I haven’t been sick with flu or cough for close to 7 months, and I plan to keep it this way as long as I possibly can.

The only time i got sick was a couple of weeks ago with food poisoning (eating food from a cafe), besides that I haven’t felt any ailments of a flu or cough for quite a while.

I don’t take supplements, no vitamin C pills either. My strong immunity is likely due to my diet, since I started having salad for brunches every other day on a weekday.

I still have not-so-healthy lunches at least once-twice a week, but make a point to maintain a salad brunch 3x a week. I eat like a normal person for dinner, with regular carbohydrate-packed, stir fried chinese dishes. On weekends, I eat like any typical Singaporean who love going out to eat.

My salad brunches have been the same the last 6 months, comprising of lettuce and rocket, cherry tomatoes and a sliced apple, topped with Japanese wafu dressing. 

My salad will be paired up with a bread bun, or 2 slices of toast if I need some carbohydrates. For those days when I go for only the salad, I will snack on processed foods like biscuits (not the whole pack! 3-4 pieces) when I get hungry at 3-4pm, other times I just go with more fruit, like a banana or another apple.

The past month, I discovered that putting together a couple of ingredients, which I found to be full of vitamins, minerals and health benefits, tossed together in a non-conventional salad can be a boost to my immunity and long term health.

Ingredients you need;

1 Orange 1 Lime (not Calamansi, but the larger ones) 

1 cup of Organic Spinach

3-4 dashes of pepper (or more, if you like your pepper)

4-8 dashes of Tumeric 

Sounds like a strange concoction of ingredients, meshed together in a salad, isn’t it?

When you see what are the benefits of these ingredients, you will understand why;

Step 1 :  Orange and Lime

Slice up the orange into bite sized pieces, quarter the lime and squeeze the lime juice over the oranges. Then let the orange and lime sit for about 3 minutes

These fruits are like natures’ medicine, full of vitamin C. Lime was the first fruit to be used in medicinal uses, it helps with weight loss, skin care, improved digestion, relief from constipation, eye care. And treatment of scurvy, piles, peptic ulcer, respiratory disorders, gout, urinary disorders etc.

While Oranges help prevent cancer, kidney diseases, lower cholesterol, boost heart health, fights against viral infections etc.  However don’t go for the easy option to buy Orange juice from the supermarkets, thinking that the benefits from the juice and the fruit will be similar.

Step 2 : Raw Organic Spinach with a couple of dashes of Tumeric and Black Pepper Spinach : Go for the Organic varieties as leafy greens like Spinach tend to have the most pesticides. Spinach is much more nutritious than lettuce, and it has Vitamin K, A, C, E, B2, B6, iron, calcium, folare,  zinc, dietary fibre. It is a heart healthy food, good for overall healthy cardiovascular system. Has magnesium to lower blood pressure, anti-inflammatory properties, and slows down the age-related decline in brain function and lutein for protection against eye disease. More here to be convinced.

Tumeric : Tumeric is an old Indian spice with a medicinal compound known as Curcumin.

Curcumin is a subtance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is linked to improved brain function and lower risk of brain diseases. It lowers risk of heart diseases and can prevent (maybe even treat) cancer and has benefits against depression.

When taken with black pepper which contains pipeline, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2000%.

However for this salad, don’t overdo on the Tumeric as it might give the salad a medicinal powdery aftertaste. Adjust accordingly to your taste buds.

Black Pepper :  Black Pepper enhances our ability to taste food. stimulating our salivary glands so we experience flavors more fully.

It is another heart-healthy food, regulates blood pressure and has cancer fighting benefits.

Step 3 : Add the Orange (with lime juice), and pour the remaining orange and lime juice mix in with the Spinach.

If you like your flavor of Tumeric and Black Pepper to be more intense, add some dashes of Tumeric and Black Pepper on the sliced oranges.  Still think that it will taste strange? You will be surprised how appetizing this salad is.

The greens pair perfectly with the burst of sweet and sour citrusy flavors. When coupled with the earthier notes of mustard and horseradish taste of Tumeric, and the heat and sharp bite of black pepper creates a salad bursting with flavor and character.

For someone who doesn’t eat salads, but love food with black pepper, K finds the taste of this salad intriguing. I can eat this salad 3x in a week, without getting sick of its taste. As each time, the taste varies with the sweetness of the orange that I select for the salad.

Besides, the concoction of orange, lime, turmeric and black pepper also makes a great alternative for a salad dressing. So consider skipping the unhealthy bottle of Thousand Island dressing when you are planning to buy salad dressing at the Supermarket.

Give the Orange Salad a try, and you will surely see the rewards on your overall immunity and long term health!

Other Food Ideas on this blog :

A Healthy Breakfast Challenge

So take that, Wild Honey

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