Blue Zone Salad

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This salad is plant-based and gluten-free. So I’ve been quite busy the past few months. Ever since things started opening up again after Covid everyone was making up for all that lost social time! It was easier for me to post during lockdown since I didn’t have many social engagements to attend. I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with everyone for a little while since it’s something I eat every week, if not almost every day. I’ve been fascinated by the communities that thrive in the Blue zone areas of the world, places where people live longer, age slower and suffer from less diseases. What a lot of them share is no processed foods and a mostly plant-based diet. They also stay active and have a healthy social life.

I love the idea of aging in a healthy way and a big part of that is what we eat. A lot of my family members suffer from dementia, diabetes, and other diseases. I see how it affects their daily life and it makes me want to prevent that in my own future. A lot of these diseases can be prevented by lifestyle and diet. I’d love to age like that juicer guy who was still running in his 80s.

What Makes This Salad Healthier

This salad is inspired by the blue-zone areas plus feeding our gut bacteria. There was a study that recommended eating 30 different fruits and vegetables a week to really improve your health because it creates a more diverse microbiome in your gut. A major part of our health is in our gut so I’ve added a nice variety of vegetables to the salad to give a lovely health boost to your day. My family thinks my salads are quite interesting because they are jam-packed with a lot of vegetables. Since eating plant-based I try to make my meals to be filling and nutrient-dense.

One easy way to add variety is to get the salad bags that have a mixture of leafy greens like a spring mix or my favorite super greens mix salad bag. This has red chard, tat soi, spinach, swiss chard, and arugula. For some crunch, I like adding some romaine lettuce and cucumbers. I recommend buying organic since leafy greens are high in pesticides.

I’ve added white button mushrooms, which are a great source of vitamin D. Onions are high in antioxidants and help fight inflammation. Broccoli sprouts have been one of my favorite additions to my salads because it’s so nutrient-dense and high in fiber and studies have shown that they prevent many forms of cancer.

To help this salad be more filling I’ve added some steamed sweet potatoes, which are a great source of vitamin A. I’ve added lentils, which are one of my favorite plant-based proteins. And avocadoes have more potassium than a banana and healthy fats and are rich in folate and fiber. Thyme is one of my favorite fresh herbs to use, it has immune-boosting benefits since its naturally anti-bacterial. I don’t use bottled salad dressing because a lot of them are full of preservatives. I’ve gotten used to just using fresh lime juice, olive oil, and some herbs as my dressing for my salads.

Disclaimer: This info is for informational purposes only and does not substitute or replace medical advice. All opinions expressed are of my own and from my personal research.

How-To Video

Let’s Make this Blue-Zone Salad

What you’ll need

• 2 cups romaine lettuce
• 2 cups spring mix salad
• 1 cup shredded broccoli slaw
• 1/2 cup cucumbers
• 1/2 cup white mushrooms
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 cup cooked sweet potato
• 1/2 cup cooked lentils
• 1/2 of a thinly sliced avocado
• 1/2 cup broccoli sprouts
• sprinkle of fresh thyme
• 1/2 of a lime juiced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt
• pepper to taste

• Clean and wash all leafy greens and vegetables.
• Cut romaine lettuce into bite-size pieces. Slice the onions, cucumbers, and mushrooms

• Add romaine lettuce and mixed leafy greens into a large bowl.
• Add the broccoli slaw and shredded carrots

• Add cucumbers, mushrooms, and onions.
• Add the cooked sweet potatoes

• Add the cooked lentils. Use half an avocado and cut it into thin slices. Add to bowl.

• Add the broccoli sprout and fresh thyme leaves.

• Add the juice of half a lime and add olive oil.

• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve and enjoy!

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