7 Satisfying Vegan Salads

/ Amber Maron Nutrition/
7 Satisfying Vegan Salads

As spring forges ahead and the temperatures heat up here in Southern California, I find salads are the way to go for a quick and healthy meal. Eating more plants is the simplest and most effective way to improve your health. Those who eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables have lowered risk of chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and even some types of cancer. Vegetables increase your fiber intake, vitamin and mineral intake, and increase the amount of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties in your diet. You’ll increase your good gut bacteria, improve detoxification, and improve your energy levels, skin health, and immunity, among many other benefits.

The following salads are some of my favorite combinations of vegetables, plant based protein and healthy fats that will nourish you and leave you feeling satisfied.

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Reducing Chronic Inflammation for Better Health

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Inflammation has been shown to be a factor in a number of chronic illnesses, including type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and Alzheimer’s.  Researchers are still investigating the causes and processes involved, but it has become apparent that our lifestyle choices have a huge role to play in the development, management, and prevention of disease. To me, this is empowering. Our health is not singularly predetermined by genetics, as once thought, but we actually have some control over how we feel.

First, let’s take a moment to appreciate our bodies and all that they do for us. Even though things may go awry, inflammation is really the body trying to protect us. When there is a perceived threat, the immune system kicks into gear to try and localize the injury and prevent greater damage. This activation can be caused by a number of things, including pathogens, allergens, stress, injury, toxins or free radicals.

So if inflammation is meant to be helpful, then why are we interested in reducing it? The danger comes from unresolved, chronic inflammation. Our inflammatory response is mean to be acute - reacting to the threat, activating the necessary pathways, and then resolving the issue and returning to normal, or homeostasis. When the inflammation is not resolved, or the perceived threat does not go away, our body stays in this constant state of immune activation and inflammation. This may be due to an underlying medical issue such as infection or autoimmune condition, or it may be related to environmental toxins, food allergies or sensitivities, or even stress. This ongoing inflammatory response can damage tissues and contribute to many common symptoms, including eczema, fatigue, brain fog, weight gain and even mood disorders.

So what can we do? It is reassuring to know there are changes we can make and daily habits we can create that will help reduce inflammation and support the bodies’ natural healing processes.

 
Leafy green vegetables and blueberries, colorful food provides antioxidants and are are part of an anti inflammatory diet.
 

1. Take a look at your food. Everything we eat has the potential to help us or hurt us. Some foods trigger the inflammatory cascade in our body, others can help to calm and reduce inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet is a based on real, whole, unprocessed food without toxins and added chemicals. It includes lots of different plant foods, including vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices. It is low in sugar, alcohol, processed foods, refined grains, damaged fats and preserved meats.  

2. Don’t stress. When we experience stress, whether real or perceived, it has physiological effects on the brain and body, one of which can be to activate the inflammatory response.  Again, this reaction is meant to protect us. Think of fight or flight - we run from the bear that’s chasing us, and either get away or get killed. We fight the bear, and either win or get killed. In either scenario, the stressor goes away and the issue is resolved, allowing the body to return to its normal state (assuming the bear didn’t kill us).  However in modern life, this is often no longer the case. Work, relationships, constant stimulation and pressures, can keep our stress response constantly activated, and this can lead to both mental and physical stress related diseases. Daily stress reduction techniques such as conscious breath work, meditation and journaling can be hugely beneficial to our health.  

3. Move your body. It has been said that sitting is the new smoking. We spend so much time driving, at our desks, looking at our phones and not moving, and our bodies are suffering. It doesn’t mean you need to go to a crazy hard spin class or high intensity workout, especially if you’re already experiencing high levels of inflammation.  Start by just trying to move more regularly, throughout your day. Studies show that as little as 20 minutes a day can reduce inflammatory markers. Take a walk at lunch. Have a dance party while you’re making dinner. If you work at a desk, stand up and stretch every hour. Take the stairs, park farther away, go for a bike ride, and find little ways to incorporate more movement into your day. 

 

There are a number of other lifestyle factors that impact our levels of inflammation, including sleep habits, smoking, and medication. While we can’t live in a bubble and not everything is within our control, many things are, and learning how to manage our health is empowering and necessary.

 

Never Make a Boring Salad Again

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Never Make a Boring Salad Again

A bowl of veggies usually just isn't as popular as other more flavorful (but probably unhealthy) food. Most people think having a salad as a meal won't be filling enough, worry they won't feel satisfied, and they just want something heartier and more, well, interesting. If you go to a restaurant, the solution to this is to add a protein, usually meat or fish, occasionally tofu at the more vegetarian friendly places. And while that's always an option to help your salads be more filling, there's so much more we can do to actually get us excited about having all those veggies we know we should be eating!

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How to Support Your Immune System and Get Sick Less

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It happens every year. The weather gets colder. The holidays come. We spend more time going out, eating poorly, drinking alcohol, and sleeping less. Our healthy habits fall by the wayside. And then, we get sick. From a holistic health perspective, its not at all surprising. Of course if we don't rest, eat crappy, and drink a lot, we get sick. When we aren't supporting our bodies and especially our immune system, it just can't do its job effectively.

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Holiday Survival Guide

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Oh man, the holiday season is almost here!  Are you ready? Ugly sweater parties, cookies, cocktails, office parties, dinners, shopping, family parties, baking, wine, and did I mention parties? Many of us have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. It's great getting together with friends and family to celebrate, but it can also be really stressful, physically exhausting and emotionally draining. For those of us that are trying to eat healthy, it can seem almost impossible to stay on track. I hear people say things like, "Well I'm giving up now, but I'll get back on track after Christmas", or "There's too much going on, I can't commit to eating well until after the New Year".  It doesn't have to be like that - why let the holidays derail you and your health?

