What to Put In Your Healthy Salad

What to Put in a Salad – Healthy Things to Add to Salads

Why Your Body Needs Healthy Salads and What to Put in Your Salad to Make them so much Healthier.

We all know that good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle, and eating lots of nutrient-dense foods is the biggest factor in good nutrition.

So what’s the easiest way to get more nutrient-dense foods and a healthier gut?

EAT MORE SALADS! And what to put in a salad to make it even healthier? Keep Reading!

Did you know that salads are a great way to maintain gut health? And we all know that gut health is important to our overall health.

[color-box]One of the easiest ways to eat more healthy nutrients is to pack small amounts of different varieties of foods into your salad. It’s that easy![/color-box]

And, eating a healthy salad can prevent you from becoming “food bored” because it gives you a chance to eat a larger variety of interesting and tasty foods in one bowl.

So fix yourself a healthy salad for lunch, dinner or even breakfast and you will be surprised at how many vitamins and nutrients you can pack into one meal!

Eating More Salads Can Prevent Obesity

Eating more vegetables can aid in weight loss and help to prevent obesity when eaten on a daily basis. Vegetables are useful in reducing weight because the fiber they contain provides bulk and gives you a feeling of being “full” and will also keep you feeling fuller much longer.

To get the best out of most vegetables, they should be eaten raw or lightly steamed to keep all their nutrients in tack.

Green leafy vegetables provide a source for many nutrients, including iron, fiber, vitamins A and C and potassium which help to purify the blood, heal the intestinal tract, anemia and reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

Red and yellow vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplant, potato, carrot, beets are rich in nutrients as well. They contain Vitamin A, Vitamin B, iron, potassium, calcium, and fiber which can improve body immunity and help boost body metabolism.

Red Vegetables: sliced or diced beets, radishes, red onion, red peppers, tomatoes, red potatoes.
Orange Vegetables: chopped carrots, diced squash, diced sweet potato.
Yellow and White Vegetables: fresh corn, sliced mushrooms, onions, shallots, cauliflower.
Green Vegetables: Asparagus, artichoke hearts broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, celery, green onion, peas.

It all Starts with A Good Base of Lettuce

The base for your salad is definitely nutrient-dense if you start with big plate of leafy dark and red greens.

Next time you’re at the grocery store pick up some red leaf lettuce to give your salad that extra boost of nutrients. The deep red and purple colors in lettuce indicates higher levels of phytonutrients which means much higher levels of antioxidants!

Romaine lettuce is probably one of the most popular choices for a salad and makes an excellent base. Look for Romaine lettuce with a dark green hue and red tips. Romaine is a great source of folic acid and should be included in a healthy diet.

Another great choice for your lettuce base – or to mix in with your healthy Romaine is green leaf lettuce.

Don’t forget to chop up some raw baby spinach and mix it in with your salad greens.

Always try and add some dark leafy greens to your salad like kale or spinach. Dark leafy greens are loaded with folate, a B-complex vitamin that promotes healthy blood circulation.

Healthy Lettuce Choices for Your Nutrient-Rich Salad Base –

Include a mixture of these salad greens for the base of your salad: Did you know that green leaf lettuce has more healthy Vitamin K than Romaine lettuce?

Kale
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Romaine
Watercress
Red or Green Leaf Lettuce
Bibb lettuce
Arugula
Radicchio
Escarole and Endive,

Add about 1/2 cup of our Favorite Veggies:

Avocado
Artichoke
Cucumbers
Carrots – sliced
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Beets – Sliced
Red onions
Green Peas
Red and Green Bell Peppers
Sugar snap peas
Green onions

Next Chop up these Cruciferous Vegetables to Add to your Salad:

Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Mustard greens
Radishes – See why eat more radishes
Red cabbage

Always add some Nuts and Seeds:

Always add healthy nuts or seeds to your salad. Not only do they provide excellent nutrition, they also add that extra crunch.

Nuts are definitely a great choice for a healthy salad, but use sparingly as they add additional calories.

1/4 cup of Chopped Walnuts – 180 calories
1/4 cup of Sunflower seeds – 180 calories

Sesame seeds
Chia seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Walnuts
Chopped Walnuts
Cashews
Pistachio
Brazil Nut
Peanuts
Pine Nuts

Now Add about 3 oz. of Healthy Protein:

Anchovies and Sardines
Chopped Eggs
Crab Meat
Grilled or Broiled Chicken – How to Cook Boneless Chicken Breasts to Use in Recipes
Shrimp
Salmon
Turkey Breast
Tuna Fish
Beans:
White beans
Pinto
Chickpeas
Lima
Kidney
Black
Navy
Garbanzo

What About Cheese?

A little cheese goes a long way if you use the right cheese! Try some lower in fat feta or a tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese. Blue Cheese is an excellent choice because you only need a small amount to add a ton of flavor. Don’t like blue cheese? Try a little goat cheese or a tablespoon of shredded Parmesan cheese.

Don’t go too crazy with the cheese. Cheese can add to the calorie and fat totals of the salad. Try different mixtures of salads like mixed greens with bits of beets, blue cheese and roasted pecans. You will find a little of the cheese and nut flavor goes a long way.

Throw on Some Delicious Carbs

Rice
Quino
Couscous
Steamed Potatoes (yum)
Potato Salad
Cold Spicy Noodles

Fresh and healthy Chopped Herbs

Basil
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Parsley
Tarragon
Thyme

Adding Delicious Fruits

Don’t forget to add a 1/2 cup of fresh fruits to your well-balanced salad. A handful of blueberries or hulled strawberries are delicious along with the other vegetables and blend perfectly.

Blueberries
Strawberries, cleaned, hulled and sliced
Dried Cranberries
Orange Slices
Pear Slices
Diced Apples
Rasins

Add Some Healthy Salads to Your Salad!

There are tons of healthy salads that you can add to your salad to make it tastier! Try a little bit of healthy cole slaw or tabouli salad!

Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Feta
Roasted Beet Salad with Kale
Egg salad
Green Bean Salad
Tabouli Salad

Travel with your Salad or Take your Salad to Work

Pack your salad in one of these nifty jars and it will stay fresh and tasty until you are ready to eat. Just remember to start your base layer of lettuce on the bottom of the jar and work your way up with freshly chopped vegetables.

Salad Dressings

Now your salad bowl is complete – just how do you dress that salad? Carefully we would say! This is where you can get the biggest fat and calorie bomb so be cautious what you put on that healthy salad.

Try to stick with an oil and vinegar base dressing or even a light vinaigrette. If you would prefer the convenience of bottled dressings there are now many healthy options. Just make sure and read your labels carefully.

Conclusion – If you get into the habit of making fresh & healthy salads, you will easily be adding more nutrient-dense foods to your diet. It’s all a matter of figuring out the best choices of what to put in that salad and what you like.

Make salads that appeal to your taste and you will find yourself reaching for that salad bowl more often!

FEATURED PRODUCT THAT YOU WILL LOVE! HEALTHY LUNCH AND DINNER SALADS HERE WE COME!

[easyazon_image align=”none” height=”500″ identifier=”B01B4S5MX6″ locale=”US” src=”http://dinnerplanner.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/510Pdb1gkVL.jpg” tag=”dinnerd06-20″ width=”500″]

[easyazon_cta align=”none” cart=”n” identifier=”B01B4S5MX6″ key=”small-light” locale=”US” tag=”dinnerd06-20″]