Salad Days

Summer is almost here (hooray!) and is the season for eating outside and enjoying fresh berries, tender vegetables and yes, salads. Eating raw plants is so much easier during the summer months and we can enjoy food the way nature intended. Some nutrients are damaged or lost during the cooking process so eating plants raw can increase their nutritional value.

Enjoying a variety of plant foods and different coloured fruits and vegetables is an ideal way to get the best out of a plant-based diet. Different pigments contain different properties so eating a diverse range of colours will ensure you get a complete range of nutrients and antioxidants to help the body. Lycopene for example is found mostly in red plants such as tomatoes, red peppers and watermelon. Beta-carotene is found in yellow/green plants such as carrots, yellow peppers and squash, whilst many naturally, purple-coloured foods contain compounds called anthocyanins. Studies suggest eating a variety of antioxidants is associated with better health outcomes. Nutritionists often recommend up to 10 different plant foods should be consumed daily, a good way to think of it is to ‘eat a rainbow’.