Ever since you were a child, you must have heard your parents and teachers often emphasizing the importance of having fresh vegetables and fruits. This is to make the little ones understand how imperative it is to consume wholesome plant-based bounty regularly.
If you are thinking about methods on how to trick your fussy kid into eating green veggies and seasonal fruits, you've got to be quite innovative.
Well, today, thanks to the many creative inspirations in the art of cooking, an otherwise bland and boring veg salad can be made rather tempting, for children as well as adults.
And in case you’re wondering how, look no further! We bring you two perfect mouth-watering recipes of veggie salads, with a multitude of salubrious constituents, that will immensely bolster overall health.
Additionally, it takes just 15 minutes to prepare and hey presto – complete nutrition is served on a platter, that will guarantee the good health of you and your family.
Ensure The Physical Fitness As Well As The Mental Alertness Of Yourself And Your Loved Ones! Buy Our Best-Selling Health Supplements Today!
Nutty Vegan Salad
Apart from being fresh and nourishing, this recipe is also dairy-free, making it perfect for the lactose intolerant and vegans alike. What’s more, the crispy texture of the nuts will make this healthy salad quite appetizing, even for kids.
Ingredients:
2 carrots
2 medium cucumbers
1 large tomato
3 spring onions
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
3 cashew nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
5 - 7 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tsp elaichi powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper, as required
Method:
Wash the vegetables in lukewarm water, remove the peel, cut them neatly into any shape and size of your choice and transfer into a bowl.
In a pan, dry roast the seeds and nuts on medium flame, until they turn a golden-brown colour and set them aside.
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, elaichi powder, salt and pepper in a vessel. Then add it to the cut vegetables and blend it in using a ladle.
Garnish with the dry roasted nuts and seeds and serve this crunchy nutty vegan salad as a starter course for lunch or dinner.
Nutrition:
Carrots abound in vitamin A for enhanced eyesight, while cucumbers possess high water content for optimal hydration of the body. Being rich in vitamin C, tomatoes maintain immunity and spring onions strengthen bones, thanks to their elevated calcium levels. Seeds and nuts have considerable volumes of proteins, for robust muscles. Olive oil augments heart wellness, owing to beneficial omega fatty acids and elaichi powder rectifies anaemia, due to its significant iron reserves. Also Read: Elaichi: Marvellous Health Benefits Of This Aromatic Spice
Protein Power Salad
There’s a reason Popeye – many a 90’s kids’ favourite cartoon character, got his energy boost from spinach – it is simply the best source of myriad essential nutrients. Combine some wholesome sprouts and voila – you have an organic meal with the power of protein!
Ingredients:
2 cups moong beans, sprouted
1 cup spinach leaves, finely cut
1 small onion, chopped
1 tomato, sliced
½ tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp lemon juice
Black salt, as needed
A sprig of coriander leaves
Method:
Pour the sprouted moong beans into a large bowl.
Add the cut spinach leaves, tomatoes and onions, along with red chilli powder and mix well.
Season this mixture with black salt, lemon juice, until the flavours are completely absorbed.
Sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves and enjoy the nutritious protein power salad as a tasty appetizer.
Nutrition:
Moong bean sprouts are a storehouse of high-quality proteins, for enhanced growth and metabolism of all tissues and organs in the body. Spinach, apart from supplying ample proteins, also comprises generous amounts of potassium, for regulating blood pressure, as well as folate, for healthy red blood cell synthesis. Lemon juice detoxifies the body, promoting digestion and coriander leaves heal liver disorders, housing profuse quantities of alkaloid and flavonoid antioxidants. Also Read: Coriander Leaves: 5 Excellent Health Benefits Of Adding These Aromatic Leaves To Your Daily Diet
Top Reasons Why Salads Are Good For Overall Well-Being:
Accelerates Weight Loss
Eating a considerable portion of fresh veggies, nuts, seeds and herbs offer useful dietary fibers for the body. These remarkably satiate appetite, control untimely cravings, preserve digestive functions and help in shedding those extra kilos.
Fortifies Muscles, Bones And Joints
Vegetables are undoubtedly one of the best ways to obtain the daily requirements of key minerals – calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese. These make the bones, joints and core muscles more tough, sturdy and resistant to wear and tear.
Augments Heart Wellness
Renowned for their intrinsic healthy fats, such as polyunsaturated lipids, as well as omega-3 and omega-6, raw vegetables keep normal heart activity and blood pressure in check. They also support and reinforce cardiac muscles, thus preventing any associated ailments.
Enriches Skin Texture
Garden-fresh, moist fruits and veggies are a treasure trove of valuable antioxidants, which hold high anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial traits. They aid in remedying acne, dark spots, scars, dryness, suntans, aside from visibly reversing the age-clock.
Uplifts Eye Functions
Loaded with vitamin A, carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, vegetable salads nurture the fitness of the eyes – one of the most important sensory structures. They provide noteworthy benefits for vision and lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration.
Averts Risk Of Cancer
Fresh vegetables, derived from stems, leaves and roots, comprise copious amounts of phytonutrients like flavonoids, tannins, organic acids. These compounds possess immense antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which lower the chances of developing chronic disorders like diabetes, heart disease, efficiently combat harmful free radicals from damaging healthy cells, tissues and prevent the occurrence of cancers.
Facilitates Smooth Digestion
The abundance of dietary fibers in fresh vegetables positively influences the gastrointestinal tract. It helps in maintaining an optimal balance of beneficial gut flora, allows unobstructed passage of food through the intestinal tubes, as well as promotes efficient dispelling of wastes, urine, stools, via the bladder and bowels. This guarantees enhanced digestion, metabolism and immunity.
Detoxifies The System
Fresh veggies are loaded with all the essential nutrients, from B, C vitamins, to key minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, besides profuse quantities of water, proteins, fibers. These are requisite for the proper operations of the liver and kidneys, which absorb these nourishing components through hepatic, renal cells, tissues and eliminate toxins, thereby avoiding their accumulation and cleansing the body.
Conclusion:
A vegetable salad is a simple dish that incredibly elevates both physical and mental health. Moreover, it can be made in a jiffy, incorporating other natural products like nuts, seeds and sprouts for added flavour and crispy texture.
So go ahead and include a veg salad as part of your daily diet and reap the wonderful incentives they confer, for total healthcare.
