Salads are among the healthiest meals that you can create for yourself to maintain or lose weight. However, you could be undermining yourself if your not tossing the right greens into your bowl. Up your nutritious bites by adding darker greens to your meal versus lighter ones. Here’s why:
Kale is not a common leaf eaten by most people, but it totes the most nutrition than other greens. Stock full of vitamins A, C, K and calcium, this vegetable is a great way to serve up your daily offering of nutrition in one bite. Did we also mention that it’s a good source of potassium?
Even though spinach is among the most hated vegetables, it’s goodness to your heart is why you should give it a second chance. With only 20 calories per serving, spinach provides you with folate, which assists in the production of new cells. Great for salads, spinach provides more nutrients when its cooked than when its raw.
Iceberg lettuce is among the least nutritious greens even though its consumed the most! It’s bland to the taste and guess what? It’s made mostly of water. If your new to greens it a good item to start off with, however as you slowly accustom to darker items, you may want to consider chucking lettuce off your salad leaf. If you must have it, then opt for Romaine lettuce instead. It is high in vitamin A and much crispier for you.
Another popular green is broccoli, which Americans consume 6 pounds of each year. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin A and potassium, but is often ignored in salads. Try them with cashews or mushrooms to add more diversity to your green meals.
Now, all because you’ve chucked a whole bunch of things together in a bowl and threw in some green leaves doesn’t mean your salad’s healthy. If you’re solid on eating greener than make sure to employ these tips the next time you think of tossing one up!
- Stop buying pre-made salads. Your better off making one yourself. Those pre-packaged greens are often stuffed with high-calorie dressings and left over dark meats. Make your own salads and substitute meats (like chicken) for eggs, tuna or fiber-rich beans.
- Use the “2/3” rule to maintain balance. Even though the toppings may be the yummiest part of a salad don’t overdo it. Instead, make sure that two-thirds of your bowl is filled with greens and veggies. The last third goes to your fun ingredients like nuts, eggs, and croutons.
- You don’t need dressing on the side. Even though you think your saving yourself a ration of calories by ordering your dressing on the side in a restaurant, it won’t mean anything if your constantly dipping your salad in it. If you know your eating a salad when you go out, be that chick and bring your own. Or ask for lighter options like vinaigrette.
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