Wellness Articles

Salads 101

Patients are often coming to see me on their lunch or way home from work, and as such, we have a lot of conversations about lunch or dinner ideas.  Here is a great starter to making salads a complete meal as opposed to a side dish.

Whether you choose one type of lettuce or mix several together, you have many choices. It is often best to choose a mild lettuce as a base for your salad and then choose crisp greens and accent greens for adding texture and flavour.

Base
Mild Lettuces or Greens
• Red or Green Leaf
• Romaine
• Spinach

Crisp Greens
• Cabbage
• Iceberg lettuce

Accents
Tart, Peppery, or Bitter Greens
• Arugula
• Belgian Endive
• Broccoli Rabe
• Collards
• Curly Endive
• Dandelion Greens
• Escarole
• Kale
• Radicchio
• Turnip Greens
• Watercress

Toppings

Once you’ve selected your lettuce base, choose a few complementary toppings for your salad. Just about any raw vegetable will taste great. Bits of seeds, nuts, fruits, and cheese work well too.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Apples
• Avocado
• Bacon
• Beans
• Beets
• Blue cheese
• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Croutons
• Cucumber
• Dried cranberries
• Fennel
• Gorgonzola
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Grilled Onions
• Gruyere
• Herbs
• Jicama
• Lentils
• Mango
• Olives
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Radishes
• Raisins
• Raw or Roasted Peppers
• Spring onions
• Sprouts
• Toasted nuts
• Toasted seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)
• Tomatoes
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini squash

Make your salad into a meal! Top with your choice of cooked protein – such as tofu, egg, chicken, meat, fish, or shellfish. Serve with a complementary dressing and whole grain bread for a satisfying, nutritious meal. Leftovers can make perfect salad toppers!

Add dressing to salads just before serving, unless directed otherwise in a specific recipe. Otherwise, the dressing could cause your lettuce to wilt or become soggy. Place your ingredients in a large bowl — about twice the size of your salad. Starting with a small amount of dressing, pour over the salad and toss thoroughly to coat each piece. You can always add more as you go, but starting small helps ensure that you don’t drown the salad.

Enjoy,

The Vitality Team

• Posted: August 27, 2014
• |  by: Dr. Crysta Serne
• |  Categories: Recipes For Health
• |  Tags: Healthy,  Nutrition,  Recipe,  Salad,  Vegetables