Salad Satisfaction
I'm sure you've heard "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", right? Well, for me it's a salad a day. When truly observing how my body feels after what I consume I've noticed that I feel considerably better on days where I have a salad for either lunch or dinner. Fresh raw fruits and veggies have a big impact on how I feel each day. But wait, salads are so boring... not if you do it right!
Additions like avocado and nuts help you stay full longer and provide "good fats" to improve cognitive function. Adding a hard boiled egg is a simple way to add more flavor and protein. A couple of my salad go-tos are either something that contains Asian influences or are mixed greens with a balsamic.
An Asian-inspired salad for me may be comprised of: a lettuce and spinach blend, mandarin orange segments, baked wonton strips, red bell pepper, peas, shrimp or chicken breast, and a Thai peanut or mandarin/ginger dressing of choice.
A mixed greens salad I would make has: romaine lettuce, dino kale, soy beans, dried cranberries, pepperoncinis, grape tomatoes, cucumber, croutons, bell pepper, sometimes blue cheese or egg, and a balsamic dressing of choice. Basically whatever I have on hand goes into this salad...
You may have noticed a theme with the two examples provided; they both contain bell pepper. I tend to go for red or orange bell pepper with many of my meals. This is because I look for ways to incorporate more vitamin C into my diet, especially with my salads. Simply explained, vitamin C and iron (Fe) like to be "packaged" together in the body which in turn helps enhance and increase dietary iron absorption. As someone who rarely eats red meat this is very important to me so I try and make a point in consuming vitamin C with my iron-rich foods.
All in all, salads can definitely be fun and it's just all about exploring with the ingredients you have and testing out what your preferences are. Don't be afraid to go bold when creating flavor combos, you might discover something you love and that leaves you feeling completely satisfied!
Additions like avocado and nuts help you stay full longer and provide "good fats" to improve cognitive function. Adding a hard boiled egg is a simple way to add more flavor and protein. A couple of my salad go-tos are either something that contains Asian influences or are mixed greens with a balsamic.
An Asian-inspired salad for me may be comprised of: a lettuce and spinach blend, mandarin orange segments, baked wonton strips, red bell pepper, peas, shrimp or chicken breast, and a Thai peanut or mandarin/ginger dressing of choice.
A mixed greens salad I would make has: romaine lettuce, dino kale, soy beans, dried cranberries, pepperoncinis, grape tomatoes, cucumber, croutons, bell pepper, sometimes blue cheese or egg, and a balsamic dressing of choice. Basically whatever I have on hand goes into this salad...
You may have noticed a theme with the two examples provided; they both contain bell pepper. I tend to go for red or orange bell pepper with many of my meals. This is because I look for ways to incorporate more vitamin C into my diet, especially with my salads. Simply explained, vitamin C and iron (Fe) like to be "packaged" together in the body which in turn helps enhance and increase dietary iron absorption. As someone who rarely eats red meat this is very important to me so I try and make a point in consuming vitamin C with my iron-rich foods.
All in all, salads can definitely be fun and it's just all about exploring with the ingredients you have and testing out what your preferences are. Don't be afraid to go bold when creating flavor combos, you might discover something you love and that leaves you feeling completely satisfied!
To honor of National Salad Month, May, I definitely celebrated what is fresh and real. Thank you Christopher Columbus for introducing lettuce to the New World in the 15th century.
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