If you are a hard core carnivore, or if you just want to add some plants to your diet, this should be your starting point. Baby step numero uno – eat a salad. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the choice is yours, but your goal should be to eat one large, green, raw salad daily. Make a large salad using your favorite greens as a base. I like baby spinach and romaine lettuce. I also add whatever raw vegetables/fruits I happen to have. Some of my favorites are tomato, onion and avocado. I tend to not use dressing when I use avocado in my salad- just a little sea salt and pepper, if I don’t have any avocado on hand I use a olive oil and balsamic dressing, but use whatever you like for now.
I buy triple washed organic baby spinach. It is convenient, delicious and readily available. There are many reasons that you should choose spinach for your daily salad. Spinach is high in flavanoids- a phytonutrient with anti-cancer properties. Spinach has been shown to have protection against prostate, stomach and skin cancer. The vitamin K in spinach is great for both brain function and a healthy nervous system. Spinach also contains vitamin C and E, as well as beta-carotene, manganese, zinc and selenium, which are all anti-oxidants that can prevent osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Spinach as well as most dark green leafy vegetables are a good source of iron.
Adding just one cup of organic romaine lettuce to your daily salad provides your body with 82% of the RDV of vitamin A, 60% of vitamin K, 19% of vitamin C and 16% of folic acid. All of those vitamins for only 10, yes ten, calories! Vitamin C is needed to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol which reduces risk of stroke. The high fiber content of romaine lettuce makes you feel full longer, preventing over-eating. Grab a head, wash it with cold water, chop it up and you are ready to go.
Onions may make you cry, but they really are good for you! They are high in vitamin C, and B6 as well as chromium, calcium, folic acid, D1 and K. Quercetin, a potent antioxidant flavanoid that is shown to lower cholesterol, thin blood and fight asthma is present in onion. You don’t need to eat a ton of onion to experience all the benefits. Just one medium onion (cooked or raw) daily is enough for your to reap all the rewards. Get ready to cry people!
Tomato is a fruit, it’s true, but they are a great addition to your daily salad. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that can flush free radicals out of your body and help prevent cancer cell formation. Lycopene is what gives tomatoes their rich red color, and tomatoes contain more lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable. A one cup serving of chopped tomato also provides 25 grams of vitamin C, which is an important part of the immune system. It is simple, eat a tomato, stay healthy.
I love avocados. I will just spoon some onto my salad, or make a guacamole and put a blob of that on in place of dressing. Avocados are the highest fruit source of vitamin E, which is great for overall heart health. Avocados are also helpful in aiding the absorption of certain nutrients. One study shows people eating a salad containing avocados absorbed 5x the lycopene and beta-carotene than those who ate salad without avocado. Eat up buttercup.
As you can see, adding a large raw salad to your daily routine is a great way to add vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients to your diet. The vegetables and fruits listed above are just a small sample of what you can do with your daily salad. Have fun, get creative and make your salad a daily experience!
Annie’s Famous Guacamole
1 ripe avocado mushed up
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh or dried cilantro
1 tsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
.5 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
stir and serve.
Annie Eats Apples 