Turning Over A New Leaf: How To Make Perfectly Healthy Salads

Eat your greens is probably the best piece of nutrition advice you could ever follow. Salads are a great way to u our leafy green intake and ensure that we eat a vast array of raw vegetables. It is easy to fall into a boredom trap with salads, but a little bit of creativity can go a long way! The more colour and variety you add to salads, the more nutrition and taste too. It’s just about knowing what ingredients to buy and how to put them together. Here is a nice guide to get you started.

Salad Essentials

For the base use the Greens.

Studies have shown a negative association between green vegetable intake and cancers of the prostate, lung, breast and cervix. Chlorophyll, in green plants, helps oxygenate the blood and improve energy. Another phytochemical, glucosinolate, which imparts a bitter taste to green vegetables, is a powerful liver detoxifier. Green vegetables are also loaded with folate, minerals and fibre.

Not all salads need to contain greens, but they do form a good base and depending on your choices will provide the most in terms of micronutrient nutrition. Ditch the boring iceberg lettuce and start to experiment with other greens. Add them whole, chop them up or look for the baby green varieties. Some of the best salad greens include:

Arugula. Also known as rocket has a sharp, peppery flavour and is loaded with calcium and iron.

Butterhead lettuce. This small lettuce has a sweet and mild flavor and a good amount of folate. They also tend not to cause bloating for people who are sensitive to greens.

Frisée. Also called curly endive, frisée has a mildly bitter flavor

Kale. This hardy cabbage is amongst the world’s most nutritious foods.

Lollo rosso. This heavily ruffled red-leaf lettuce is mildly flavoured and contains special antioxidants only found in red coloured foods.

Mâche. This is a more hardy blue-green leaves that provides nutty flavor and a chewy texture

Mizuna. Cultivated in Japan, these bright-green leaves have a mild mustardlike flavor.

Romaine. Although its one of the more common lettuces, Romaine is also among the most nutritious. With high levels of vitamin C, folate and iron.

Spinach. This versatile veggie adds a slightly bitter flavor to salads and is also delicious in its baby variety.

Watercress. Watercress, like arugula is known for its peppery flavor and is delicious in salads

Basic Salad Additions

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a great addition to most salads and provide colour, flavor and nutrition. They are rich in a chemical called lycopene found in red vegetables and fruits. They are also a great source of vitamin C.

Cucumbers

This humble vegetable has very high water content and is particularly good for the skin and the colon. Include the skin for maximum nutrition.

Onions

Red and white onions provide a great kick to any salad and are also particularly healthy.

Onions are also a reasonable source of magnesium, chromium, vitamin B6, foliate, and potassium. Onions are also high in special sulphur-containing compounds similar to the ones found in garlic, which are responsible for most of their health effects.

See Also: How To Sneak Veggies Into Your Diet

Carrots

Carrots add some crunch and colour to salads and are great chopped or grated. They are a good source of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant.

More Basic Salad Additions, Toppings, Dressings And Recipes

Bell Peppers

Just half a cup of chopped red or yellow peppers supplies more than 200% of the Daily Value for vitamin C. Red peppers also contain beta-carotene and the phytonutrients lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zexanthin. Peppers are also a decent source of fibre, folate and magnesium.

Cabbage

Cabbage contains the B vitamins thiamin (vitamin B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2). It also contains the minerals magnesium, calcium and potassium. Cabbage also contains additional antioxidant compounds, known as indoles and sulphoraphane. Red cabbage is significantly more nutritious then white cabbage, having higher antioxidant polyphenols. Red cabbage also has a good vitamin C content.

Some of the lesser used but not to be forgotten salad veggies include:

Beets

Beets can be enjoyed raw and grated or cooked and cooled and added to salads. They are a good source of folate and are also rich in the electrolyte minerals magnesium and potassium. 

Celery

Celery contains vitamin C, and is a good source of folate, thiamine, riboflavin and vitamin B6. It also contains a good dose of calcium and magnesium as well as phosphorous and iron.

Broccoli and Cauliflower

These cruciferous sulphur-containing vegetables contain anti-cancer anti-oxidant and are powerhouses of nutrition, particularly vitamin C and minerals. Add then raw or lightly steamed to salads.

Asparagus

Tinned or fresh asparagus is a great way to jazz up a green salad. They are highly nutritious and also contain compounds that help the detoxification and elimination systems of the body.

Topping It Up

It's time to get creative with toppings now. Some other plant based additions for salads that make them exciting include,

Fruits. Fruits like berries, pears, apples and papaya make excellent salad additions and god well with certain other ingredients

Cheeses. Parmesan, feta, mozzarella, halloumi and other cheeses provide saturated fat, protein and calcium to a salad.

Lean Meat. Add sliced grilled chicken breast or pulled chicken as a low fat protein source. Some sliced fillet or sirloin is another good idea.

Tuna or salmon. These fish go well in many salads and add a low fat protein source in the case of tuna or an omega 3 source in the case of salmon.

Nuts and seeds. Flasxeeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds and the like add an essential fatty acid boost and a delicious crunch to your salad.

Avocado. This delectable fruit is an excellent source of vitamin E and essential fats.

Dressings

Good raw oils to use on salads include olive, flaxseed, grapeseed, sesame and avocado oil. Add some fresh lemon juice, soya sauce, honey, or xylitol for some sweetness and spruce up with herbs and spices.

See Also: Fruits And Veggies: 7 Superfood Smoothie Recipes

Recipes

Spinach and Strawberry Salad (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 10 fresh strawberries cut into halves

Dressing:

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp poppy seeds/sesame seeds
• 2 tsp brown sugar

(Combine the salad ingredients with the dressing)

Oriental Chicken Salad (Serves 4)

• 1 cup coleslaw mix, chopped (carrots and white cabbage)
• 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced
• 1 Tbs. sesame oil

Dressing:

• 2 Tbs. sesame oil
• 2 Tbs. soya sauce
• 2 Tbs lemon juice

(Place the almonds and sesame seeds in a non-stick pan and cook on high heat until golden. Lightly fry the chicken breasts in sesame oil and set aside to cool. Combine the salad ingredients with the almonds, sunflower seeds and chicken and mix in with the dressing).