Food for Thought - Vegan Lifestyle

Benefits of Mung Beans and recipe 

​Our mental wellbeing is described as mental state - This is, how we are feeling and how well we can cope with day to day life.  Our mental health is dynamic, it changes from moment to moment, day to day, or week to week and so on and so forth. Whilst our mental health is needed to be dealt by a trained professional, there are many things you can DO to promote your mental wellbeing. We often fail to remember that food has a major role in the development of our mental wellbeing.

Google image

​According to some sources there is a link between Diet and Mental Health. As well as its impact on short and long-term,  evidence also indicate that food plays a crucial contribution role in the development, management and prevention of specific mental health problems, such as depression, schizophrenia, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and Alzheimer's disease. 

Some studies suggest that good nutrition is essential for our mental health and that a number of mental wellbeing conditions may well be influenced by dietary factors. Of course Mental wellbeing affects our physical health too.

A healthy diet can help recovery, and it should also sit alongside other treatments recommended by your doctor.​

What effect does food have on our mental health?
Food not only affects how we feel and how we behave it affects mental health directly through the nutrients that controls our hormones, and indirectly through the emotional impact of having a physical condition caused by an unhealthy diet.

These days, there is a common knowledge that food production and manufacturing techniques, coupled with changing lifestyle and the increasing access to processed foods, mean that our intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, nutritious and local produce is lower, and at the same token our intake of fat, sugar, alcohol and addictive is much higher. 
 
​What should I eat?
Eat few sugary foods and more wholegrain cereal, nuts, beans, lentils, fruits and vegetables. 

Sugary food absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. This may cause an initial 'rise' of energy that soon wears off as the body increases its insulin production, leaving you feeling low and tired. Whereas, wholegrain cereals, nuts, lentils/beans, fresh food and vegetables are absorbed sugar more slowly so your mood doesn't swing.  
 
Eating a balanced diet can prevent a feeling of bloating that usually occurs after the the intake of unhealthy food, such as pizza, burgers and chips. Bloating, pain and discomfort can make us feeling uncomfortable and often lead to low moods.

Google image

​A balanced diet can also prevent cholesterol from building up in the arteries, which can cause diabetes, hearth disease and strokes. All these conditions can completely change our lives. People with diabetes often live by a strict diet and may have to take regular insulin injection; hearth disease can require extensive surgery and a high risk of heart attack that can cause problems with speech, movement, memory, thinking and concentration. All these conditions are known to cause stress, anxiety and severe depression. Although these conditions can occur seemingly at random and are not always caused by diet. 

My favourite diet food that keeps me healthy and maintain my weight are Mung Beans. I eat Mung beans for breakfast and/or Lunch. As I grew up in Indonesia, Mung beans are commonly eaten as sprout, that you can eat them raw to add in your salad or sandwiches or, we can boil them. 

​Why you should probably be eating Mung beans? 

​Mung beans are "small, green legume in the same plant family as peas and lentils. It is high source of protein, fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients" explained Dr Axe, from Food is Medicine. Although in most part of the world, they are not as popular as other bean, like Chickpeas or Red beans, Mung bean has health benefits to offer. 

Dr Axe also reported that Mung beans benefits are pretty impressive. They are rich with potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, and vitamin B6. Most women are deficient in magnesium, and need it to control stress and repair muscles, especially if they are working out. In terms of women's health, folate and vitamin B6 are useful for PMS or during pregnancy. There is a bonus too, by the way, it's gas-free, so we don't have to worry too much about this incidentally, unlike other beans or baked beans. So feel free to sit next to me at lunch!

​Mung beans are also considered "one of the most cherished foods" in the ancient Indian practice, that's been a traditional form of medicine since roughly 1,500 B.C. The traditional way to cook mung beans is soaking them overnight and cooking with spices such as ginger, coriander or turmeric which make them more digestible. 

Mung beans have culinary uses

For a person like me who doesn't like complicated cooking but still likes food healthy and tasty, mung beans is the answer of my prayer. Mung beans are really easy to put into soups too. I like cooking them as porridge or soup that I can have for breakfast or lunch. They are high in fiber, so thick mung bean soup or porridge is not high calorie or high carb and it will keep you full for a while. You could also makes baked mung beans so you can have them as a snack . You also can sprout mung beans which you can add for stir fry or dumplings, salads or sandwiches. 

Mung beans are also considered "one of the most cherished foods" in the ancient Indian practice, that's been a traditional form of medicine since roughly 1,500 B.C. The traditional way to cook mung beans is soaking them overnight and cooking with spices such as ginger, coriander or turmeric which make them more digestible. 
 
Mung beans have culinary uses

For a person like me who doesn't like complicated cooking but still likes food healthy and tasty, mung beans is the answer of my prayer. Mung beans are really easy to put into soups too. I like cooking them as porridge or soup that I can have for breakfast or lunch. They are high in fiber, so thick mung bean soup or porridge is not high calorie or high carb and it will keep you full for a while. You could also makes baked mung beans so you can have them as a snack . You also can sprout mung beans which you can add for stir fry or dumplings, salads or sandwiches. 

Mung beans porridge is famous in Indonesia. It s called Bubur Kacang Hijau. You can try my simple mung beans recipe for delish porridge: 

Bubur Kacang Hijau 

Preparation time: 10 Minutes :

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes 
​250mg dried Mung beans
100mg palm sugar 
about 3-4cm of ginger 
5 Pandan leaves
3 tbsp white sugar
a tiny pinch of salt
2 litres of water
​400ml of coconut milk (I personally use semi skimmed milk for this, but it is up to your preference). 
 
* Soak the mung beans about 30 minutes to 1 hour, Strain and rinse. Put them in a saucepan with the water and pandas leaves. Bring to boil and simmer on medium heat until the beans are tender, about 25 minutes. Then add ginger. Stir occasionally, add the the palm sugar, white sugar and salt. Then simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until the beans are tender. Lastly. add the coconut milk and gently bring up to the boil. Turn off the heat.

​*Serve bubur kacang hijau either hot or warm. 

Mung Bean Herb Fritters:

​1 cup split Mung beans
3 big kaffir leaves chopped (about 1 tsp)
2 spring onions chopped
⅛ tsp coriander powder
½ bunch of fresh coriander, minced 
1 big onion finely chopped, 
1/2 tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp sea salt
⅛ cup almond meal (if the mixture seems a little on the wet side.)
Coconut oil
 
* Soak the beans overnight or for 5-6 hours. Strain and rinse. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients except fresh coriander and beans. Strain and rinse the beans. Pulse half of the beans into a paste then mix back with the un-blended beans. Mix the beans and the blended herbs.
Shape small balls in the palm of your hand (about one inch by one inch). Smooth a little coconut oil over parchment paper and line balls so that there is equal space between them. Bake for 15 minutes, then roll them so that the less cooked side is now facing down, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. (You can taste one to help to know how much time is needed.) When lightly toasted all over, remove and enjoy. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container out of the fridge.

Both recipes are suitable for suitable for vegans or vegetarians