Many people eat salads as a meal replacement for weight loss or health management. By adding toppings to a vibrant green salad, you can healthily intake various nutrients along with vitamins and minerals. However, the careless dressings and toppings we use can be problematic. In particular, we need to be cautious about the calories from salt, sugar, and fats in dressings. Here are ways to eat salad healthier.
◆ Healthy Dressing? Olive Oil, Vinegar, Lemon Juice
Most store-bought dressings are high in calories and loaded with salt and sugar. There are healthier salad dressings. By using olive oil, which contains heart-healthy unsaturated fatty acids, and adding balsamic or red wine vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, etc., you can enjoy a healthy salad. If you want to add a bit of flavor, just finish it off with a touch of mustard, honey, or a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
◆ Thousand Island Dressing, Watch Out for High Calories!
Thousand Island dressing has a higher sodium and saturated fat intake than you might think. You can easily tell by its apricot-colored thick dressing that it is one of the most common dressings. It is made by mixing mayonnaise with tomato ketchup and adding finely chopped herbs like parsley and pickles. While it tastes good, it is high in calories. If you are eating salad for weight control, it is effective to avoid it.
◆ Dark Leafy Greens are Healthier
The most commonly used vegetable in salads is lettuce. However, dark leafy greens contain more vitamins and minerals than lettuce. Spinach, kale, etc. have more than 10 times the vitamin A and C content that helps boost immunity compared to lettuce. To add flavor, texture, and color, you can use a variety of vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers.
◆ Protein Boost with Chicken and Seafood
While you can use fried chicken for a delicious salad, it is not a desirable method if your goal is dieting or improving health. If the purpose of eating salad is weight control or health, you should boldly give up crispy fried ingredients. Such ingredients are likely to lead to weight gain.
If you boil or grill chicken or seafood and add it to your salad, you can enjoy a healthy salad that provides protein and curbs hunger. Protein takes time to digest, so it keeps you feeling full longer. Boiling or grilling chicken breast, salmon, shrimp, etc. also harmonizes well with the salad's flavors.
◆ Add Nutrition with Nuts and Seeds Toppings
To make your salad more abundant and healthy, you can add toppings. Nuts and seeds are toppings that provide protein, dietary fiber, and healthy fats. You can also top with cheese to help with calcium intake, but be mindful of the calorie and sodium content. When using dried fruits, choose those that are not sugar-coated and similarly watch out for calories.
