 simple swapouts and top tips to pack in more plants simple swapouts and top tips to pack in more plants admin mon 9022024 1610 in a hurry here are a few quick tips from gino  pulse power  gino loves using lentils and dried peas just soak them in the morning and let a pressure cooker do the rest for quick delicious meals roast to perfection  forget boiling roasting veggies brings out their natural sweetness and gives you those tasty crispy bits everyone loves breakfast boost  ditch the cereal and kickstart your day with overnight oats packed with chia seeds and fresh fruit for a tasty nutritious twist wrap up lunch  swap out your usual bread for a whole grain wrap stuffed with veggies and a rainbow of dips lunchtime never looked so good  snack smart sweet treats  snack on nuts and seeds and satisfy your sweet tooth with numi carrot cake energy balls for gino s full take read on   nutrition incorporating more plantbased foods into your diet can significantly improve your health supporting gut health reducing inflammation and providing essential nutrients here at numi we recommend aiming for 30 portions of plant per week however we do recognise that making a big shift to a more plantcentric diet can seem daunting in this post gino our inhouse chef will share five simple swapouts that make adding more plants to your meals effortless alongside this he shares tips and tricks to boost your plant intake by adding flavour a huge fan of pulses gino is a huge fan of pulses particularly lentils and dried peas he always makes sure to soak them in the morning one of his favourite tools for cooking pulses is a pressure cooker which significantly speeds up the process a handy solution especially since the time it takes to cook pulses can often be a barrier to using them more frequently roasting vegetables for enhanced flavour vegetables don t just have to be boiled according to gino he loves roasting vegetables because the process caramelises them enhancing their flavour and creating those crispy bits that everyone enjoys when roasting gino doesn t bother with heating up fat in a pan instead he cuts up the vegetables tosses them in a small amount of oil in a bowl to get an even coating and then lets the oven work its magic to create those delicious tasty edges that are synonymous with roasted foods breakfast boosts gino is all about starting the day right and he recommends swapping out traditional cereals for a plantbased start to your day one of his goto options is overnight oats packed with chia seeds and topped with fresh fruits this simple swap not only adds fibre but also provides a healthy dose of omega3 fatty acids and antioxidants setting a healthy tone for the rest of the day lunchtime enhancements when it comes to lunch gino suggests replacing regular sandwich bread with a whole grain wrap fill it with plenty of vegetables and one of his favourite rainbow dips link to recipes this swap not only increases your plant intake but also provides a range of nutrients including protein and fibre making your lunchtime both delicious and nutritious dinner delights dinner is a great opportunity to introduce more plantpowered options into your meals gino loves to substitute or complement meatbased dishes with lentils whether added to a shepherd s pie or a bolognese lentils bring heartiness and richness along with extra vitamins and minerals to your standard recipes  snacking smart gino is all about snacking smart too instead of reaching for processed snacks he recommends choosing nuts and seeds almonds walnuts and pumpkin seeds are excellent choices offering healthy fats protein and a variety of micronutrients these snacks keep you full and energised between meals for a flavour boost check out gino s tips for roasting nuts  link to gino s nut tips  plant puds  for dessert gino loves transforming traditional treats into plantbased delights his carrot cake energy balls are a perfect example made with wholesome ingredients like grated carrots nuts dates and warming spices these tasty treats satisfy your sweet tooth while adding more plants to your diet whether as an afterdinner treat or a midday snack these energy balls pack in nutrients and flavour making it easy to enjoy a healthier alternative to traditional desserts how to assess vegetable freshness when gino buys vegetables he always tries to assess their freshness he knows that fresh vegetables have better texture and flavour and he s even aware of research suggesting that fresher vegetables have more beneficial microbes which can enhance our microbiome gino uses all his senses to determine the freshness of vegetables he looks at the point where the vegetable was cut from the plant as this area tends to spoil quickly he checks for vibrant even colour sniffs the vegetable to ensure it smells as it should and gives it a squeeze to see if it still feels full of water and life if possible he even tastes a little bit whether it s a leaf or a berry greengrocers are generally okay with this he finds while gino hasn t figured out how to listen to vegetables he jokes that if you start talking to them and asking how they re doing you know you re really in touch with your veg  the importance of local and seasonal produce gino also pays attention to where his vegetables were grown the closer the better he believes that eating locally grown produce naturally keeps your diet seasonal which in turn helps maintain variety he even quotes musician turned organic avocado farmer jason mraz who said rid yourself of vanity and just live with the seasons  the organic debate there s also the matter of organic produce in gino s opinion if you can afford it you should definitely prioritise organic where possible he points out that organic food is grown with far fewer pesticides and research shows that it contains more antioxidants since we eat vegetables not just for their fibre and starch but also for their micronutrients gino believes organic produce is worth the investment plus it generally tastes better according to him organic vegetables taste more like themselves if you know what he means budgetfriendly tips gino acknowledges that organic produce has a bad reputation for being expensive to save money he suggests steering clear of imported vegetables which are always pricier once again he brings it back to the importance of eating seasonally it s simple really avoiding sameness in vegetarian dishes to avoid sameness in his vegetarian dishes gino makes sure not to use the same ingredients every time it s easy he says to fall into the trap of just combining peppers courgettes aubergines red onions and mushrooms in different ways by mixing things up he keeps his meals interesting and full of variety for more on the benefits of organic vegetables gino recommends checking out this article  nclacuk  organic veg  