Winter Anti-Inflammatory Salad

 

Seasonal and fibre rich with lots of colour

Fresh, filling and delicious

A salad might not be typical winter food, but this one is filling and delicious, showcasing some of the season's best flavours. One of the most important medical discoveries in the last few years has been that the immune system and its inflammatory processes are involved in a wide variety of mental and physical health problems, driving an unwanted epidemic of inflammatory disease

An anti-inflammatory approach is a holistic approach. But a good place to start is with our diet. Nurturing our bodies with anti-inflammatory foods can take our health to the next level. One of the biggest misconceptions is that an anti-inflammatory diet is an exclusion diet. But it is actually very inclusive. This recipe showcases this with key anti-inflammatory nutrient groups: fibre, phytonutrients, sulphur-rich veggies and healthy fats.

The Ingredients

  • 1/2 Butternut squash

  • Olive oil

  • 100g organic quinoa

  • Generous handful of kale

  • 1 can of chickpeas

  • 300ml of stock (or water)

  • 1/2 bell pepper, chopped

  • Generous bunch of parsley

  • 1 tsp dried cumin

  • 1 tsp dried turmeric

  • Black seed oil

  • Salt and pepper to season

  • Pumpkin seeds to finish


The Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200oC. Chop the butternut squash (I keep skin on for more fibre), coat with olive oil and turmeric and roast in the oven until softened.

  2. Rinse the quinoa and cook in stock on medium heat until absorbed.

  3. Rub kale leaves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, roast in oven or air fryer for 5 mins until softened and slightly crisp. 

  4. Rinse the chickpeas and coat with olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper, spread evenly on a baking tray or place into an airfryer and roast until crunchy

  5. To assemble the salad, chop the bell pepper and add to a wide bowl with the quinoa, butternut squash, a large spoon on chickpeas and the kale.

  6. Assemble the dressing by combining spinach, parsley, black seed oil, salt and pepper, lime juice and kefir in a blender.

  7. Drizzle dressing over the dish and serve with pumpkin seeds to finish.

The Science

An anti-inflammatory diet pattern is exactly that - a PATTERN. Rather than focussing on specific superfoods, the research is revealing that our overall dietary pattern is a better metric of the healthfulness of our diets. The Mediterranean Diet is perhaps the most well-studied of all the anti-inflammatory diet patterns however it is not the only one. An anti-inflammatory diet pattern favours fresh produce, foods containing healthy fats like omega-3, fibre-rich foods like whole grains, beans, pulses, lean protein, and phytonutrients from a diversity of colours, herbs and spices. It discourages or limits the consumption of ultra-processed foods.

There is a host of data supporting the health benefits of antiinflammatory diet patterns. Most recently, a study shows that adherence to an antiinflammatory diet pattern for 6 months can improve unwanted inflammation in a western population. Find out more on the science of anti-inflammatory dietary patterns for your immune health in my books: Immunity the science of staying well and Your blueprint for strong immunity.