blog #34 how to eat a salad

How to eat a HEALTHFUL salad involves picking nutrient dense toppings.

Spinach is a good start

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (30.0 g) 1 bunch (340.0 g) 1 leaf (10.0 g) 1 package (10 oz) (284.0 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 7 Calories from Fat 1

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.1g 0%

Saturated Fat 0.0g 0%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 24mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 1.1g 0%

Dietary Fiber 0.7g 3%

Sugars 0.1g

Protein 0.9g

Vitamin A 56% • Vitamin C 14% Calcium 3% • Iron 5%

Nutrient-dense foods have a high nutrient/calorie ratio.

Salads are a great way to get your daily dose of raw vegetables from different colors and textures like carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. Salads contents should be nutrition dense which means that they are rich in nutrients when compared to their calorie content.

Non nutrient dense food examples are iceburg lettuce which provides no calories or nutritive value.

If you load up on a salad with cheeses, croutons and an overload on protein then the nutritional value diminishes as the caloric level increases. (shown below is a BAD CHOICE!!!)

And the dressing…oh forget about it.

I recommend: choose toppings that have a high water content like :

Cucumber

Tomato

Examples of nutrient dense foods are :

Spinach

Beans

Broccoli

Whole grains

For satiating toppings choose omega 3 fatty acids containing foods like:

Olives

Olive oil

flax seed

So you still think you need a lot of protein ?

unless you are an athlete like a bodybuilder you don’t need a high intake of protein. Veggies offer protein as well as beans, so if you need to add meat or a meat substitute measure it, or be consciousness of how much and what you are eating.

choose :

Lean protein sources like tuna

boneless skinless grilled or steamed chicken

tofu (shown below and such a good looking salad!)

and about salad dressings.....stay tuned that’s a whole different blog.