If I had to pick a single food to eat for a month straight, sushi might be the winner. I'm pretty sure I could eat it morning, noon, and night without getting sick of it. Don't get me wrong. I love phad thai with an undying passion, and I'd probably choose it as my dying meal, but I feel like I'd get sick of fried noodles around day four. (full disclosure: I may have tested this once after making enough phad thai to feed a small army and trying to live off it for a week). Sushi, however, is so light and fresh, yet strangely filling, that I don't see myself encountering any problems. Plus, with a nice balance or veggies, natural carbs, healthy fats, and quality protein, I think I'd have most of my bases covered.
But jesting aside, sushi is one of my all time favorite foods and one of the few that I always feel good eating. Things I don't love about it though: 1) Good sushi restaurants are expensive, especially when you're me and like to try to eat your weight in it. 2) Making sushi at home, while significantly less expensive, is a massive ordeal that leaves me constantly dipping my rice-covered fingers in an increasingly gross bowl of vinegar water.
The answer to all my sushi problems: sushi bowls. All it involves is chopping up all the ingredients and haphazardly throwing them into a bowl. Just as tasty, significantly less of a pain in the arse, and easy on your wallet. Great for lazy, thrifty folks like myself.
Besides how quickly this comes together, I love what this meal does for my health:
-Contains quality protein sources: Between the salmon, egg, and avocado, this recipe contains a variety of sources of protein and all the essential amino acids that your body needs for the growth and maintenance of body tissues. Meals high in protein also helps keep me full for longer, something I greatly appreciated as someone who basically wants to eat every two hours.
-Filled with healthy fats: The avocado and smoked salmon are a great source of heart and brain healthy omega-3s. These monounsaturated fats actually help with a long list of things, including lowering your cholesterol/blood pressure, reducing inflammation in the body, and supporting circulation, memory, and blood sugar control.
-Good source of antioxidants: Carrots, for instance, are filled with the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which have shown to protect your eyes and help prevent macular degeneration and caracts. Plus your body can convert alpha- and beta-carotene into vitamin A, which supports our immune system. Red peppers are also an excellent source of vitamin A and C, and contain the carotenoid lycopene, which is associated with lowering the risk of prostate cancer.
-Plus there is nori! Seaweed contains dozens of minerals and trace minerals, like iodine, calcium, potassium, magnesium, that your body needs to carry out various critical functions. For instance, your muscles needs potassium and magnesium to contract and release properly and a lack there of can result in muscle cramps.
