Buddha Bowls: Nutrition Solution for Every Vegan

Many people already know all the numerous benefits tobecomingvegan. Please do check our Why Plant-Based? Page to learn more on the benefits of veganlifestyle and how easy it is. 

Yet oftentimes people suggest that it is may be expensive, difficult to source ingredients, laborious recipes and just lack of easy to make vegan recipes at hand. All these responses are duly notes and we have all the answers to it. You can browse our super easy vegan recipesand see that they take 15 or 20 minutes to prepare and majority of them use a handful of ingredients.

Is it easy to get vegan food balanced?

If you start digging deeper, you come across another obstacle – how to make vegan or veggie food balanced as well. Surely if you master a few favourite recipes and they be all just carbs or just protein, it would be harmful to your health long term. 

You can talk to a nutritionist or dietician just so they can help you to construct one or a few fail–safe dishes where you get all the macronutrients perfectly balanced. Yet after a week of this and that you become getting bored of the same old same old rice and tofu (as an example). 

Now we see a much bigger issue – how to make a vegan lifestyle easy, but at the same time balanced and also exciting? 

About vegan Buddha Bowls

A small history snapshot to introduce you to a concept of meals that will eliminate all these worries. Since many years or hundreds of years, Buddhist monks are given food by laypeople. Monks are walking in the village with family large bowls and people give them rice, veggies, pickles and other produce for transmitting Buddha’s teachings. Monks in that way receive a fairly random but usually very healthy and nutritious set of seasonal produce. It is something raw and sometimes cooked. They cannot refuse from taking the food, but laypeople know that Buddhists refrain from harming others and that means no killing of animals, so the produce is generally vegetarian. This is why this concept of a bowl that contains lots off veggies with a portion of grains and starches, even sometimes fruit, flavoured with herbs and dressed with aromatic oil, vinegar and soya sauce (all of the latter is optional and to the taste) is called a Buddha Bowl. 

These bowls gained a lot of popularity in the Western world because they are so opposite to what Westerns eat as their general diet. These bowls contain literally no ultra-processed foods, no refined sugars and processed white flour products. Instead, they are a combination of foods that you can call a cornerstone of preventive nutrition. You are getting good fats from oils and nuts that were not fried and oxidised, whole grains or roasted starches and high-quality plant-based protein (see our article to learn how much protein you actually need and the risk of overconsumption). This, in turn, gives you all needed micronutrients and you are feeding your gut with a healthy amount of fiber too.

Buddha Bowl contents

Every Buddha Bowl should generally contain 1/4 grains or starches, 1/2 of different veggies and 1/4 of high-quality plant protein. You top it with some sprinkle of nuts, seeds and a dressing of your choice to add healthy fats to it.

This is indeed a solution for those who would like to switch to a veggie or a vegan diet but have had concerns over nutritional contents of what they are going to be eating. It gives any new vegan or vegetarian so much needed peace of mind that they are indeed getting the most out of plant-based nutrition.

Yet of course it helps anyone who is already enjoying all the benefits of vegan foods. Buddha Bowls are a superb solution for lunches to be prepped at home and taken to work or a quick way how to get everyone excited for dinner and make it a healthy one.

Let’s illustrate with an example.

20 minutes to make a simple Buddha Bowl

We’ve used, of course, (you can use farro or similar grain), firm tofu, a few red grapes (they go so well with this type of grain), few slices of red pepper, cucumber and avocado, shredded lettuce, spinach and coriander (cilantro). We’ve added just a touch of walnuts and a simple dressing with soya sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, seasoning and a pinch of chili flakes for that extra kick.

The overall cooking time was just under 20 minutes and you do not need to do many things at the same time. Simply cook your grains (boil or use a pressure cooker) and lightly fry your tofu pieces. The rest just needs cutting and shredding a bit. 

You can also assemble this how you like it. We think you might do a better job than us, we are clearly in need to do some food arrangement classes! Simply dress it all and you are all set to enjoy a balanced and healthy meal. It will satisfy you but, at the same time, you won’t feel heavy or tired after a meal. Your body does tell you that it was a very good choice!

Please let us know your favourite combinations for Buddha Bowls you’ve made or had as a takeaway or eaten in. We will get even more ideas for you soon, so you can see how easy, versatile and tasty they are. 

Enjoy!