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Last updated on April 25th, 2022 at 05:58 pm
You are going to love this delicious anti-inflammatory salmon salad recipe! Even if you aren’t looking for anti-inflammatory recipes and dealing with chronic inflammation or pain, this healthy salad is fresh, filling and flavorful and you will want to make it again and again! It’s a super tasty and easy healthy lunch or dinner idea!
To sum it up, here are a few things we know about the anti-inflammatory diet:
- it helps to reduce inflammation in the body
- can help to fight disease
- it is wrapped in this blanket of mystery where you never know what it really is
Quite the magician, I tell you. Every other article on the internets is claiming something different. Do we eat tomatoes or not? It’s a simple, yet existential question and I wanna know. Then you go on the Google or any other search engine and search for anti-inflammatory meals and get this list of meals that either look suspicious or are anti-inflammatory with a dash of imagination. As if someone just thought, “hey, let me write anti-inflammatory and use the law of attraction to make them”. We live in special wishful thinking times.
Well, the truth is, the anti-inflammation diet is different for everyone. Why? Well, because person A might be able to tolerate a certain food, while person B won’t. That food can cause a mild inflammatory reaction in person B. You might feel something is off, but mostly you won’t even notice this food is causing you trouble. When eaten over a long period of time this can lead to low-grade systemic inflammation, which then can lead to chronic disease.
But let’s not get too crazy about diet. It’s not the only thing in life that can make or break your health. Sleep, stress, medications, environmental factors, smoking, alcohol also don’t rest on their laurels and can make you sick like a dog.
What To Eat On The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Now in general here’s what you want to eat on an anti-inflammatory diet:
- foods rich in omega-3’s like salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna or flaxseed and chia seeds
- plants rich in antioxidants like all berries, leafy green vegetables (arugula, spinach, kale, parsley), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, radishes), all herbs and spices
- foods that have a low glycemic load and don’t cause blood sugar spikes (so no white flour, sugar or white rice)
Most people also don’t tolerate dairy or gluten well. Which I swore, I did fine with and was one of my gifts, because I never had digestive issues after eating a sandwich or pizza. But what do you know? Both made my joints stiff like a rock…gluten more than dairy. This is pretty surprising and sad because me and gluten are like that.
Some people, apparently also me, also can’t have nightshades. These are foods like tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant. That’s the reason I said: the anti-inflammatory diet is different for different people.
Why Is This Salad Anti-Inflammatory
Keeping all of that in mind, this is a salad that ticks off all of the boxes.
- it is rich in omega-3’s from the flaxseed and salmon
- loaded with polyphenol-rich foods like nigella, ginger, arugula, radishes, basil, onions and garlic
- is made with low-glycemic foods and has an overall low glycemic load
- is dairy-free, grain and gluten-free, nightshade-free and nut-free
And it’s super good!
What’s In this Salad
Salmon. Find the best you can, wild-caught is a whole lot better for you, but do the best you can. If salmon is not an option, you can also use another fatty fish of choice.
Vegetables. We’ve got some arugula, nutrient-poor lettuce for decoration, radishes, basil, onion, garlic, cucumber and some roasted sweet potatoes. I was just kidding about lettuce, it does actually have nutrients like potassium, vitamin C and fiber and these all have anti-inflammatory properties too. You can of course, use spinach or kale for the base if you’d like to.
Herbs and seeds: Nigella aka black cumin seeds, ginger, flaxseed, garlic and onion! These additions pack a lot of extra antioxidants and add a whole lot of flavor!
How To Make This Anti-Inflammatory Salmon Salad
Since this is a salad you want to have all ingredients just ready to throw into a bowl and then toss it all together.
For the salmon – cook it whichever way you love your salmon. Bake it in the oven, in the airfryer or sear in a pan for about 7-8 minutes on each side.
While you’re doing this, you can also chop and roast the sweet potato. I simply cubed it then seasoned with olive oil, some salt and pepper placed onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Then roasted for about 20 minutes at 200C/400F.
Once these two are done, it’s easy.
Use a smaller bowl to season the salmon with some lemon juice, basil, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Flake it till you make it, but not too much.
Chop all the vegetables, add to a bowl, add the salmon, sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, nigella and flaxseed, olive oil and the rest of the lemon juice and toss together.
Enjoy immediately!
How To Meal Prep This Salad
This recipe makes 2 servings, so adjust accordingly to however many portions you’d like to prepare. If you would like to make this salad ahead of time, here’s how to do it:
- Bake or sear the salmon and follow the directions to season it
- Wash and chop lettuce, cucumber, radishes, wash and pat dry arugula, peel and chop the onion.
- Roast the sweet potatoes and let cool off
- Portion each part out into airtight meal prep containers with compartments. Sprinkle flaxsed and nigella.
- When it’s time to serve add ingredients to a bowl, add the avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper and salt, mix and enjoy!
If you prepare the salad this way, it will stay good for about 3 days in the fridge.
More About The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
- How To Eat To Reduce Inflammation
- 5 Foods To Eat Daily To Reduce Inflammation
- How To Make An Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie