Think it’s always good to have a salad? Think again.
When you think of dieting or getting healthier, the first healthy food that comes to mind is usually a salad.
Isn’t salad always a healthy option?
Dieters, fitness enthusiasts, and those just wanting to get healthier often order a salad as their meal, always assuming it is the most nutritious option on a menu. Unfortunately, all too often this is not the case.
The Salad Myth
Salad can be a healthy option... but often it is not. Two major factors come into play when talking about salads...
- Eating Out - Most salads you find in restaurants are covered with croutons, cheeses, candied nuts, sweetened dried cranberries, and are slathered in salad dressings that outdoes any good you would’ve been getting from the actual lettuce and vegetables... sigh
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Eating at Home - Salads made at home can be as healthy as you would like them to be. That being said, as a holistic nutritionist for over twenty years, I have never once walked into a client’s home and not found store-bought salad dressings in the refrigerator.
Every dressing bottle I have ever read - even the so-called “healthy” ones - contains refined seed or vegetable oils, sugars, fillers, gums, and preservatives. Without realizing it, you are literally covering one of the healthiest meals on the planet with one of the most UNHEALTHY toppings on the planet... double sigh.
If your goal is to lose weight and get healthy, a salad is ABSOLUTELY one of the healthiest things you can eat, but it has to be made properly.
How To Make a Healthy Salad
Making a high-quality salad does not have to be boring or complicated.
For a delicious, easy salad, I recommend the following tips:
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Start with a base of vibrant leafy greens, like kale, spinach, crunchy romaine, or arugula.
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This may sound counterintuitive, but add in your favorite healthy carbohydrate of choice. Your body needs healthy carbs for energy, so enjoy them guilt-free. Quinoa, white/sweet potato, or brown/white rice are all great options here.
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Top off with your favorite colorful veggies. You can go with cherry tomatoes, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, shredded carrots, cucumbers, artichokes, green beans, zucchini, grated beets, red onion, or radishes. The list is endless here and is dependent on what you like.
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Add in your protein of choice. If you’re plant-based you can add sunflower seeds, lentils chickpeas, or black beans. If you eat animal fats, feel free to add in a hard-boiled egg. Make sure all animal fats are high-quality. Look for grass-fed beef, pastured/organic chicken/eggs, or wild-caught fish.
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For some extra nutrients, garnish your salad with fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, oregano, or parsley. This is a really simple way to elevate the flavor of salad.
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For dressing, skip the store-bought options laden with preservatives. Instead use ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, avocado, and Dijon mustard. Tahini also makes a great dressing base or you can make a simple, healthy balsamic vinaigrette with just a few ingredients. This may sound complicated, but it’s actually really simple. And once you start making dressing at home, you’ll never want the processed dressing ever again.
*Bonus Nutritionist Tips-
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Avoid putting fruit in your salad. Skip out on things like dried cranberries. They are usually slathered in seed oils and refined sugars. Plus, when combined with fats (even healthy fats) it can cause bloating, gas, and weight gain... food combos are key here.
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Avoid candied nuts for the same reason.
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Avoid adding all dairy from parmesan, mozzarella, feta cheese, goat cheese, & blue cheese to your salad. Dairy can cause inflammation and weight gain.
Get more in-depth nutritionist tips like this to help lose weight and keep losing weight with The Stay Skinny Method.
What are Some Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes?
Dousing your once-healthy kale salad in store-bought dressing is the best way to make your meal totally unhealthy.
The best salad dressings I’ve seen are homemade. I know what you’re thinking—making your own dressing sounds like a hassle...
While it is an extra step, having your dressing pre-made is a life hack to help you stay on track and avoid icky ingredients.
Plus, it’s completely versatile and can be used over a salad, as a marinade sauce for your main dish, or as a dipping sauce for your side dish of fried. You can even drizzle it over a grain bowl.
Here’s one of my favorite healthy salad dressing recipes
No-Oil Herb Dressing
Ingredients
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1 small zucchini
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1 handful celery
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1/2 bunch fresh basil
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1/2 bunch fresh chives or fresh dill (or both if you’d like)
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juice of 1 lemon
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1 TB apple cider vinegar
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1 Medjool date, pitted or 1 TB honey
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2 TB raw pumpkin seeds
Directions
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Put all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
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Enjoy over your healthy recipe of choice. It’s totally versatile and can work great over a cucumber salad or a chicken salad if you eat animal fats. You can even use it as an oil base over a brown rice pasta salad.
For more recipes like this, I recommend the Stay Skinny Method™—my proven weight loss system built on the foundation of enjoying delicious food while losing weight.
With 38 healthy recipes (including salads), an eating-out guide, and a healthy swaps list, you'll have all the support you need to lose weight and live a healthier life.
How To Store Homemade Salad Dressing
Homemade dressings made a great addition to any healthy salad recipe.
They can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
Be sure to store in a glass jar with a tight lid. If freezing, store in a plastic tubberwear with a tight lid.
The Stay Skinny Method™ for Better Health
When I created the Stay Skinny Method™, I tried to take into account situations like this that would come up for customers trying to succeed and healthy eating is for sure one of those hurdles.
The key to a truly healthy salad is all about the right ingredients and making mindful choices. Get rid of the unhealthy toppings and processed dressings. Opt for real,simple whole foods instead.
Ready to elevate your healthy eating game? The Stay Skinny Method™ is the answer to reframing transforming your mind, body, and palate to support the healthiest version of you.
