Rainbow Salad

Any salad that meets the goal of eating the rainbow. Why? Because it provides fiber and a diversity of antioxidants and phytochemicals to improve health. Sounds weird, I know. But health restoration happens within our tissues and cells. The color of food matters! These nutritive and non-nutritive compounds are anti-inflammatory and stop free radical damage. Inflammation and free radicals are common with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune conditions. This Easy Rainbow Salad has the colors green, red, purple, white, and orange.

There are different variations of this salad where you can swap out jicama for cauliflower (both white). You can also add broccoli for more cruciferous vegetables. Add some shredded beets to boost nitric oxide-producing compounds. Heirloom tomatoes and avocado are an excellent combination to toss in. If you prefer a sweeter salad, you can add fresh fruit like diced apples, pears, or berries. One of my favorite things to do is add kimchi—a fermented cabbage with probiotics.

While there is protein in vegetables, you can easily add ½ to 1 cup of chickpeas, black beans, lentils, ancient grains, quinoa, or farro. Alternatively, pairing this salad with a cup of Amazing Lentil Soup or North African Chickpea Soup are also excellent options for added protein.

Diet plays a key role in a healthy gut microbiome. According to a 2018 study, American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research, Plant consumption was also associated with a reduction in certain antibiotic resistance genes. Individuals who consume more than 30 types of plants per week, compared to those who consume ten or fewer plants per week, had significantly reduced abundance of antibiotic resistance genes.