Be Super With Rootastes
Super food is the latest buzzword in healthy eating. We’ve seen it in the news, on billboards, and plastered on packaging.
Our co-founder, Mint Pattanan, recently read Super Foods Everyday by Sue Quinn, which points out a scientific definition of what super foods are:
“[Super foods] contain exceptionally high levels of vitamins, phytochemicals, and other nutrients that are strongly associated with good health and reduced risk of chronic disease.”
Nutrients Quinn looks for when considering a food super include antioxidants, flavonoids, phytochemicals, vitamins, and more. The foods that make the cut are kale, spinach, turnips, raspberries, grapefruit, carrots, salmon, and seaweed, among others.
Mint was delighted to find that Rootastes’ summer menu is loaded with super foods, especially our Heart of The Roots sides. As Quinn points out, “Just because sides are the supporting role in a meal doesn’t mean they can’t be packed with nutrients.” This is certainly true of our sides, including:
Cauli Coli
Our Cauli Coli is, of course, roasted cauliflower and broccoli served with feta and dried tomatoes. Cauliflower makes the super foods list for its high content in Vitamin C, K, and folate, nutrients that protect against heart disease as well as cancer. Not only that, cauliflower is an anti-inflammatory and supports digestive health.
Broccoli also makes the grade with its high Vitamin A content, which supports eye health. Even tomatoes hit the list with high Vitamin C, B’s, flavonoids, and carotenoids, known to support bone health and good for lowering cholesterol.
Sesame Spinach
Spinach is the rock star of this dish, but it’s also a super hero in disguise. According to Quinn, spinach’s vitamins A, K, and C as well as folate protect against cancer, support bone health, and act as an anti-inflammatory.
Rootastes Refreshing Salad
Our favorite salad is the superest of all, containing kale, tomatoes, and red peppers- all of which land on the super foods list- as well as the nutrient dense and satisfying quinoa.
With this dish, you’ll be loading up on Vitamins K, A, C, and B6, manganese, glucosinolates, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Along with the health benefits listed above, our Rootastes Refreshing Salad can also regulate blood sugar.
Though our Heart of The Roots are considered sides, they are super and mighty. All of our lunches come with your choice of side, which changes seasonally with the local harvest.
Check out what’s coming up for summer here.
Meet Rootasters:
Meg is a dreamer, entrepreneur, and homesteader based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She loves her cats, feasting, and road trips in her green VW Bug.