Making friends with salad

Salad is one of the best friends you could have in this world. I am not suggesting that you ditch all your other friends, merely expand your horizons.  Having a salad a day could in fact be one of the most significant and beneficial changes that you can make to your life.  It sounds preposterous, I know, but by enjoying a salad a day not only do you increase your daily fruit and vegetable intake, your increase your fibre which is so important for warding off many cancers, preventing constipation and lowering cholesterol.   You increase antioxidant intake, which is beneficial for everything, by protecting the body from damage from free radicals which lowers the risk of most cancers. You increase your water intake, hydration is one of the most important elements to good health and ensures the proper functioning of our bodies. You increase your enzyme intake; enzymes are found in raw foods and are destroyed by heat; enzymes serve as catalysts for virtually every function in the body...no enzymes sluggish metabolism, poor digestion.  Eating salads encourages the use of good fats, healthy fats are crucial for our good health and are found in avocado's, extra virgin olive oils and nuts; healthy fats help the body absorb protective phytochemicals.

So that's a wrap, a salad one for today, perhaps and a hope that you will do something new, try something new, try one of our salads....

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SUN DAMAGED.. Saved by the ...carrot

Not just rabbit food...Did you know that you can boost the bodies ability to heal and repair with organic foods... the magic word is 'antioxidants' and carrots contain an antioxidant called beta carotene which helps the skin retain moisture, repairs cells after damage and wait for it also increases the bodies natural sun protection factor, otherwise known as SPF.

What are you waiting for, make like a rabbit and munch...

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Eat a rainbow

It's the colour of food that makes it amazing(along with the taste). Within each color are brightly coloured, disease-fighting phytochemicals called antioxidants. Studies suggest that single plant pigments need other phytochemicals within that plant and from others to provide all their benefits. Supplements do not offer the same protective benefits as foods. So the best way to get your complete vitamin dose is to eat a rainbow, eat as many natural foods as you can on your plate. The more colours, the more amazing antioxidants we provide for our bodies.

On a basic level, it does make more sense than eating a monochrome, all white dinner for example. Each group of antioxidants are represented by different colours, lets take carotenes for example, in our food they range in colour from deep yellow to deep red. Carotene acts as our defense mechanism to resist carcinogens. Carotenoids can offset the effects of exposure to environmental toxins such as air pollution and cigarette smoke and help the body to protect the body against sun damage.

The Reds, Purples and Blues
Top choices: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, saskatoon berries, cranberries, apples, cherries, pomegranates, red grapes, beets, red cabbage, black rice.

The antioxidants in these are very potent, work as an anti-inflammatory . They rid the body of free radicals and cytokines, which have been linked with neural and cellular breakdown from aging.

Orange reds, tomatoes, papayas, pink grapefruit, watermelon, guava, red peppers

Lycopene and carotene rich foods may substantially reduce your risk of lung cancer, as well as other cancers. (Adding some oil, when serving them will make it easier for your body to absorb lycopene. )

The Greens
Top choices: spinach, cos lettuce avocados, broccoli, asparagus, watercress, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts

Green chlorophyll has disease-fighting, but it's the yellow under-pigment, lutein, in leafy greens that really benefits eye health. Eyes absorb lutein which protects them from light and free radical damage

Dark leafy vegetables, like spinach and broccoli, help build resistance to colon cancer.

So go and sing a rainbow, better yet, eat a rainbow.

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