The Benefits of One-Pot Meals for Ease, Nutrition, & Deliciousness
Many of us are not new to the idea of the “One-Pot Meal.” A simple search on Allrecipes.com leads you to 8,096 recipes, and Google will give you over one million results. Whether you prefer the flavors of Italian, Mexican, Russian, or Chinese foods, there is a one-pot recipe out there for you. People who like to eat meat, seafood, or are vegetarian/vegan can use this cooking method. And the one-pot strategies don’t stop at the main course—desserts work too. Many of us know that one-pot meals can be quick, easy, and delicious. But what is less talked about is that these meals can also be nutritious and extremely helpful for picky eaters.
Some parents like the one-pot method to help “hide” vegetables in sauces or simply to serve vegetables in a more palatable way by incorporating them among meats and noodles. However, this time-saving cooking method not only provides an opportunity to up-level the vegetables, but it also fortifies the less nutritious—but often more preferred—ingredients. So even if your kid will only eat the noodles, a one-pot method will ensure that those noodles provide just a little more nutrition than if you had cooked the noodles on their own. No longer do you need to use two pots for spaghetti when it’s easier, quicker, and truly more nutritious to cook your noodles right in the sauce. Add just a bit more water/liquid, cover, and stir your noodles a few times, and you can have a well-balanced meal with minimal dishes in a fraction of the time.
How can a one-pot meal be more nutritious than its conventionally-cooked counterpart? When we cook in water, nutrients from the vegetables, meat, bones, and/or connective tissues are released and leach into the water, thus making a stock or broth if simmered for long enough. When we add absorbent ingredients (say noodles or rice), the liquid and nutrients are absorbed. This not only changes the flavor and maybe even the consistency slightly, but it also means that foods which generally have less minerals and vitamins can become nutrition vehicles.
There are other health and developmental benefits to using one-pot meals, but rather than go into detail, let’s just keep it simple. One-pot meals:
Increase the opportunity to incorporate vegetables into sauces or within a dish.
Increase nutrition by fortifying the less nutrient-dense ingredients.
Increase exposure to potentially non-preferred foods, which is associated with decreased picky eating and healthier eating habits in the future.
Provide the opportunity to expose a child to a variety of food textures and consistencies which promotes oral motor skills and is associated with healthier eating habits and reduced picky eating.
So how do I incorporate one-pot meals in my house?
I make at least one meal using this method each week, but rather than follow a specific recipe, I follow my own template. In each one-pot meal, I usually include:
A protein (whether meat, seafood, beans, lentils, etc)
Plenty of vegetables
A homemade sauce (whether a quick blender-made tomato/vegetable sauce or mix some oils/acids/seasonings together)
A starch or starch-alternative (e.g., noodles, rice, cauliflower “rice”, spaghetti squash, zoodles, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc).
Resources
Appleton, K.M., Hemingway, A., Rajska, J., & Hartwell, H. (2018). REpeatd exposure and conditioning strategies for increasing vegetable liking and intake: Ssystematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 108(4), 842-856. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy143
Cooke, L. (2007). The importance of exposure for healthy eating in childhood: A review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 20(4), 294-301. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2007.00804.
Fildes, A., van Jaarsveld, C.H.M., Wardle, J, & Cooke, L. (2014). Parent-administered exposure to increase children’s vegetable acceptance: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 114(6), 881-888. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2013.07.040
McDonell, K. (Jan 17, 2017). Bone Broth: How to Make It and 6 Reasons Why You Should. Healthline. Retrieved August 21, 2020 from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bone-broth.
Young, M. (Oct 10, 2019). Nutrients in Water After Boiling Vegetables. Livestrong. Retrieved August 21, 2020 from https://www.livestrong.com/article/541047-nutrients-in-water-after-boiling-vegetables/
