News — vegan meals

When it comes to making decisions about what’s best for your health, and for your lifestyle, it can be a little overwhelming. That’s why we created our gourmet home delivered meals, because we know (from firsthand experience!) that people are busier than ever, often juggling multiple balls at once.

Sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day to plan healthy meals, go out to buy the ingredients (and not forget anything!), then spend the time cooking and doing the dishes each night.  Perhaps you are doing all of the above, and are feeling a little rundown. Well we’re here to let you know exactly why our meals are better for you, for your health and for your lifestyle…

SUPERFOOD PACKED MEALS DESIGNED BY CHEF’S & NUTRITIONISTS

We know that food tastes better when it’s cooked from scratch, that’s why all of our dishes are cooked on site in our small kitchen in Brisbane. Our team of chef’s and nutritionists personally plan each meal (ensuring that it’s nutritionally dense and calorie controlled), shop locally for fresh quality produce, and cook each meal with extreme love, care and attention. Our nutritionist is onsite to ensure that every single meal is packed with superfood benefits, looks beautiful and tastes just as good as it looks!

OUR FOOD IS FRESHER THAN FRESH

Did you know that food starts to deteriorate right after it has been cooked? That’s why we use the benchmark method of blast-chilling and freezing which basically snap freezes the meals before they have any chance of spoilage or growth of microorganisms. Freezing also helps to maintain top nutritional quality of the food, by retaining the vitamins and minerals present in the food. In some ways, frozen food is actually nutritionally better than fresh, because fresh food loses micronutrients over time (that’s why we say fresher than fresh!).

GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY

Fact: 2.5 million tonnes of edible food is thrown out by Australian households every year (that’s 300kgs per person!).

At some point, we’ve all opened our fridge to find soggy lettuce that we just didn’t get around to using that week. If you find yourself throwing out lots of unused produce each week, we can help. Our meals are only around $13-14 each, including delivery. With this price comes lots of time saving (no long grocery shops, meal planning, cooking, cleaning up), plus no wasted ingredients and no wasted money spent on those ingredients! We full support the idea that healthy eating doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive.  

WE SUPPORT YOU

We’re here to answer any question you might have, and to support you on your health journey. Whether you want to free up time, lose weight or simply just start eating healthier, as soon as you join us you become a part of the friendly and supporting community that is Wholesomeness!

Click here to check out our nutritious, healthy, delivered meals. 

Author:

Lisa Cutforth
B.Sc Nutrition with Psychology (Dual Degree)
Consulting Clinical Nutritionist to The Banyans Wellness Retreat
Owner and Managing Director of Wholesomeness and Wholesomeness-on-Roma

The Mediterranean diet is a diet that is rich in plant foods, healthy fats and healthy proteins... it's delicious... and good for longevity and vitality...

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Vegan Diet

What does vegan mean?

A person who does not eat or use animal products is a vegan. A vegan diet is a plant based diet. It includes grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes. Vegans avoid all animal products including:

• Meat
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Fish
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Honey
• Gelatine and other animal-based food additives

What are the health benefits of a vegan diet?

A vegan diet offers an array of different health benefits. Apart from weight loss, a well balanced vegan diet has also been linked to a reduced risk of:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Certain types of cancer
• Hypertension
• Obesity
• Stroke

How can I get enough calcium if I’m not consuming dairy?

Calcium is actually abundant in many whole foods, as it is a mineral found in soil that is absorbed into the roots of plants. Calcium can be found in soybeans, tofu, broccoli, bok choy and many other plant foods, as well as nuts and seeds. Getting enough vitamin D from sun exposure is also key for calcium absorption. Many people believe they need to drink milk to get adequate calcium for bone health. In reality the process of bone formation relies on hormones and requires an adequate and constant supply of numerous nutrients including protein, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, potassium and calcium. Many of these minerals are readily available in plant based foods. For example whole grains, spinach, nuts, whole grains, beans and chocolate are rich in magnesium. Seeds, nuts, wholegrains, beans are also rich in phosphorous. Bananas, spinach, potatoes and mushrooms are rich in potassium.

Will I need to take any supplements?

It is always important to get advice from your health professional, as supplement recommendations are very individualised. It is best to supplement according to your personal needs, not everyone will need the same supplements.However, a vitamin B12 supplement is usually recommended for vegans.

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in nerve cells and DNA.   B12 is naturally found in animal products including meat, fish poultry. B12 is usually made from bacteria, in nature.  Soil contains B12, so unwashed mushrooms may provide a small amount of B12. While our own gut bacteria make B12, it is hard for us to absorb this B12 made by our own gut because, because we need intrinsic factor (in the stomach) to help us absorb it in the small intestine.  Because vegans don't eat animal products vegans and even vegetarians may need to supplement B12.

As well as B12, an omega 3 supplement may also be recommended sometimes as well as vitamin D, depending on the intake of these in the diet.  Omega 3 is present in flax seed oil but not in the most useful form for the body, and we do get vitamin D from the sun, but your absorption will depend on exposure to sunlight and other factors.  Sometimes it is also recommended vegans take iron or other mineral supplements like calcium and magnesium. 

A simple blood test by your GP will determine your need to supplement or not.

Quick facts:

• Vegans avoid honey because it is produced by bees. Vegans use other sweeteners instead: such as maple syrup or agave nectar or sugar.
• In 2018, ‘vegan’ was the most googled dietary term in Australia.
• Adopting a vegan diet could cut your carbon footprint in half.
• People choose a vegan diet typically for environmental, health or political reasons or a combination of these.

Wholesomeness does a vegan range of meals and meal plans delivered (or pick up by arrangement).