What is a minimalist diet?
A minimalist diet is any way of cooking and eating food that focuses on keeping things simple. Putting the word “diet” next to anything can be risky, because it’s easy for it to become a branded diet with strict rules, books, programs, and fanatical, mostly short-term followers. For our purposes, we will call a “minimalist diet” any combination of foods, recipes, methods, and dietary choices that are in line with minimalist principles. There are a few main rules to follow as part of this approach.
Get started in minimalist cooking
1.PLAN AND PRE-COOK YOUR MEALS
Doesn’t that sound scary? Well, this can really help and save time every day!
By making a plan, you won’t buy things you don’t need and won’t have to worry about what to make for the next day.
Plan a day to plan your meals for the week and shop for the things you’ll need. Plan a day to cook them.
If you need to, you can put ready-made dishes in the fridge or freeze them.
Try this out until it becomes a habit! Set Saturday as the day you plan your meals and go shopping, and Sunday as the day you cook them.
Here are some of the foods that make up a minimalist diet:
- For a quick porridge or a rice and vegetable pan, you can use rice and cereals like quinoa or millet.
- A great snack is chickpeas that have been roasted in the oven.
- Lentils for a salad with a lot of protein or a creamy soup
- As a topping or part of muesli, seeds, kernels, nuts, and dried fruit.
- Smoothies or muesli can be made with oatmeal and plant drink.
- Smoothies can also be made with frozen bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and spinach.
- Soups and quick curries can be made with coconut milk.
- Your chosen spices to refine
- Good quality oils for frying or salad dressing
2. COOK WITH FEW INGREDIENTS
Make it easy for yourself! It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to make a beautiful, healthy, and flavorful meal.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated, as demonstrated by simple salads, oven-cooked veggies, and hearty soups.
Preparation is simplified because fewer ingredients are required. Just because a recipe is simple doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good!
There is no need to be an expert chef, all you need are a few easy and delicious dishes that you can make again and again.
A stress-free, uncomplicated, and minimalist diet can be attained by making it a daily habit to consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. MAINTAIN A MINIMALIST KITCHEN
Inspect your kitchen, cabinets, and refrigerator before you begin your minimalist shopping and preparation.
Most of the time, we have a plethora of different spices, preserves, pasta packs, and other foods in our cabinets and refrigerators.
You don’t need any extra ingredients, spices, or equipment to follow a minimalist diet.
Organize your kitchen and get rid of anything you won’t need in the future.
A minimalist kitchen with plenty of free space makes cooking faster and more enjoyable.
4. DECIDING IF A MINIMALIST DIET IS FOR YOU
When it comes to living a minimalist lifestyle, there are no rules to follow.
It’s important to let go of disappointment and frustration if you give something a shot and it fails.
There are many benefits to minimalism, but if you find yourself sad or feeling constrained when you try it, it’s not for you.
A minimalistic approach is one that is constantly iterated upon, tested, and tweaked until it becomes second nature to you.
Cutting out the things that don’t really add to your happiness is an apparent choice when your mentality is changed to favor the things that actually do.
Because if you don’t like what you’re eating, you’re most likely eating someone else’s minimalist diet.
