Common Whole-food Staples
A food staple is a food that is eaten routinely and is considered the 'staple' of a meal, because it consists of the biggest amount of calories and volume found in the meal.
This section will talk about all the common vegan food staples, how healthy they are and how available they are (price/easiness of access to them). All of these staples can be used as the main caloric source of vegan recipes--as their plain taste combined with their cheap prices and the large array of nutrients they have makes them a good choice for the main source of calories in a diet.
| Name | Value of Nutrient Density per kcal (x/5) | Weight/100 kcal (higher means less calorie dense food) | Protein Quantity and Complexity per 100 kcal | Fiber Quantity per 100 kcal | Minerals and Vitamins Quantity per 100 kcal (x/5) | Quantity of Antioxidants/Unique Levels of Antioxidants (+-++-+++) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contents
Grains
Barley
Hulled barley is the whole foods version of barley.
Nutrition of hulled barley per 100 kcal:
- Amount of calories: 100 kcal per 29g
- 3.6g protein - decent levels of protein, complete of good levels of amino acids
- 5g fiber - good levels of fiber
- Decent levels and wide range of minerals, especially selenium and manganese
- Decent levels of B vitamins, and very good levels of lutein + zeaxanthin (powerful antioxidants)
Overall rating of nutrition density per calorie: 4/5
Corn
Oats
Rice (black)
Rice (brown)
Rice (red)
Rice (wild)
Wheat
Legumes
Black beans
Black-eyes Peas
Cannellini beans
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Nutrition of chickpeas (canned, drained, rinsed) per 100 kcal:
- Amount of calories: 100 kcal per 72g
- 5.1g protein - good levels of protein, complete of good levels of amino acids
- 5.6g fiber - good levels of fiber
- Decent levels and wide range of minerals, especially manganese
Overall rating of nutrition density per calorie: 4/5
