Tip 1: Increase Protein

Here at the Yes Collective, our Fierce Foods strategy revolves around protein, the most important macronutrient of them all. Not only is protein necessary for building muscle and bone, and many other processes in the body, but it also regulates how much we eat.

In our One Big Idea article on the protein leverage hypothesis, we explain how diets low in protein cause people to eat more as the body searches for more protein. If we eat enough protein, we’ll feel more full and eat a healthy amount without counting calories and worrying about it.

And while many heritage recipes are light on protein and heavy on starch, we can tweak these recipes to tip the scales back in our favor by making healthy swaps that reduce carbohydrates and unnecessary fat and increase protein in a dish but don’t sacrifice those heritage flavors we crave.

Try out: Zucchini Ravioli

Tip 2: 50/50 Cauliflower Rice

Many heritage recipes from around the globe incorporate rice as a major component of the dish. The 50/50 rice/cauliflower rice approach is a great way for parents to gradually introduce more nutrients to their family’s heritage meals without sacrificing texture or flavor. With this Fierce Foods hack, you can boost fiber, vitamins, and minerals while reducing calories and blood-sugar-raising starch.

Try out: Curried Cauliflower Rice, which can be made either entirely with riced cauliflower, or with 50/50 rice-cauliflower

Tip 3: Replace starches with cauliflower florets

Cauliflower is a great stand-in for starches in many heritage recipes. By replacing starchy ingredients such as potatoes, rice, or hominy with vitamin-packed cauliflower, you can tilt the nutrient scales in your family’s favor while still honoring time-held traditions.

Try out: Posole with Cauliflower Florets

Tip 4: Frittatas made with heritage ingredients

The frittata (essentially a crustless quiche) is one of the most well-rounded, nutritionally ideal meals out there. Inherently high in protein and low in starch, this egg-based dish is a snap to pull together in minutes and can be adjusted as the base for every type of cultural flavor profile out there. If you’re looking for a creative way to showcase your family’s heritage foods, then the frittata is an easy and healthy option to try.

Try out: Greek-inspired frittata

Tip 5: Go back an extra generation (to find recipes your great-grandmother made)

Heritage foods are intrinsically nutrient-dense. When our ancestors were developing these recipes there were no grocery stores around the corner full of highly-processed, shelf-stable foods packed to the brim. Instead, they were creating these recipes by using the local, seasonal, whole-food ingredients that were available to them at the time. So, their recipes were naturally more nutritious.

Over time, however, some of these whole ingredients have been swapped out by more recent generations in favor of convenience or wrongly-perceived health benefits. By getting back to the origins of these recipes, we can “un-process” the foods we love and return to our nutritious roots.

Do you have a heritage recipe from your family that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you! And let us know if you’d like help with adjusting your recipe at all to make it more nutrient-dense without sacrificing the flavors you love. We are here for you!

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