Supercharging with Salads

If you are reading this, then you are blessed to have lived to see the spring of ’21.  The light at the end of the proverbial tunnel is on the horizon, and beautiful days are ahead!  It’s the growing season too, the best time to try new assortments of fruits and vegetables since they are least expensive during this time (or perhaps you’re growing your own). 

Salad season is also upon us.  This year while you are on the journey to find the best new foods for your bowl, there is one tried-and-true rule you might want to keep top of mind.  The old adage, “the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” is true, but not just for juice.  We should remember this instead - the darker any produce, the richer in vital nutrients the food will be.

Ditching the iceberg lettuce to add darker spinach, kale, arugula, or red romaine to your salad is an easy way to include more vitamins, minerals, and fiber into your diet. Treating your taste buds to an assortment of salad superfoods can liven up your meal while keeping you in good physical shape and avoiding sickness. Try beet and turnip greens, watercress, or Swiss chard to add a more diverse set of choices to your palate.

These darker, leafy green vegetables are supercharged with the nutrients your body needs to ward off cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other dangerous illnesses.  They are beneficial in boosting the immune system, fighting health issues caused by inflammation, supporting the body in proper digestion, increasing brain health, and reducing factors that cause premature aging.  Wow!

To truly build the best salad, start with various mixed greens, add lemon balm, mint, and other herbs for spice, then enhance the treat with dark berries.  Blueberries, elderberries, strawberries, acai, cranberry, red or purple grape are all great choices chocked full of antioxidants to boost your meal’s nutritional value.  A few slices of grapefruit will act to increase the flavor of most berries too.

Last but not least, top off your bowl with a homemade dressing.  Combine two tablespoons of avocado, grapeseed, or olive oil with one tablespoon of cider vinegar.  Add a pinch of pepper, sea salt, and other favorite seasonings to the mix. Shake these in a separate container before preparing the food. Refrigerate if desired, then shake again just before pouring on the salad. 

While you’re learning what new tastes you love the most this year, your body and your taste buds will love you right back!

Have a pleasant, safe and healthy spring of ‘21!

This article first appeared in the Traveler Weekly Newspaper April, 2021