May is National Salad Month! “Boring, boring, boring”, or “I’m sick of salads,” is what I usually hear.
Most of the time, I find people have trouble understanding the best way to make a salad that actually has benefits for the body. Let’s gather ideas and talk about how to make a healthy and flavorful salad packed with good nutrients.
Here is what I recommend and why. First, if you want your salad to be a meal, and it’s a great idea to think that way, have it include a good amount of phytonutrients, micronutrients, and protein. Try some chicken, beef, eggs, fish, any poultry, or seafood on top. The base can be spinach, romaine, bok choy, arugula, watercress, escarole, butter crunch lettuce, kale, and endive are all good options and all offer different taste and texture.
The more of the following you can add on a regular basis the better….tomato, avocado, almond or walnut, any kind of sprouts, broccoli, peppers, carrots, artichoke, beets, and any type of fruit will help change the taste up a bit and add more vitamins and minerals.
Finally, the dressing ideally should be a cold-pressed olive oil and some fresh-squeezed lemon. If you can’t do that yet , work up to it (your taste buds will adapt and things that are bland to you now will end up tasting very flavorful) so you don’t add a bunch of unnatural additives and poor nutrient oils to a healthy salad. Mix it up each time so you can keep the taste fresh and desire to eat them often.
Let me know what you think. It’s so healthy…..eat them often and have fun with new combinations. Let me know what you have made so we can all help make others healthier.
About the author: Rick Began is the Fitness Director at Western Reserve Racquet & Fitness Club. He has more than a decade of experience in the fitness industry. In addition to eating healthy foods and exercising, Rick enjoys working in his yard, playing with his dogs and spending time with his lovely wife, Erica.