For most adults in the US, salads are a staple in our diet, especially for those of us who eat mostly plant based. Some people eat a few salads a week, but I eat some kind of leafy green something daily, typically in the form of a salad.
But, just because it’s “salad” it doesn’t automatically mean it’s healthy. The health value of salad has to do with the quality ingredients in the salad. I’d venture to say that my salads are very healthy. It took me a long time to learn what makes up a healthy salad.
I typically start with a big bowl of mostly, if not all organic fresh micro greens, leafy greens, fresh herbs and vegetables. All of those items mentioned are good for your body, quality ingredients.
They contain lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber!
So with a beautiful bowl of greens and veggies, what can go wrong to make it unhealthy? The list below hi-lights a few of the wrong moves I made in years past when it comes to destroying a healthy salad:
1) Too much of the wrong dressing: Some say that they can’t even think about eating salad without their beloved ½ cup of Ranch or Thousand Island dressing. I get it, I used to be one of those people. And let’s face it, a “dry” salad is well, dry, and not very tasty. However, both of those dressings, along with Caesar, Blue Cheese, and most other creamy dressing, and most all store bought prepared (or packaged) dressings are probably not the best choice for your health.
While store bought dressings are convenient because they save prep time, most of them contain a lot of saturated fats, high amounts of sodium, artificial additives and added sugar or sugar substitutes. They also tend to use lower quality oils than if you made your own, such as soybean oil as opposed to extra virgin olive oil.
I’m not suggesting going “dry” on your salad, I’m just suggesting that if you want to have a healthy salad, there are delicious and healthier dressing alternatives than what you may be used to. I generally use extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, and garlic as my go to home made dressing. But honestly, a lot of times, I do like it dry (an acquired taste for sure!).
2) Choosing the wrong proteins: While bacon bits, salami and even a nice cut of steak used to amp up the flavor in my salad, unfortunately they are not the healthiest choices. But if you are making your salad a meal vs. a side, adding the right proteins can be very satisfying and can keep you fuller longer. Because I am mostly plant based, I usually choose avocado, nuts and beans as my proteins. But if you eat meat (and sometimes I do) you could choose poultry, fish, or hardboiled eggs (although I believe that eggs are an inflammatory food, so I personally try to eat eggs very sparingly – no more than an egg a week, if that). Some people also like to add cheese for some protein. And although it does add a bit of protein and a lot of deliciousness, I suggest using cheese sparingly too as it contains a lot of saturated fat, which as we discussed isn’t the best choice, especially if you eat too much of it. Feta is a better choice than say a blue cheese or cheddar cheese, and a little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (very little) can really add a lot of flavor if you must have cheese.
3) Using Iceberg lettuce is nice and crunchy and does have some vitamins and minerals. But over the years I’ve learned that other choices such as Kale, Romaine, Butter lettuce, Red leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, Bok-choy, Arugula, Spinach, shredded Brussels sprouts, shredded cabbage and micro greens are much healthier choices because they contain more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber than iceberg lettuce and they also have a lot more flavor. A friend of mine says I eat weeds, and I guess to some degree, that is partially true.
4) Adding croutons or crackers for some crunch in your salad can be very satisfying. And I’ve eaten more than my fair share of croutons in years past. Don’t get me wrong, I like some crunch with my salad! However, croutons and crackers are both high in sodium, saturated fat and refined carbs all of which aren’t the healthiest choices. Now I choose more healthy alternatives that give nice crunch to a salad such as nuts or seeds. Not the sugar coated sweet and spicy pecans or walnuts you might be thinking of, but toasted nuts are delicious in salads.
These days, I choose toasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, and almonds for a delicious crunch.
With all that can go wrong with your salad choices, then what are the best ingredients for a healthy, delicious and satisfying salad?
Sometimes I buy bagged salads when I know I’m going to be pinched for time. Bagged salads contain a good mix of healthy lettuce and cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and various other combinations. But I NEVER use the salad dressing or fruits and nuts that come in the bag because they are generally loaded with lots of added sugar and/or artificial sweeteners (which as we just discussed destroys your healthy salad). You can see the added sugar on the label if you read the column that says “prepared salad” so you know exactly what kind of sugar is in the dressing or added condiments that come in the salad bag. You’ll be surprised how much it really adds.
