Fresh vegetable salads are store houses of nutrients. They provide plenty of fiber, vitamins and minerals. They fill the stomach and are very low in calorie content. Salads are ideal food for people who are on weight loss program. Here is a tasty salad recipe which goes good with chapathi, paratha and rice varieties like pulao.

Ingredients:

• Tender Cucumber (small size)- 1
• Tomato – 2 (med size
• Ground nut – 1 table spoon
• Curd (yogurt) – 1 cup
• Green chilli or pepper powder (optional)
• Salt – to taste
• Coriander leaves

Method:

Wash the cucumber and peel its skin. Grate it with the help of a grater on the side with large holes. Cut tomato into small squares. Roast the ground nut and remove its husk. Powder it coarsely. Finely chop coriander leaves. Mix all the ingredients together to make salad and garnish with coriander leaves.

Benefits of ingredients:

Cucumber:

Cucumber is very low in calories and provides plenty of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber helps to reduce constipation and ease bowel movement. Cucumber is rich in potassium. This helps to balance sodium potassium level and reduce hypertension or high blood pressure. There is a strong link between hypertension or high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. As potassium helps to reduce high blood pressure, it also helps in erectile dysfunction. Cucumber is mildly diuretic. Its high fiber content and diuretic property help to check weight gain. It contains plenty of anti oxidants which help to boost overall health and skin health in particular.

Tomatoes:

Recent studies have shown that tomatoes are good for cancer prevention. Regular consumption of tomatoes help to prevent cancers of lung, prostate, stomach, cervical, breast, oral, colorectal, esophageal, pancreatic, etc. Tomato is also good for liver health. Tomato has detoxification effect in the body. Tomato juice acts as a good rejuvenating and energy drink. It reduces the risks of cardio vascular diseases. Red and ripe tomatoes act as powerful antioxidants.

Ground Nut:

Ground nuts are rich in nutrients, minerals, vitamins and anti oxidants. They contain mono unsaturated fatty acids which increase HDl or good cholesterol. These nuts contain plenty of amino acids. The antioxidants in ground nuts protect heart and supply essential minerals like copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium etc.

Curd:

Intestinal infections like cholera, typhoid, amoebiasis etc usually surface during summer. Consuming curd daily during summer helps to increase intestinal flora (friendly bacteria present in intestine). These bacteria increase the resistance of our intestines to these infections. Hence curd is known as a probiotic.

Probiotics are the good bacteria that promote healthy digestion and build immunity. The most common friendly bacteria (probiotics) are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These probiotics are easily available in the form of curd (yogurt). Persons who cannot digest milk can digest curd easily.

Consuming curd daily especially during summer, keeps the digestion and intestinal problems away. According to ayurveda curd absorbs water from intestines (hence called as Grahi). By the virtue of this property it is widely used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. It mitigates vata dosha, increases kapha and pitta. Curd helps to increase quality and quantity of semen, strengthens the body, accelerates digestion (agni), stimulates taste buds and acts as an appetizer. Curd reduces irritability of bladder and helps in emptying bladder easily.
 
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