A Bowl of Greens, a Lifestyle of Dreams!

The basics of building a super-healthy salad

Start with local, seasonal produce from your farmer’s market or your vegetable vendor, then add protein and a healthy dressing and you’re good to go.Follow this guide daily to optimise your metabolic health, energy and overall well-being!

1. Get your greens on

• Lettuce — The darker or redder, the better — so think romaine and leaf lettuces (vitamin C, folic acid, potassium).

• Leafy greens — Jazz things up with spring mix, baby spinach, beet greens, carrot and reddish greens, spring onions, moringa leaves (beta-carotene, Vitamin C, antioxidants). 

2. Add some crunch

• Celery/ Coriander (vitamin A).

• Cucumber (vitamin C).

• Purple cabbage (vitamins A and C, iron).

• Pea pods (vitamins A and C, iron).

• Broccoli florets (vitamin C).

• Alfalfa sprouts (antioxidants).

• Sunflower, pumpkin, flax or chia seeds (fibre, protein,omega 3 fatty acids).

• Walnuts or almonds (fibre, protein, niacin, omega 3 fattyacids).

• Edamame (vitamin C, iron). 

. Fresh coconut slices (healthy fats)

. Sprouts

. Soaked and cooked millets like jowar, bajra, rajagira, quinoa (fib

Pro tip: Avoid croutons, tortilla strips and chowmein noodles. They’re high in fat and sodium, low in nutrients. 

3. Punch up the protein

• Black beans, mung, chana, rajmah, chickpeas or sprouted pulses and lentils (protein and fibre).

• Hard-boiled eggs.

• Low-fat feta cheese, blue cheese, goat cheese, parmesan or mozzarella (calcium, vitamin D). 

• Tofu (heart-healthy fat, potassium).

Pro tip: Full-fat cheeses are high in saturated fat. Trying pairing small amounts of your favourite cheese with other proteins. 

4. Create some colour

• Red, orange, yellow or green peppers (vitamins C, B1, B2 and B6, folate).

• Red onion (fiber, phytochemicals).

• Pomegranate seeds (vitamins A, C and E, fiber, potassium, calcium, antioxidants).

• Tomatoes (fiber, vitamins A, C and K, potassium, manganese).

• Avocado slices (vitamins and minerals, heart-healthy fat).

• Red beets (folate).

Pro tip: Add no more than 1 tablespoons of corn or peas per serving of salad. They’re high in starch just like bread. 

5. Freshen it up with fruit

• Apple or pear slices (vitamin C, flavonoids).

• Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries (vitamin C, fibre, flavonoids).

Pro tip: Dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries, dates and raisins are higher in sugar than fresh fruit. A little goes a long way!

6. Consult your cupboard

• Black or greek olives (vitamin E, healthy fat).

• Mushrooms (B vitamins, vitamin D).

Pro tip: Remember to factor the salt, often high in canned goods, into your daily sodium intake.

8. Dress it up wisely

• Lemon juice (vitamin C, folate). 

• Lime juice (vitamin C, potassium).

• Balsamic vinegar.

• Olive oil (heart-healthy fat).

. Greek Yoghurt (Calcium and probiotics)

Pro tip: Use more vinegar and citrus, and less oil. Avoid high-calorie, high-fat Ranch,Thousand Island and French dressings. Add curds and convert it to Raita !!

Learning to include salads in your diet:

Try starting with one or two a week. If that’s too much to start with, try experimenting with hearty bowls of grains, beans, egg, sprouts then add as many of the veggies mentioned above as you can. Make a chaat and add vegetables as you desire! Even fruit salads can at least help you get your 2 to 3 daily servings of fruit. Slowly build up your salad to one each day, plus full-meal salads once or twice a week. You’ll soon have more energy and feel better than ever - you’ll be surprised at how you’ll begin to feel good about what you’re eating — and how creative you can get.

Final tip: If you really don’t love salad, veggies in any form are fine — just make sure you get those 4 servings in any way you can!