6 Reasons Why You Should Be Eating Out Of Bowls
It’s the Super Bowl all year round…
Dear Reader,
As someone who lives with Italians, this post is an act of mad bravery. I have reasonable proof to believe that they, who walk on the edge of neurosis at the thought of a non-rigorous approach to mixing ingredients as permitted by bowls, might have changed the lock on my front door by the time I get home today. I happily take this risk, however — not just because bowls happen to be one of the strongest currents in the food industry or because the following ideas will fill your kitchen with healthy and creative ideas — but because I happen to have a locksmith on speed-dial… I once bought ketchup and they were too scared to let me in….
While there are perhaps multiple reasons why this bowl-mania has been spotted by major players in the food industry since 2015 (restaurants chains, food blogs and industry experts), my money is on Instagram. How much more photogenic can they get? These bowls look like they’re going to jump off the screen and scream “shelter!” to your belly and are a perfect setting for #foodporn if you think about the mass proliferation of epic-looking bowls on platforms like Pinterest or Instagram. However, I concede that for a trend to succeed it is just not enough to be photogenic so I’ve prepared for you some of the delicious reasons why bowls are in vogue and why you should adopt them, stat.
1. Be Lazy, Be Healthy
This scammy-looking subhead is actually backed by research. Reducing the size of plates to lose weight has been long debated by food psychologists with no consensus on sight. However, a 2016 meta-analysis that pooled data from 40 other studies concluded that reducing the diameter of plates can reduce by 30% the overall amount of food you’ll want to serve yourself. Although one should try and not be too aware of it; research also concluded that it works as long as you don’t know you are trying to trick your belly. Classic.
While eating out of bowls might be somewhat pedestrian for some (etiquette is okay but convenience is so 2017) there is an irresistible laziness about bowls: you are throwing things in, gravity does the work of mixing it for you as you eat, they are the definition of sofa-compatible, are easy to hold, you don’t have to remember knifes and, for my fellow sloppy eaters, you are less likely to spill yourself while eating from a bowl. Oh right, and you can Instagram it. Boom!
2. Buddha Bowls
These bad boys are named after their resemblance to the belly of a Buddha, according to UrbanDictionary that is. Although there is no general formula, for this or any of the bowl food ideas, these Namaste bowls are generally those that you start constructing from a base of grains; the idea being that there should be macronutrients in it, all those that supply your body with energy like carbs and protein. Think lunch for those with more carbs. My favourite bases are rice and quinoa but there are other and more nutritive options like roasted chickpeas, the nutrient-rich freekeh — who loves cucumber and tomatoes — and last but not least, lentils or dahls, which are thick soups created from pulses like lentils (although I’m jumping in to reason #4).
Pssst — Login onto the Mucho app for Peanut Tofu Bowl, & Quinoa and Plum Bowl.
3. Burrito Bowls
You can deconstruct pretty much anything into a bowl, and some enlightened being realised this also applies to burritos. There is ALWAYS a good excuse to go back to guacamole and tomato salsa. Now imagine being able to mix it with virtually all the food in your plate. And there is a pretty solid veggie option too.
4. Dahls, dills and curries
These guys are the bowl-extravaganza. I recently tried out a lemon and coconut tadka dal, from top Irish blogger Niamh from EatLikeaGirl and made a bunch of people happy, including my tense Italians. This just screams comfort food and it’s kind of a soup, but not too much, you know?
Pssssst, never tried Dahl? Why don’t you give a chance to the Carrot Dahl, or the Veg & Chicken Dahl?
5. Acai Bowls
Pronounced ah-sai-ee, from the Acai berries found in the Brazil, these antioxidant rich bowls are deconstructed smoothies (bowls are just so post-modern). And as if that didn’t sound like breakfast heaven, they look like ice cream, & they’re jam packed full of anti-oxidants. Guilt-free ice cream from breakfast? Um, yes please!
6. Poke Bowls
Last but never least, this is not another Pokémon trend, mercy be upon human kind, but a traditional and simple Hawaiian dish. A product of the indigenous native Hawaiian culture, it’s essentially made of well-seasoned (super fresh) raw cubes of fish. It’s a version of deconstructed sushi, as it can be served over rice and seasoned with soy-sauce. It’s seriously taking the world by storm right now. People just can’t get enough of the poke and neither will you.
Happy bowling everyone!
