Winter Salads – Why they are not Ideal!

Do you like salad sandwiches because they’re easy & healthy? Do you think eating ‘rabbit food’ all year round is a good thing?

While it’s true salads / salad sandwiches etc are better than a pie & chips (most of the time!), in winter it’s important not to overdose on salads. While reducing your chances of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, the ancient science of Ayurveda, explains that too much ‘cold’, ‘dry’ (non-oily) rabbit food (especially in winter), can increase your incidence of joint pain, digestive & circulation problems, migraines /headaches, lowered immunity (more colds/flu’s) etc.

Everything in Mother Nature’s universe is about balance. So when the weather gets cold and dry (winter), naturally we crave warmer, more ‘unctuous’ (non-dry) food. This is healthy and so this is just a reminder to favour warm/hot, cooked, and nourishing meals where possible.

Now, especially at work this is not always convenient, so here is some tips to help you avoid all the ailments mentioned above & generally feel great during winter. As always, just do the best you can – don’t strain.

Tips:

1. WHEN YOU WANT/NEED TO EAT SALADS/SALAD SANDWICHES ETC:

– go for pasta or cooked/warm salads rather than cold/raw salads
– have sandwiches ‘toasted/grilled’ where possible
– have wholemeal bread not white
– have at least some of the following to balance the dryness – avocoda, mayonnaise, a little
butter (not margarine!), sauces, add juicy’ things – beetroot, pineapple etc
– have something warm & liquid with it -e.g. cup of soup – dunking the sandwich in the
soup first can be good – it’s a very classy look too!!

2. WARM COOKED MEAL OPTIONS:

– Go for these where you can get something without loads of oil, fat, commercial salt etc
– Try asian stir-fries (some are good), Indian dahls (cooked lentils) & vegies, Curries, Any
rice/pasta/noodle & vegie dishes, Baked vegetable dishes

3. BYO HOME COOKED MEAL – THERMOS FLASK LUNCH:

If you are really keen to have a warm cooked meal at lunch but can’t or don’t want to buy anything near work, another great option is making your own Thermos Flask Lunch. If you’re motivated enough to cut some vegies, wash a grain & boil some water etc in the morning, you just add them to a thermos and it ‘cooks’ while you are at work & is ready to eat at lunchtime.