I often talk about adding lots of colour to your meals. One of the easiest ways to do this is by having a large salad each day. Whether it’s a main meal or a side dish, add as many fresh vegetables as you can to your salads. Even pick a colour theme and treat it like your work of art! Today I chose to have a salad on the purple side…
Most people use cabbage for coleslaw but that can become an unhealthy meal quite quickly if you add commercial based mayonnaise and salad dressings to it. It’s a great choice to add to a salad, as it mixes well with the rest of the toppings and gives the salad some crunch to it!. Red cabbage is a wonderful source of vitamin C, which assists in anti-oxidation, helping to keep your skin healthy and youthful. It is also high in vitamin A, which is involved in maintaining healthy eyes. Vitamin E is also contained in red cabbage, therefore helping in immunity building, DNA repair and other metabolic processes. It is cleansing to the body and also contains calcium. Trade in your daily glass of milk for some red cabbage!
Beets were the other main ingredient in my salad. They are highly nutritious as well and are known as “cardiovascular health friendly” root vegetables. They contain unique pigments that are antioxidants and have been found to offer protection against coronary artery disease and strokes. Raw beets are an excellent source of folate but these levels can be depleted with extensive cooking. They also contain the powerful antioxidant vitamin C and the essential mineral, potassium. Potassium lowers our heart rate and regulates our metabolism by countering the harmful effects of too much sodium.
This salad is a very simple one, but here’s the recipe anyway…
Beet and Cabbage Salad
2 cups mixed greens
1 cup cabbage
1 cup chopped raw beets
Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro)
1/4 fresh squeezed lemon
Sea salt to taste
