From the beginning, we knew the decisions about every ingredient used in our dishes would have to hit a high bar to justify their inclusion. What factors were top of mind when making these hard decisions (other than being delicious, of course!)? First and foremost, we approached this process with wellness and a holistic mindset. As we tested out certain ingredients, cut others, and landed on our final recipes, each ingredient had to serve a purpose—from nutritional benefits to perfecting the flavor profile. Our ultimate goal was to create a collection of meals to nourish our bodies, minds, and souls.
Functional nutrition plays a significant role in wellness, as it suggests that what you eat matters—and every grain impacts how we feel fueled and satisfied. While it might sound like just another “health word,” functional nutrition is a practice, a guide, and something we strive for here at House of Kajaana.
What is Functional Nutrition?
To us, functional nutrition means more than just meeting our daily nutritional needs; it is appreciation, education, intention, and thoughtfulness about the foods we eat and the ingredients behind them. It also considers how the foods we eat impact our bodies and energy.
How is House of Kajaana Focused on Functional Nutrition?
Our meals are 100% plant-based and rich in high-quality ingredients and superfoods. When developing each meal in our First Collection, we wanted to create convenience without compromising flavor or health benefits.
Our chef-crafted recipes pull inspiration from thousands of years of Indian wisdom to join the joy of delicious flavors with nutritious ingredients for a well-balanced, plant-based experience. With your health in mind, we deliberately included functional ingredients like turmeric, ginger, extra virgin olive oil, coconut milk, coconut oil, pumpkin seeds, and earthy greens. Encouraged by the potential of healthy and delicious meals, we are always in the kitchen testing new flavors, ingredients, and combinations to share with you.
Every bite of our delicious meals is nutrient-dense with ingredients that deliver anti-inflammatory benefits, healthy fats, high fiber, and plant-forward protein—without nuts, soy, filler ingredients, preservatives, or cholesterol.
We are proud of our nutrition labels and the journey to get them where they are now. Each meal packs nine to ten grams of plant-based protein, a precise combination our teams worked tirelessly to achieve. We aren’t kidding when we say that we’ve lost sleep in search of the last gram of protein to hit our goal…and our R&D team will never forget it.
Having our minds set on creating and delivering only the best meant dedicating our time and resources to nailing perfect flavors and textures while exceeding our already ambitious nutritional goals. Why were we so determined? It’s easy—all of you, our amazing customers.
Why is Functional Nutrition Important?
Health is often synonymous with a few things: eating vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and exercising daily. While these are all a great start to building a healthy lifestyle, we think there’s a bit more to it—and that’s where the purpose of functional nutrition comes in. By nourishing our body with a well-rounded mix of healthy fats, fiber, grains, protein, vegetables, and more, we give it the tools it needs to have energy, stay strong, and even boost our mood.
Taking it further, being conscious about the ingredients and foods we eat to get these health sources is just as important. For example, making better-for-you choices in the grocery store by looking for foods with thoughtfully sourced whole ingredients and fewer additives and preservatives.
Does Functional Nutrition Mean Eating Bland Foods?
The short answer? No! The long answer? We’re all too familiar with the association between health-conscious foods and blandness. Sure, healthy foods can be this way, but they don’t have to be! We use flavorful ingredients that pack plenty of natural flavors and our favorite spices to amplify every bite of our delicious meals.
We spent hours in the kitchen ideating and testing countless sample versions and fighting for every possible gram of protein, fiber, and whole ingredients. Creating a frozen entree that stood for all the right things would be difficult. Still, we didn't anticipate how challenging creating functionally nutritious meals in the U.S. food system would really be. By adding lentils into our Malabar Curry to give it a protein boost or chickpeas and pumpkin seeds in our rice dish to drive nutritional benefits, we believe every grain counts.
Finding foods you love, ingredients that make you feel good, and spices that add flavor and functional benefits to your plate is key. Discovering what works best for you, your body, and your preferred flavor profiles may take some time, but we encourage you to stick with it. In the meantime, you can always stock your freezer with our delicious meals—they’ll be there whenever you need a quick, convenient, and functionally nutritious meal.
We are always learning from other people’s experiences and would be grateful to hear about your experiences as well!