Learning to count fatty acids with this 1 2 3 bento ;)
Left tier
- baked chestnut mushrooms with leek, green chilli, sweet soy sauce and roasted garlic
- mini Milka chocolate
- mandarin
- cucumber slices
- tamagoyaki with nori
- fresh mint leaves
Right tier
- Jerusalem artichoke in shallot vinaigrette with caper berries on a bed of aragula and topped with roasted walnuts
- peanut sauce dip for cucumber
- a tiny bit of emping crumbs
- mini plum tomato with basil ‘pears’
On the side
- the rest of the clementine and walnuts
As a vegetarian I need to make sure my daily nutrition contains enough omega-3 because the human body can’t produce these fatty acids by itself and they’re essential for our health. Uhm.. this is true for omnivarians as well: the majority of people doesn’t get enough omega-3 as it is.
Anyway, that’s why my bentos frequently contain walnuts. 35 grams of these (= 3 tablespoons; 5-6 walnuts) should be enough. Other plant-based providers are mainly flaxseed (10-15 gram = 1 heaped tablespoon) and flaxseed oil. In lesser amounts it can be found in soy (oil), sweet chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, canola oil, wheat germs and leafy greens (especially Miner’s lettuce (winterpostelein)).
Today’s bento contains 4 walnut halves = 12 gram = 1/3 of what I need. But I also ate half a tablespoon of ground flaxseed in my yoghurt this morning. Together with the rocket lettuce in my lunch, peanut sauce, use of canola oil, light & sweet soy sauces (in the Japanese egg and baked mushrooms), and more of those marinated earth apples & walnuts with additional corn salad for dinner tonight, I bet I’m getting enough ω3 today!
Find more Wednesday bento lunches at Shannon’s What’s for Lunch Wednesday (week 25)!
9 reacties
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donderdag 18 november 2010 bij 06:21
sheri
Deliciously delightful!
donderdag 18 november 2010 bij 14:41
mangochild
I like this! Tasty, and a good reminder of getting in nutrients, particularly those healthy fats.
donderdag 18 november 2010 bij 20:54
Natakiya
Wow, I had no idea about the Omega 3 stuff. I’ve been vegetarian for many many years and never knew! I’ll have to start paying attention :) Thank you for all the information about it.
I finally got posted the gyoza recipe today for you!! I hope it’s okay, it’s not very adventurous. But it’s a good place to start from and then find your own favorite recipe :)
zaterdag 20 november 2010 bij 06:09
Tammy McLeod
That is a good looking lunch. I’ve got to figure this bento thing out.
zaterdag 20 november 2010 bij 09:06
Brussels Sprout Katharine
Bedankt, ik ben ook vegetarische and I had wondered how many walnuts would be enough for daily omega-3.
zaterdag 20 november 2010 bij 22:42
gnoegnoe
Hi all! Thanks for the sweet comments , you’ve made my day :))
@Natakiya: I had just started to google for veggie gyoza recipes so you’re just in time! ;) I won’t be eating at home for the next few days though, so it’ll have to wait a little longer.
Also, I should have made more clear in my post that omega-3 is not just a ‘problem’ for vegetarians: most ‘omnivarians’ take in too little of it too. It’s just that being a veggie you’re sure you won’t get any out of eating fish ;)
@Tammy: you should! Bentoing is so much fun and it doesn’t have to take much time, you don’t even really need any special bento gear — just a box and food! BTW: I bought some cheese today for the recipe of Swiss Cheese and Mushroom Quiche you posted :)
@ BS Katherine: I’m glad to have been of help ;) And it’s okay to comment in Dutch (Flemish ;) if you feel more comfortable with that! I saw your post about pumpkin seeds on Nov 1st; they’re good for omega-3 as well! :) I have tried to roast my own pumpkin seeds but I always get discourgaed during the washing of the seeds and then quit…
zaterdag 27 november 2010 bij 17:00
Iris
Ik dacht altijd dat Avocado’s daar ook goed voor waren.. Denk dat ik toch maar wat meer noten/zaden moet gaan eten dan!
dinsdag 30 november 2010 bij 11:10
gnoegnoe
Avocado is high on omega-9. Here’s a Dutch list.
woensdag 8 december 2010 bij 05:01
yenny
your bento looks wonderful and healthy :)