I always relish the opportunity to work with local brands that offer products aligned with my nutrition philosophy while also offering my clients and readers insight into a option that I feel really offers value and efficiency to the culinary aspect of their lives.
Green Bowl Foods™ certainly checks those boxes.
In addition to having an incredible origin story rooted in sustainability, the fact of the matter is simply that Green Bowl Foods™ product line heavily features legumes and I perceive their offerings as making the barrier to entry for legume intake much easier for the people I work with.
And for those who love legumes, these products offer a convenient, creative and delicious way to enjoy them combined with other nourishing and enjoyable ingredients.
As someone who has long considered legumes to be the most underappreciated food family, the alignment nutritionally is a clear one for me.
In full professional transparency, today’s content is financially supported by Green Bowl Foods™ and will include an introduction and honest review of their product line including the marquee ingredients of each four of varieties they offer.
Let’s get to the good stuff!
Rich Pea – 17g Fibre, 12g Protein Per Pack
Marquee Ingredients: Chickpeas and Barley*
*Fun Fact: Barley is a source of microbiome-friendly resistant starch and cholesterol lowering soluble fibre.
Quinoa Pea – 20g Fibre, 17g Protein Per Pack
Marquee Ingredients: Chickpeas and Quinoa* – MY FAVOURITE!!
*Fun Fact: 1 cup of cooked Quinoa contains > 25% DV of magnesium – a key nutrient for metabolic health that tends to be underconsumed.
Hi Fibe- 18g Fibre, 11g Protein Per Pack
Marquee Ingredient: Red Beans*
*Fun Fact: Red beans have a very high antioxidant content.
Hi Fibe – 22g Fibre, 23g Protein Per Pack
Marquee Ingredients: Lentils and tomato paste*
Fun Facts: Tomato paste is the richest dietary source of lycopene – a unique compound found primarily in tomato and tomato products.
The Role These Products Could Play
Each of the dishes outlined above comes in around ~400 calories per package and delivering a meaningful amount of protein and fibre from the macronutrient perspective and coming in strong for key micronutrients like iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Depending on the individual and contextual factors, these meals can either stand-alone as a complete dish or be used as highly nutritious base of a meal where protein and potentially more vegetables could be added as desired.
Each variety does include some amount of vegetables like spinach, carrot and tomato which is a massive bonus.
The amount that one might consume will depend largely on their needs and what they are trying to accomplish with the meal.
How I generally use this product is by topping it with either a pan fried can of fish or 2-3 eggs in order to bring the protein content to the 30-50g range and the caloric content closer to 750 – which is around what I look for in a meal.
This will vary greatly from person to person and one package of this product, which can be prepared either via microwave or stove-top, could easily provide the base of up to four meals.
For Omnivores Just Starting To Eat Legumes
If you are one of my clients you already know I want you to eat more legumes and the delicious and easy way Green Bowl allows us to do so is what really spoke to me.
Some individuals may not be used to consuming large amounts of legumes/fibre in one sitting, in which case I recommend using half a serving at a time and envisioning it as the “healthy starch” component of a meal that you could also add a protein and vegetable to.
There are many different ways to conceptualize how this product fits into your life and I’ll be offering further thoughts in this regard as well as a product giveaway in some upcoming Instagram content – so stay tuned!
More Strengths Of This Product
When we are talking food products, obviously alignment with my nutritional principles is paramount – but efficiency and environmental considerations aren’t far behind.
Green Bowl products come in BPA free packaging and can be prepared in just one minute with a microwave.
On top of that, the organization goes above and beyond on the sustainability front and if you are an environmentally oriented consumer – you absolutely must read their origin story.
Look Out For More On Instagram
I hope you enjoyed today’s sponsored yet fully authentic review – stay tuned to my Instagram for more content on these exceptional products.
Until then,
Andy De Santis RD MPH