Here are 6 ways to stay healthy and still enjoy the Holiday Season!

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Eating for Energy

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While there are a variety of reasons and health issues underlying why we may experience low energy, there are some simple things we can all do to address the foundations of energy. Clearly, getting adequate sleep is essential, as is exercise, stress management and simply just learning to say no. These are all very important issues, and could each easily make up their own blog topic. For the sake of brevity, this post will focus on the nutritional requirements and advice for giving your body what it needs (and eliminating what it doesn’t) to run optimally and provide us with the energy we want to live life to the fullest!

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How to Eat Healthy (And Still Keep Your Family Happy)

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How to Eat Healthy (And Still Keep Your Family Happy)

Tell me if you can relate: You’re serious about being healthy, you’ve gotten rid of the processed food and stocked the fridge full of fresh produce, and you’ve just made a super nutritious meal for your family to enjoy together. Unfortunately, no one else is impressed. Your kids don’t want to eat veggies, your husband doesn’t want to try anything new, or maybe whomever you’re sharing a meal with just has really different tastes than you.

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Mindful Eating

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I think we can all agree that eating well is important to our health. Extremely important. But sometimes just as important as what you eat, is how you eat. Most of us don't put a lot of thought into it, we just get the food in our body and move on. However a lot of digestive complaints, and subsequent health issues, stem from improper digestion caused by the way we eat. 

Our bodies do a lot of work when we consume food. They release hormones, secrete enzymes, move muscles, and communicate to other cells to digest the food, assimilate nutrients, and store energy from our meal. All of this happens without any conscious participation from us. This happens thanks to the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS has three branches, enteric, sympathetic, and parasympathetic. We won't get into the enteric nervous system now, but its also really important for digestion.

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Meal Prepping - Eat Better, Save Time and Save Money

/ Amber Maron Nutrition/
Meal Prepping - Eat Better, Save Time and Save Money

While it's true that cooking can take more time and effort than eating out, the benefits of being in control of what goes in your body are really, really worth it. If you’re in the habit of eating a meal out or ordering takeout more than twice a week, I encourage you to commit to cooking more. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to take that much time. When you make your own food, you will consume less salt, less sugar, less additives, preservatives and dyes, and gain more nutrients, satisfaction, and connection to your food. You’ll most likely even save money, find more time in your day, and stay on track with your intended diet. It’s a win- win!

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Boosting Flavor and Nutrients - Health Benefits of Everyday Herbs

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Boosting Flavor and Nutrients - Health Benefits of Everyday Herbs

I was putting together some information on using herbs for a client, and thought, “Everyone should know this.” So, I decided to share it here on the blog for all to see. 

Herbs (and spices, but that's for another time) are not only a wonderful way to flavor your food, they are really nutrient dense, offering great health benefits in a relatively small package. Unless you make your own food at home, you may not be getting many herbs in your diet. Yet another reason why cooking your own food is a good idea. Whether you choose to use fresh or dried herbs depends on the recipe. Most often, the flavor and health benefits will be higher in fresh herbs, but using dried is better than none at all if that's all you have. We grow a lot of herbs at home, but I always have dried herbs on hand as well, and try to incorporate them into our food as much as possible. Just remember when using fresh herbs, they can lose some of their nutritional benefits if overcooked, so add them to a recipe toward the end and avoid a lot of heat.

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Rise and Shine - 5 Quick and Healthy Breakfasts

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Rise and Shine - 5 Quick and Healthy Breakfasts

Looking for quick and healthy breakfast ideas? I got you covered. 

I know that trying to make a quick, healthy meal in the morning and still get out the door on time can be tricky.  So I've put together my top 5 quick and healthy breakfasts for you. These are not meant to be "On-the-go" meals, as I encourage you to eat mindfully, sitting and enjoying rather than taking rushed bites in your car at red lights.  Instead, treat yourself to a few extra minutes in the morning to nourish yourself before the busy day takes over. Try it for a week and see how you feel! 

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Spring Cleaning

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Eating with the seasons is a great way to support your health. Traditionally, spring is a time to shift the diet from the warming, heavier foods of winter to lighter, more cleansing foods. This means more fruits and vegetables, and less heavy or oily foods.  According to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of maintaing a healthy body and mind, spring is a great time to cleanse, allowing the body to release some of the heaviness of winter. This doesn't have to be an extreme fast, but can be accomplished by eating simply with vegetables, grains and legumes, allowing the digestion to rest a bit. Foods with bitter or astringent properties are also recommended, such as onions, garlic and bitter greens like arugula or dandelion greens. Spicy foods like chiles, and spices like turmeric and ginger are great too, and provide a number of anti-inflammatory benefits. 

Especially in the spring, eating organic, local and seasonal food is one of the best ways to hit the reset button on your digestion and support your health. That means shopping at one of my favorite places - the farmer's market. If you visit a farmer's market at this time of year, you'll notice new produce coming into season.  Check out this great guide to the seasonal produce in Los Angeles. Asparagus, artichokes, avocados and grapefruit are some examples of what we'll be seeing now, and can help serve as inspiration for your spring meals.  

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Tacos - Not Just for Tuesdays Anymore

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Tacos - Not Just for Tuesdays Anymore

Pretty much everyone I know is on board with eating tacos on Tuesdays, or any day of the week really.  Standard restaurant tacos can be full of poor quality meat, added salt and preservatives, and often lack any real nutrients your body is craving. I encourage you to get creative, skip the greasy taco stand, and make some of your own. 

Tacos are super easy to make.  Get some tortillas (corn or flour, depending on any food sensitivities) and choose your fillings.  And leftovers make a great bowl for lunch the next day served over salad greens.  Essentially, you can pick and choose a variety of ingredients from the following categories. Here are some examples:

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