[board sliding] [bowl sliding] [Quirky Music throughout video in the background] [knife chopping] [onion paper rustling] [garlic paper rustling] [chickpeas dropping] [sweet potatoes dropping] [sheet pan sliding] [paper rustling] Anti-inflammatory foods for me have been one
of the greatest measures of understanding whether I'm listening to my body. I grew up
in a Jamaican household and majority of my meals were of Caribbean cuisine. Occasionally
I would have a Happy Meal here or there but it felt like 365 days a year my lunch was
a PB and J. I liked the crunchy peanut butter back then. I also wonder if any of those peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches are still under my bed, or maybe in the ceiling tiles? Later
when I was older I started making more of my food choices and it literally was just
that. Like choosing which fast food place. I wasn't cooking or burning much of anything
back then. Other than holes in my shoes and maybe some gas if I had the money. No I didn't,
it would just go to food. Fast forward to today I'm back doing what my mom did for me when
I was younger. Eating nothing but home-cooked meals with veggies and really good spices
and they have great properties and my body feels like a tank. Not as in heavy but
as in like strong. Built to last. Is that like a car company reference? And if I happen to
decide to go with like faster, more processed items, my body just feels stuffy. And has a
lot of mucus build up and I could barely keep myself awake shortly after finishing the meal.
But it just doesn't stop there. Because I have all this mucus build up, it becomes harder
to breathe, so I'm breathing out my mouth, because I'm breathing out my mouth when I go to bed
now I have this really heavy snore. Now that I have this really heavy snore, I'm sleeping
but I'm not getting enough oxygen. Because I'm not getting enough oxygen and I'm snoring
that leads to me twisting and turning. Therefore I'm not really getting good sleep. Do you see
where I'm going with this? That Chain Reaction thing just sets off a domino imbalance in
my body and I have no idea that it's related to food. My first Association is it's probably
sinuses or allergies, then I result to taking pills. Pills for a headache, pills to clear
up the sinus, or the mucus, congestion. And the easiest way to avoid all of that and what
that might lead to as far as diseases and chronic pain and so forth is to flip a simple
switch. Eat like this often to make sure my body is at its best. Whether you're a beginner
or advanced in the kitchen, or you're fully plant-based or you're not, you won't be able
to deny this meal is not only incredibly simple but the flavors and satisfaction are just mmm.
On my website this meal is titled Easy Smoky sheet pan oven veggies. As a side note if you're
a beginner and you really want some super simple meals look for sheet pan meals. They're
incredible. Not only easy to put together but also to clean up. It's a good way to make things
in bulk and also build your confidence in the kitchen. Chickpeas are going to be the
main protein Source in this meal. For my folks that are looking to increase the profits you
could easily add in some tofu or if you're not a fan of chickpeas just swap the tofu.
I really wouldn't consider other beans unless you're planning to add them later in the cooking
process. I chose to do sweet potatoes in this dish because they are naturally sweet and
it's a good way to incorporate that subtle sugar that I really wanted to add into my
spice blend. But sugar isn't an anti-inflammatory. I really wish it was though. Although if you
decide to swap out the sweet potato for another it's still going to be a very solid dish. Keeping
in mind your potatoes in this dish you want to make sure you Cube them a half inch, this
way they cook within that 15 to 20 minute range. Also leave the skin on. It's good for
you plus it beats trying to you know. For my greens, I went with bok choy. I could see another
good option as possibly broccoli or even some asparagus. Depending the vegetable you're picking
remember to also consider the cook time. With that being said I could see some confusion
around vegetables that may cause gas and misunderstanding how they could be anti-inflammatory. I'm not
a doctor but keeping things simple, every vegetable may not agree with you. That doesn't mean that
it isn't an anti-inflammatory. One easy thing to consider is every person is different. Some
really good vegetables some folks are allergic to or may upset their stomach. I think about
like I could eat a fair amount of broccoli which has a lot of fiber and not be very gassy
at all. Yet everyone else in my household could eat a handful of florets and somehow their
flatulence is like playing a new guitar solo over Aerosmith's Dream On. Question of the
week. How do you remain vegan just starting off? How do you transform your mind to live
like this every single day? It took me five years to go vegan and when I think about it,
what keeps me grounded in veganism today is the very same thing that kept me grounded
when I started. Through all of the tough times during the transition. So really it's about
having your reason or you know your why. Why do you want to go plant-based or vegan? Or
even you know what's making you curious about it? Some of the big ones for people are Planet,
animals, health. For me it was my health. I'm a firm believer in taking care of yourself
first. If you do that then you know how to take care of everyone else. I want to be around
for my kids. I want to show them how to ride a bike. I wanna sit at my daughter's tea parties
and get my nails painted. And now that goal is still very similar today. Just it's grown
in magnitude. The whole thing, it's a journey. And like any Journey you're gonna make mistakes,
here and there. You're going to drop a few cuss words and you're gonna question yourself
like what was I thinking? I think the best thing for people are taking it slow. Start
with one meal out of the entire week and making that plant-based. Then try doing a whole day
and from there you just add on, you build, you build. Ask a lot of questions. Don't compare
yourself to others. And listen to your body. I would also say possibly connect with a community
of vegans but you got one right here. Thank you so much for watching. Until next time, Believe
in Good. Peace.
