Most salads suck.
I used to force down big spinach salads every day for lunch when I was interning at international magazines, and wonder why I felt bloated and tired all day.

I finally came to the realization that the body is not designed to break down 3+ cups of cold greens every day.

Your digestive system need warm foods to keep your metabolism buzzing along.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, cold foods dampen the digestive fire and slow down metabolic capabilities, while warm foods support us to utilize food efficiently for energy.

Your metabolism and brain also need food that tastes really good.

Salads do have the potential to taste great, but they often fall flat and you think you have to force them down anyway to be healthy, lose weight, or maintain weight.

When you get excited about meals and they taste really good, that actually signals your metabolism to turn up the heat, literally and figuratively. And, you won’t feel deprived and end up binging after “being good” all day.

It’s time to trade in the cold salads for steamed and/or sautéed vegetables. This will make a huge difference in your weight, energy, and mental alertness.

Are you with me?

All that said, once in a while I do love a good salad. It’s not about what you do some of the time, it’s about what you do most of the time.

If you’re eating mostly-warm foods all the time and want to enjoy a refreshing salad here and there, it’s definitely not going to hurt you. It’s just when they’re popping up in every meal and feeling like something you have to eat even if you don’t feel like it.

The trick? Make it digestible, and make it taste good.

For this kale salad, I’ve added some delicious cooked ingredients like sweet potato, and I’ve massaged the kale to start breaking down the fibers, making it much more digestible for the body.

This salad is a great winter to spring transition food as it includes some warming elements like sweet potatoes and almonds, and some great liver-cleansing elements like radishes.

Enjoy!

Do you eat salads every day? Start to notice how you feel afterwards. Are you energized? Do you feel mentally satisfied?

Share in the comments below.

Winter to Spring Massaged Kale Salad
Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 head lacinato kale
1 baked sweet potato
3 radishes
1/4 cup almonds

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Small pinch cayenne pepper
Himalayan salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub sweet potato with olive oil, salt and pepper. Make three small incisions with knife and bake for 45 minutes, or until fork tender.

Wash and pat dry kale. Remove leaves from ribs. Slice into thin ribbons. Transfer to large bowl.

Combine olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, cayenne, salt and pepper and whisk thoroughly.

Pour over kale and massage well with clean hands.

Rinse and pat dry radishes and slice into thin rounds. Add to main bowl.

Heat dry pan to medium and toast almonds. Chop roughly and add to main bowl.

Cube cooked sweet potato and add to main bowl. It’s hot, be careful. Toss all ingredients well and serve.

Photo: Jake Freeman