The Love Salad: 5 Shades of Red For Body, Mind and Skin

Green = serene and peaceful.

Red = seductive and sensual.

January was green; a cleansing month full of green smoothies, kale salads and collard wraps.

February is red; a love and lusty month calling for pomegranate seeds, beets and radish.

Impress your amour du jour this Valentine's Day (even if that’s you) with a salad made of pink, purple and red vegetables and fruits. Toss pomegranate seeds, beets, radish, red cabbage and red onion into a bowl. You’ll load up on phytonutrients such as anthocyanin, quercetin, betalains and ellagic acid, which are only present in red and purple plant foods. All of these help keep your brain sharp and your skin firm. Add some avocado and parsley for color, texture and extra free radical fighting properties. The Vitamin E in the avocado and luteolin in the parsley actually help increase the antioxidant capacity of the red plant foods. It’s a pretty and synergistic pairing—just like a good relationship.

Ingredients:

• 2 cooked beets, sliced

• 1 radish, sliced

• 1 tbsp red onion, diced

• 1 tbsp Italian parsley, torn

• 1 Meyer lemon, juiced

• 1/2 cup red cabbage, sliced

• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

• 1/4 avocado, diced

• sea salt, just a pinch

Directions: Add all ingredients to a bowl, except the lemon and sea salt. Toss. Drizzle on lemon juice and dust with sea salt. It's a perfect pairing for white fish.

WORDS + PHOTO: Dana James