Beet, Carrot, & Apple Salad
Gluten-Free – Paleo – Dairy Free – Sugar Free – Egg Free – Nut Free – 21DSD – AIP
This beet, carrot and apple salad is great for digestion and tastes delicious. The salad is intended as a condiment with meals. It helps stimulate digestive juices so that you can break down and absorb your food more effectively. Beets are also known to support our body’s natural detoxification process, are full of beneficial anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are a much healthier fiber source than whole grains. The best part about this health promoting salad is that my clients report that their everyone in their family loves it. Win-win!
I adapted this recipe from one that one of my former Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA) assistant instructors (and now dear friend), Lee Petrie, gave me when one of my first practice clients was having difficulties digesting fats due to her gallbladder being removed.
When you have your gallbladder and you eat fat, during the digestive process (assuming your digestion is working properly), your gallbladder is stimulated to release bile (which is made by the liver). Bile is required to help your body break down and assimilate that fat for so many critical functions in the body. When you don’t have a gallbladder, your liver still releases the bile but not necessarily enough to properly break down your dietary fat, so extra support is recommended and in fact, I always recommend a bile salts supplement in addition to this salad. [Consult a functional or integrative health practitioner, such as a nutritional therapy practitioner for help with supplementation.]
It’s also important to note that poor quality fats, such as industrial seed oils, among other factors, can contribute to a sluggish gallbladder, which can also inhibit proper digestion and can lead to a gallbladder attack. Always check your symptoms with a doctor but some common ones I see are stomach cramps, bloating, burping, nausea and reflux after meals, headaches, and sometimes pain under the right rib and back shoulder blades.
Completely avoiding healthy fats is not the answer though. Our bodies are made up of 15% fat. Our cell membranes are made of up fatty acids. Fat is our body’s preferred energy source, including our heart and is necessary for healthy liver function, building healthy cholesterol and bile, required for the adequate use of proteins, and for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fat serves as a protective lining for the organs of our body, it slows the absorption of food for proper energy, it manages our inflammatory process AND it makes our food taste delicious and satisfying! The fact it, you need fat to burn fat!
Supporting your body to be able to digest fats properly and eating healthy fats such as those least processed (nuts, avocados, olives, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats from pastured, organically fed & humanely treated animals, sesame oil, and nut oils such as macadamia nut oil) will go a long way to supporting your overall health and vitality. Check out Diane Sanfilippo’s awesome article: Fats: Which to Eat & Which to Ditch, which includes a free 1-page downloadable pdf.
As always, I recommend that my clients be present, take time to sit, and take a few moments to have gratitude for your food. Also, slow down by putting your fork down between bites, and chew each bite at least 20 times. Most of all, think pleasant thoughts while eating!
Cheers!
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
-
1/2 cup grated beet (raw AND include the 1st inch of the stem, well chopped)
-
1/2 cup grated raw carrot
-
1/4 cup grated green (or other tart) apple (include skin) [use green apples for the 21DSD]
-
Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 1/4 cup) OR raw apple cider vinegar such as Braggs
-
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
-
Organic Gomasio (optional garnish, which is a blend of sea salt and sesame seeds) [I love this one by Eden Foods made with seaweed] [OMIT for AIP]
Preparation:
-
Combine beets, carrot, and apple.
-
Drizzle with the lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
-
Optionally garnish with organic Gomasio
Consume 2 tablespoons per meal and ENJOY!
Note: Use within 3 days to maintain vitality
Affiliate note: Some but not all of the products I will recommend will send me a thank you if you order through my link – which I greatly appreciate so THANK YOU so much for using my links!
[Consult a functional or integrative health practitioner, such as a nutritional therapy practitioner for help with supplementation.]
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
It’s also important to note that poor quality fats, such as industrial seed oils, among other factors, can contribute to a sluggish gallbladder, which can also inhibit proper digestion and can lead to a gallbladder attack. Always check your symptoms with a doctor but some common ones I see are stomach cramps, bloating, burping, nausea and reflux after meals, headaches, and sometimes pain under the right rib and back shoulder blades.
Completely avoiding healthy fats is not the answer though. Our bodies are made up of 15% fat. Our cell membranes are made of up fatty acids. Fat is our body’s preferred energy source, including our heart and is necessary for healthy liver function, building healthy cholesterol and bile, required for the adequate use of proteins, and for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fat serves as a protective lining for the organs of our body, it slows the absorption of food for proper energy, it manages our inflammatory process AND it makes our food taste delicious and satisfying! The fact it, you need fat to burn fat!
Supporting your body to be able to digest fats properly and eating healthy fats such as those least processed (nuts, avocados, olives, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, animal fats from pastured, organically fed & humanely treated animals, sesame oil, and nut oils such as macadamia nut oil) will go a long way to supporting your overall health and vitality. Check out Diane Sanfilippo’s awesome article: Fats: Which to Eat & Which to Ditch, which includes a free 1-page downloadable pdf.
As always, I recommend that my clients be present, take time to sit, and take a few moments to have gratitude for your food. Also, slow down by putting your fork down between bites, and chew each bite at least 20 times. Most of all, think pleasant thoughts while eating!
Cheers!
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
-
1/2 cup grated beet (raw AND include the 1st inch of the stem, well chopped)
-
1/2 cup grated raw carrot
-
1/4 cup grated green (or other tart) apple (include skin) [use green apples for the 21DSD]
-
Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 1/4 cup) OR raw apple cider vinegar such as Braggs
-
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
-
Organic Gomasio (optional garnish, which is a blend of sea salt and sesame seeds) [I love this one by Eden Foods made with seaweed] [OMIT for AIP]
Preparation:
-
Combine beets, carrot, and apple.
-
Drizzle with the lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
-
Optionally garnish with organic Gomasio
Consume 2 tablespoons per meal and ENJOY!
Note: Use within 3 days to maintain vitality
Affiliate note: Some but not all of the products I will recommend will send me a thank you if you order through my link – which I greatly appreciate so THANK YOU so much for using my links!
