips for assembling a healthy bowl

Normally, there are no rules when it comes to setting up a healthy bowl, that is, the foods chosen depend on the nutritional needs and foods preferred by the person.

However, some tips can help to prepare the meal better and ensure that the items are suitable, for example:

Select fresh and nutritious ingredients

A healthy bowl must consist of nutritious foods and, for this, it is necessary that they are natural and as fresh as possible, since each process, even if it is a conservation process, decreases its nutritional value.

Thus, it is important to choose these foods very well, giving priority to fruits, vegetables, seeds, cereals, grains, among other ingredients that have gone through the minimum of industrial processes.

Sanitize and preserve food well

The hygiene of the foods that will compose the bowl is very important, since an item poorly sanitized and with microorganisms considered harmful to health can contaminate and compromise all those that are distributed in the dish.

Allow yourself to try new flavors

One of the biggest advantages of a healthy bowl is the richness of nutrients and flavors it can provide.

Therefore, it is possible to base yourself on a recipe, but change some ingredients to innovate in the combination of foods and try different flavors each day.

Recipes and suggestions for healthy sweet bowls

The recipes for healthy sweet bowls include, for the most part, fruits, seeds, cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, among other foods rich in carbohydrates , vitamins and minerals, being a combination that provides a lot of energy.

In addition, sweet bowls can be made with chopped fruit accompanied by a pasty cream, making the dish get the name of smoothie bowl.

Check out some recipes for healthy sweet bowls:

• Strawberry bowl: 1 strawberry box, 2 banana units, 1/4 cup (tea) of coconut milk and 2 tablespoons (dessert) of chia seeds;
• Bowl of peanut butter and bananas: 4 units of banana 1/2 cup (tea) of skimmed milk, 3 tablespoons (peanut) of peanut butter, 1 spoon of cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons (dessert) of shelled peanuts;
• Avocado bowl: 1 medium avocado, 1/2 cup of vegetable drink, 1 frozen banana, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, chopped fruit to taste and 1 cup of granola tea;
• Bowl of mango and pineapple: 1 unit of diced mango, 100g of diced pineapple, 1/4 cup (tea) of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons (dessert) of grated coconut, 2 tablespoons of granola and 2 tablespoons of almonds;
• Açaí bowl: 200g pure açaí pulp, 150g frozen banana, 100g frozen strawberry, 1/2 col coconut nectar soup, 1/4 cup melon seed milk and 1 small frozen cooked yam.

It is worth remembering that no recipe is immutable, that is, it is possible to remove, replace or decrease the amount of ingredients by others according to personal taste.

Healthy savory bowls recipes and suggestions

The savory bowls that can be served for lunch or dinner, are usually composed of foods of animal origin such as eggs, fish and meat, as well as vegetable ingredients, such as vegetables. Grains and seeds can also be included.

Unlike sweets, savory foods usually take more time to prepare, since it is necessary to season, cook, fry, roast, among other preparations, so that you can assemble the bowl.

An option of salty bowl, is the Buddha bowl which consists of choosing a base from each food group, for example:

• Cereal: curry rice, brown rice, red rice, wild rice;
• Legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, soybeans;
• Vegetables: green beans, carrots, okra, parsley potatoes, radish, cauliflower, spinach;
• Meat or fish: chicken breast, beef steak, salmon, sardines, tuna;
• Oilseeds (optional): Brazil nuts, almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, peanuts.

After choosing and preparing each item, simply distribute them in the bowl the way you prefer and delight.