Spinach & Baby Arugula Salad With Chicken, Avocado, and Walnuts

Are you looking for a recipe that is easy, refreshing, and delicious? Then you will love this plant-based keto salad. 

This salad is delicious and satisfying. And all the ingredients come with amazing benefits to your body and health. You will shine and glow after each bite.

Overall, the AntiCancer 360 approach doesn’t utilize just one anticancer diet. We choose one of five different diets depending on the case and situation. 

So today’s recipe will be perfect for those who want to maximize the anticancer potential of their meal while using a plant-based ketogenic diet.

The combination of the plant-based diet with a ketogenic diet may be a powerful way to combat and help prevent cancer. A plant-based diet has numerous plant compounds that act on different pathways in the body to stop and prevent cancer growth, while a ketogenic diet puts cancer cells at an energetic disadvantage by depriving them of sugar, their preferred fuel source [1].

This is an amazing recipe to have on your weekly rotation. The creaminess from the avocado, the crunchiness from the walnuts and pumpkin seeds, as well as the refreshing taste from the spinach, arugula, and tomatoes make this salad super tasty and beautiful. 

The dressing is effortless to do and it has a great flavor. It blends well with all the ingredients bringing this salad to a whole new level of yumminess. 

Here are some of the great anticancer ingredients that you will find in this fresh and energizing salad.

• Arugula: High amounts of erucin and sulforaphane are found in arugula. These two compounds have been identified in studies to help fight breast cancer cell growth and dissemination [2]. Other researchers have found that sulforaphane can inhibit the enzyme histone deacetylase (HDAC) that is involved in the progression of cancer cells [3]. 

• Avocado:  Researchers have found potential health benefits of avocados and extracts of avocado against inflammation and cancer cell [4]. Other studies have also identified that phytochemicals extracted from avocado can selectively inhibit the growth of precancerous and cancerous cells and cause the death of cancer cells, while also encouraging the proliferation of immune system cells called lymphocytes. These phytochemicals may also decrease chromosomal damage caused by cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug [5].

• Spinach: Natural compounds found in spinach, may prevent macromolecular oxidative damage and modulate the expression and activity of genes involved in metabolism, proliferation, inflammation, and antioxidant defense. Spinach can also induce the secretion of satiety hormones helping individuals to not overeat. All these biological activities contribute to the anti-cancer, anti-obesity, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic properties of spinach [6].

• Walnuts: Recent studies have shown walnuts potential to prevent cancer growth through various compounds likely working together. Ellagitannins, melatonin and gamma-tocopherol may each work through different routes to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and gene expression that can lead to cancer [7]. Researchers have also identified other compounds found in walnuts, such as omega 3 fatty acids, tocopherols, β-sitosterol, and pedunculagin, that have shown cancer-prevention properties [8]. In a study comparing different nuts and their anticancer effect, walnuts presented the highest total antioxidant activity. The proliferation of HepG2 and Caco-2 cancer cells was significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent pattern after exposure to the extracts of nuts, with walnuts exhibiting one of the highest antiproliferative activity [9].

If you can get all the ingredients in organic form, that would be ideal. But, if not… You should get ingredients like spinach and tomatoes in organic form since it’s known to be especially high in toxins if bought in the conventional form [10].

Every ingredient in this recipe makes this salad a healthy, tasteful, and well-balanced option that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner. It is also colorful and has different textures which will make your salad even more appetizing. 

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