Anti-Inflammatory Raw Veggie Salad

Looking for recipes that fill your belly, are delicious, & are anti-inflammatory & super healthy? This raw veggie salad fills the bill!

 

 

 

 

 

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Anti-Inflammatory Diet

What’s the best anti-inflammatory diet?

According to Harvard Health:

To fight inflammation, go for whole, unprocessed foods with no added sugar: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils), fish, poultry, nuts, seeds, a little bit of low-fat dairy, and olive oil. “To these, many people add herbs and spices like cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric.

Anti-Inflammatory Salad

Eating the rainbow is a good rule of thumb for anti-inflammatory foods. It’s believed that brightly colored fruits and vegetables have antioxidants that help less the effect of free radicals in the environment. These free radicals contribute to damaging our cells. 

Diet for Anti-Inflammation

Other kinds of foods that are anti-inflammatory?

• Fatty fish
• Dark chocolate
• Berries
• Pomegranate
• Walnuts and walnut oil
• Olives and olive oil
• Turmeric
• Avocado and avocado oil

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Again, according to Harvard Health:

Other food components that may help fight inflammation include:

• fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and especially legumes and whole grains such as barley, oats, and bran
• omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna), vegetable oils (flaxseed and canola), walnuts, flaxseeds, and leafy green vegetables (spinach and kale)
• polyphenols (plant chemicals) found in berries, dark chocolate, tea, apples, citrus, onions, soybeans, and coffee
• unsaturated fats found in almonds, pecans, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin and sesame seeds, and plant oils (olive, peanut, canola).

The evidence that trying to minimize inflammation through dietary changes reduces the risk of diseases “is strongest for arthritis, gastrointestinal and heart health, and possibly auto-immune diseases.” 

Vegetable Salad

There’s no better way to get color and vibrancy into your diet than with vegetables!

Try vegetables that are different and not typical. For example, in this salad, I’m using radicchio, a beautiful deep purple ‘cabbage’ like vegetable. 

WebMD considers radicchio a ‘superfood’:

Radicchio is rich in vitamin K, a good source of dietary fiber, and it contains antioxidants. These nutrients in radicchio help keep the body healthy and may help reduce the risk of health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease.

Raw Veggie Salad

Raw veggie salads are so simple to prepare. The most time-consuming part is the chopping, dicing, slicing and preparation of the veggies. That’s it. You make a large amount of it. Refrigerate. Eat daily. And, it’s going to keep fresh and crispy for about 3-5 days. That’s because you’re using the crunchiest of veggies! 

Benefits of Eating Raw Vegetable Salad

You’re going to be getting your daily dose of fiber when you’re eating raw vegetables! And, remember, that leads to more regularity! Not a bad thing. 

Raw fruits and vegetables are also an important source of gut bacteria. Cooking vegetables tends to kill off all the bacteria. 

And, by adding dark leafy greens into the salad, like microgreens, spinach, kales, chard, and other leafy green vegetables you may be boosting your metabolism because of their iron content. 

There are many other benefits of eating raw vegetables, so making one of these salads weekly and munching on it for snacks or having as a side with your entree is always a good thing! 

Anti-Inflammatory Raw Veggie Salad

Yield: Feeds 8+

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 1 cup cucumbers, diced
• 1 cup mini peppers, diced
• 1 cup sugar snap peas, cut into 2-3 pieces each
• 1 cup snow peas, cut into 2-3 pieces each
• 1 cup heirloom carrots, diced or sliced
• 1 cup microgreens, or substitute baby spinach or arugula
• 1 cup kalamata olives, drained
• 1 granny smith apple, diced
• 1/2 cup almonds, whole or sliced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup radishes, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup radicchio, packed, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles, optional
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large lemon, juice only
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. coarse black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all the vegetables, olives, and apples in a large mixing/serving bowl. Add the feta cheese (optional).
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and pepper. Drizzle on the mixture.
3. Toss and blend well. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving!

Notes

This anti-inflammatory salad will keep well refrigerated for about 3-5 days.

Don't feel compelled to use the vegetables that I've used or substitute others and/or add more! Broccoli, cauliflower, purple cabbage, bokchoy. Oh, so many possibilities!

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