How to: Salad, Stronger

This may seem like a very silly topic, but it is the most common one my clients struggle with. When I check in to see how things are going, more times than not, I get this response: "Really well, I had a salad for lunch yesterday!" Awesome, great! Load up on those greens. But then I look at their log and they ate romaine lettuce with globs of Caesar dressing. *Insert face palm emoji*

Salads make a great meal, especially during the hot months of summer. But there is a proper way to build them. You want to get the most nutrition out of the bed of greens as you can. So I thought I would break it down for you!

Eat yo greens! Load up on a variety of greens for your base:

Spinach - chalk full of vitamins & minerals

Kale - high in protein & potassium

Lettuce - high water content, low in calories, high in vitamin A

Add some protein:

Hard boiled egg - 6g

Chopped ham - 2oz 10g

Grilled chicken - 1oz 9g

Tofu - 3oz 8g

Almonds - 1oz 6g

Walnuts - 1oz 5g

Edamame - 1oz 3g

Stock up on veggies, the more the merrier:

Cucumber

Carrot

Bell peppers

Corn

Broccoli

Peas

Beets

Clearly the list just keeps going. Pack in those nutrients!

Last but not least, top it off with some friendly fats! Now, the purpose of dressing is to add a source of fat to your salad. But that doesn't mean drench it in Ranch. A vinegar or oil based dressing is going to be your best bet!

Vinaigrette dressing

Olive oil & vinegar

Olives

Nuts/seeds

Avocado

Cheese

Getting the most out of your salads will help fill you up so you're not starving in an hour. How many times have you had a salad and an hour later you think "I should have had pizza instead"? Pack it with optimal nutrition and your stomach will thank you for caring enough to fill up on whole foods!