People often think that eating a salad for a meal will leave them feeling hungry and unsatisfied. On the contrary, if you add the right mix of ingredients so that your salad is balanced and packed with not only vegetables, but also protein and some healthy fat. A balanced salad is filling and can help you maintain steady blood sugar and energy levels far longer than a less healthy meal choice. The fiber, protein and fat in a balanced salad are what keep us feeling satisfied.
This was my salad today:
Vegetables:
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Baby spinach
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Avocado
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Carrots
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Cauliflower
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Persian cucumber
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Mini orange bell pepper
Protein:
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Smoked turkey
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Walnuts
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Hummus
Healthy Fat:
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Walnuts
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Some from the tahini in the hummus
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Drizzle of olive oil
Other optional additions:
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¼ cup of leftover grain such as brown rice or faro
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Cut up some leftover sweet potato
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Add some crumbled feta cheese or sprinkle in some shredded parmesan
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¼ cup beans or lentils
Protein options:
You can swap out any other protein for the smoked turkey – canned tuna or salmon, tofu, crumbled veggie burger, some grilled chicken or steak or salmon, hard boiled egg, beans or lentils - whatever you have around.
Nuts and seeds:
Vary your salad nuts and seeds – walnuts one day, slivered almonds the next. Pistachios work nicely. So do sunflower seeds.
Dressing:
Keep it simple with olive oil and vinegar or lemon, or try a tahini dressing or even just hummus and some vinegar as dressing.
Vegetables:
Variety is key so experiment with putting different vegetables into your salads – raw or cooked, such as leftover roasted vegetables.
Stay tuned for more salad ideas!
I inevitably recommend at least a few – ok, more than a few - specific Trader Joe's products for all of my clients – so why not start sharing them with everyone! These are healthy, easy foods and ingredients that make excellent additions to a healthy diet.
Here are some of my current favorites and regulars on my Trader Joe's grocery shopping list:
Produce:
- Persian cucumbers
- A head of cauliflower
- A bunch of broccoli or bag of florets
- A bag of organic arugula
- A box of berries – organic if they look good and the price is reasonable, otherwise conventional
- A bag of organic apples
- A bag of Sky Valley Heirloom navel oranges when they have them in stock – the best!
- A mesh bag of the small avocados
- A bag of the mini sweet bell peppers (a mix of red, yellow and orange)
Other aisles: read more...
On May 20, 2016 the FDA announced some welcome changes to the Nutrition Facts labels on the foods we buy and eat. What are the changes and what do they look like?
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Bold, larger font for “Calories,” “servings per container,” and “Serving size.”
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Required addition of actual amount and percent Daily Value of vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium.
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A more clear explanation of what Daily Value means: “The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.”
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MY FAVORITE: “Added Sugar” in grams and as percent Daily Value will be required on labels.
Do your salads leave you feeling bored - and hungry? Are you doing the same old lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes? Read on for ideas about how to make your salads exciting, delicious, healthy, and satisfying.
This week's Top 5 Salad Ingredients:
Dark leafy greens:
- Watercress, romaine, spinach, arugula, mache, kale, baby greens, etc.
- Mix and match.
- The darker the greens the more nutrient-packed they are – watercress tops that list.
When you’re in need of a snack – and I do recommend one to two snacks per day between meals – protein is the way to go. Protein-packed foods will help you feel more satisfied and you won’t get the blood sugar spike then crash that result from eating carbohydrate-based snacks. The snack should be protein rich and include some healthy fat plus vegetables and/or fruit.
Top 5 Protein-Packed Snacks:
- Hardboiled egg – pure and simple. Munch on some cut-up raw or lightly cooked veggies too for crunch and fiber.
- Nuts and greek yogurt: Stir ½ oz unsalted almonds (about 10-12 depending on their size) or walnuts (about 7 halves) into ½ cup plain nonfat greek yogurt. Add some berries or other fruit and you’re set. read more...
Allegra Burton, MPH, RDN
Nutrition with Allegra
310-429-0205
Santa Monica, CA
