Winter salads

Eating raw foods can increase the tendency toward getting colds and having congestion. Warm cooked food in the winter makes you feel warm and nurtured.When the weather turns cold, you may find yourself less interested in raw, light salads, and craving something warm and hearty instead. That’s good intuition on your part because eating raw produce in the cooler months can strain your digestive system. Those who practice Ayurveda, the traditional holistic medicine of India, believe that raw fruits and vegetables cause your agni (digestive fire) to work harder as it breaks down food so that your body can assimilate the nutrients.

By breaking down rough, fibrous veggies with a little roasting, steaming, or sautéing, I give my agni a head start so it can digest everything more easily and completely. A robust agni means a happy tummy and a greater sense of overall well-being.

Build a Better Bowl

Salads have long been a darling among nutritionists and health nuts alike, who find them a good way to get the recommended nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Some favorites include cooked carrots and yams tossed with lemon juice and olive oil and arranged over warm brown rice that wilts the bed of greens underneath; or a roasted beet salad whose soothing yogurt-based dressing turns pink from the beet juice. Think sautéed red cabbage with toasted hazelnuts in a ginger-yogurt dressing. If you’re concerned that cooked veggies have fewer nutrients than fresh ones, researchers showed that some vegetables, including carrots and green beans, actually have higher levels of antioxidants after they’ve been cooked.

Of course, there are endless possibilities for combining ingredients. . Compose your cooked salads with the rapture of an artist loading fresh paint onto her palette, and you’ll be rewarded with a melding of an explosion of flavors and textures in each bite.