- I actually prefer to make my own “base” mix as part of my weekly meal prep. As I mentioned above, in my mix, I use micro greens, leafy greens, fresh herbs, veggies and even fruit as my base, and I prep everything in advance so everything is ready to go when I build my salad. Doing it this way gives me the flexibility to change things up from day to day while still using the same “base” greens mixture.
- I love micro greens in my salad, they are so good for our bodies. Sometimes that’s all I eat! I buy a brand called Bright Fresh Micro greens and I like the Micro Rainbow Mix. It includes various sprouts such as arugula, broccoli, amaranth, beet tops, parsley, radish & kale.
- My go to leafy greens include kale, Bok-choy (the leaves and white stems), cabbage (I like Napa best in salad), Swiss chard & lettuce (mostly romaine, sometimes butter lettuce, or baby red lettuce). Not all items are always available, but I get what is available at my local store.
- The fresh herbs that I use in my mix are cilantro, (always) and sometimes parsley and dill.
- I wash everything well, and spin it in a salad spinner to remove the excess water, chop it up and store it in a zip lock bag. Those items above make up my “base” and with the base greens ready to go, I am able to make different salads every day based on my mood, cravings, or what my body is telling me to eat, by adding different veggies, fruits, seeds and nuts as well as healthy dressings to my base .
- I choose different veggies on different days. I mean, I typically don’t put all of these on my salad at once. My list of go to veggies for salad fixins’ are, green or red onion, broccoli, spinach, carrots, Brussels sprouts, jalapeno, bell pepper (all colors) asparagus and cucumber. Sometimes I will add beans (usually black or kidney) which gives me a good boost of protein.
- Sometimes I like to add different fruit to change it up based on what’s in season. My favorites are avocado (a healthy fat and protein), blueberries, strawberries, tomato, pomegranate, peach, pear, apple, mandarin orange, grapes and dried cranberries or raisins (with no added sugar of course). Also worth mentioning, I don’t add them all at once. Just whatever sounds good at the time. I listen to my body for clues of what to add each day.
- I do like some crunch in my salad. When the crunch of the cabbage or carrots just isn’t enough, I like to add toasted seeds and nuts to my salad. I toast them on the stove in a dry frying pan. And while they don’t need to be toasted, toasting nuts and seeds just adds a different and more complex layer of flavor to the mix. Nuts and seeds are an excellent source of protein, but I don’t over do it on the seeds and nuts as I’m conscious of their calorie and fat content.
- Sometimes when my body is craving meat, I’ll add non-plant protein such as chicken, tuna or other fish. Sometimes it’s a healthy ground chicken or turkey taco mix, and sometimes it’s grilled chicken. But I don’t go overboard on the protein either (mostly because my body can’t tolerate animal proteins well, especially red meat which I rarely eat). So usually 1-2 oz is my max.
- And finally the most tricky part, how to make a healthy dressing. As I mentioned above, my go to is a balsamic vinegar with extra virgin olive oil and dried herbs. I also like fresh squeezed lemon or lime. My go to vinegars for salad are balsamic or red wine vinegar, but any vinegar will do.
You will figure out what works for your taste buds and body. Sometimes I add olive oil to the vinegar, sometimes not. I also mentioned that I like to add dried herbs to the dressing mix such as thyme, oregano and when I can’t get fresh, I use dried dill.
Sometimes I use hummus as a dressing on my greens (no more than ¼ cup). Sometimes I mash up my avocado and mix it with a little garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric powder, thyme and plain yogurt and enjoy that on my greens. Sometimes I put grilled chicken and just let the chicken juices flavor my greens and veggies (no other dressing needed). And Sometimes I use a dash of hot sauce as a dressing (especially when I make a poultry based taco protein salad).
As you can see, there are so many ways to enjoy a healthy salad without destroying all the great nutrition you are providing to your body. Take a minute and think about how you might be sabotaging your healthy salad with unhealthy ingredients. What changes can you make today to make your salads satisfying yet more healthy?
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