I admit; I’m a sucker for a beautiful salad with all the colors of the rainbow. Did you know that digestion actually begins before you even start chewing on your food? True story.
“The cephalic phase of digestion is the gastric secretion that occurs even before food enters the oral cavity. It results from the visual, olfactory, and auditory inputs to the brain induce anticipatory responses to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for the meal. The more intense is the stimulation.” -Which essentially translates to: We eat with our eyes first!
Now I may be going out on a limb but I’d even go as far as to say that making your food look beautiful may stimulate digestion in the cephalic phase even further. So go ahead, make your food look pretty 😉
(1 serving)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Cups of greens of your choice, chopped (organic spinach, mixed greens, swiss chard or arugula are all good choices)
- 1 Cup of finely shredded purple cabbage
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
- ½ a red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
- ½ a yellow bell pepper
- 2 green onions, chopped
- A handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (use fresh basil, dill or mint if you are a cilantro hater)
- ¼ Cup of raw almonds or cashews, chopped and dry roasted in a pan on medium heat
- ½ avocado, sliced
- Lemon-Tahini dressing
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place greens, cabbage, carrots and bell pepper into a salad bowl and toss to mix veggies together.
- Place salad mix on a plate and top with green onions, fresh cilantro, toasted almonds and sliced avocado. Drizzle generously with Sarah’s favourite dressing, also known as Lemon-Tahini Dressing. Click here for recipe.
