Salad, in addition to being a fresh food and full of vitamins, can be of great help to relieve inflammation, especially when its ingredients are combined well.
Long-term inflammation can be dangerous
When inflammation, an immune response is not “turned off,” so to speak, the constant production of immune cells can cause permanent damage, leading to cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s, among other health problems.
Chronic inflammation can be caused by a sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, lack of sleep, or the foods we choose to eat or not eat.
It won’t come as a surprise that sugar, refined grains, vegetable oils, dairy, red and processed meats, food additives, and alcohol are highly inflammatory foods.
Now what are the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods? As for the herbs and spices, it is undoubtedly turmeric, as well as parsley and ginger.
For fruits, try blueberries and papaya. And for vegetables, try to incorporate as much seaweed, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, and some sweet potato into your diet. Also some walnuts or almonds as a snack between meals.
Health benefits of turmeric
Among the health benefits of turmeric is that it is anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is a totally healthy response of the body to injury and infection, a way of defending ourselves by sending immune cells and essential nutrients to the areas that need those most.
Health benefits of cauliflower
Although cauliflower is not one of the most studied cruciferous vegetables from the point of view of health, there are studies that link the use of the components of cauliflower for the prevention of cancer, in particular with the following types of cancer: cancer bladder, breast, colon, prostate and ovary.
This connection between cauliflower and cancer prevention shouldn’t be surprising, as cauliflower contains a number of special nutrients that are closely related to the three body systems that prevent cancer from developing. These three systems are:
- The body’s detoxification system.
- Antioxidant.
- And the anti-inflammatory.
Anti-inflammatory salad with cauliflower and turmeric
The following anti-inflammatory salad is packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients. It is made up of a lot of vegetables like cauliflower and also spices, roasted peacefully and without much work in the oven.
Salad keeps well in the fridge, so it’s worth making double or triple servings. It is delicious, satisfying, but light and full of flavor. Perfect for the whole year.
- 1 medium head of cauliflower.
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved.
- 2 red onions cut into chunks.
- 3 bay leaves.
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric.
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder.
- 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas.
- 2-3 tablespoons raisins.
- 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley.
For 4 people
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F.
In a small bowl, mix the spices with olive oil and stir until well mixed.
Cut the cauliflower into florets – the size of a bite. Pour the spice mixture over the cauliflower and stir until the cauliflower is well coated. Gently add the tomato halves, onion slices and bay leaves. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is beginning to caramelize.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a serving plate. Add the cooked chickpeas and raisins. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to garnish. Serve hot or at room temperature.