Ah yes, the ever noble salad entrée—the dieters delight, the healthy individual’s staple. Truth is, I’m a huge salad lover. Actually, the rawer the vegetable, the better. As a kid, I would scarf down carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers ... you name it: If it crunched, I loved it. Once the crunch was gone, however, I didn’t love it as much. Even as a child, I had some sort of intuition that raw vegetables were healthier for you, as they are higher in nutrients as compared to their cooked counterparts. (Vegetables lose some of their nutrients when they are cooked.)
I’m lucky in that I really love salad and when I don’t have it, my body craves veggies. And frankly, it is my choice of meal for lunch. I’ve learned how to make a great salad that is fulfilling and well balanced. That said, not all salads are created equal. Not a day goes by that I don’t see individuals b-line to the salad bar at lunch, with all good intentions of choosing a healthy meal, and then sabotaging their very own efforts by choosing the wrong things. There are a lot of salad saboteurs out there and it is important to be on the lookout. Here is a top ten list of how to make your salad healthy, balanced, and nutritious...
10. Quantity and Quality: Vegetables don’t have a lot of staying power for hunger, plus they have very little calories by themselves. On one hand, that is good for maintaining weight and caloric intake, but a lot of people get up to the salad bar, pick a few vegetables, and then go hog-wild on the bad stuff. What’s the point? Make sure you have TONS of veggies. Go crazy! Get wild and load ’em up! Seriously. Have as much as you want, because they will bulk you up, making you feel pretty darn full. Now that said, do try to pick the highest quality of vegetables you can, and definitely go with organic on this one.
9. Iceberg, Straight Ahead! Iceberg lettuce might have been great when you were a kid, but in reality, it has zippo nutritional value. All water, no nutrition. Pick green leafy lettuces and spinach for your salad base. These have a lot more vitamins and minerals than good ol’ iceberg.
8. Technicolor Dream Salad: Diversity in color is a great way to ensure that you are getting many nutrients and vitamins from your veggies. If your whole salad is green, you are missing an opportunity to have nutrients and vitamins that exist in vegetables of another color. Make sure you pick vibrant colored veggies (carrots, tomatoes, multi-colored peppers), as these have a great number of nutrients.
7. Crusty Croutons and More: Most of the carbohydrate options that exist at the salad bar (croutons, wontons, noodles, pita chips), are low in fiber and high in refined sugars and/or bleached flour. These are empty calories that really don’t make the grade. Instead, try to find a multi-grain piece of bread or roll to accompany your salad.
6. Veggies Need Companionship: The idea of only having vegetables might sound healthy, but it isn’t when it comes to having a balanced, satiating meal. Vegetables need to be paired up with the right amounts of protein and fat to make the meal fulfilling. Aim for 3 ounces of grilled chicken or fish or 1/4-cup to 1/2-cup of beans in your salad. Fats should be minimal, and you will probably meet your requirements through your dressing and/or your added nuts or cheeses.
5. Salads Within the Salad: Stay away from chicken salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, bean salad, and whatever else your salad bar has that is a “salad.” Good chances are that they are loaded up with mayonnaise, oils, and other bad ingredients. Opt for those offerings that come as they are—beans, grilled meats, etc.
