Citrus Arugula Salad with Avocado and Pecans
Nature has it’s way of telling us what we need. Our bodies do too with certain cravings and desires. When your body is craving some chocolate, perhaps you just need magnesium. Maybe you really want some red meat, and you find out you are iron deficient. In the summer, you find yourself eating more fresh fruits and vegetables because they are plentiful. Everything happens for a reason, and this time of year, we see it yet again with citrus. The winter is citrus season, and for good reason. People generally may not get enough vitamin C because our foods lack the mineral, or they are just not getting enough of it, and it ends up effecting our overall health and wellness. When you are depleted in vitamin C, you will often notice your immunity being compromised. Add in some colder weather, lack of exercise, or not enough water, etc. and you have a great environment for diseases to spread. This will lead to developing colds and sicknesses easier, among a general lack of well-being. This time of year is nature’s way of saying, “Hey, eat some more citrus and get more vitamin C so you can boost your immunity to help prevent your body from becoming sick!” I notice myself craving citrus in the winter because my body is trying to tell me it needs that source of vitamin for overall health. Start the day with a cup of warm water and lemon, or add some grapefruit to your breakfast. Try to get it from an organic food source, as that is always the best option. If not, you can supplement, just make sure you do your research before hand. Need some other inspiration on including citrus in your diet? Try this salad that has the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, tangy and nutty. It will be just the boost you didn’t even know you needed, or maybe you did because guess what? Our bodies are amazing, intelligent organisms which tell us exactly what they need to thrive.
Enjoy!
What You’ll Need:
- Large handful organic arugula, washed
- 1 organic grapefruit, *peel and pith cut off and sliced into rounds
- 1 organic blood orange, *peel and pitch cut off and sliced into rounds
- a few thinly sliced rounds of red onion
- 1 organic avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1/4 c organic pecan halves
for the dressing:
- drizzled extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
What to Do:
- Start with arugula as the bedding either in one bowl or on several serving plates.
- Top with sliced citrus fruits, sliced red onions, sliced avocado and pecans consecutively.
- Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper.
Serves 2-3 *Refer to this video on how to easily cut off the peel and pith from the fruit. You can then decide if you want to slice into rounds or into quartered chunks like they do. I am writing “organic” not because I am being facetious but because that food will have more vitamins and minerals than non-organic. It’s always best to choose organic when possible. Refer to the dirty “dozen” list to determine what is most important to choose organic; notice a lot of them are fruits!
