The Everyday Salad
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If you’ve been following along here for any length of time, you probably know that I preach ‘a smoothie a day promotes health to stay.’ Well, I’m still a believer in that philosophy but I’m also a huge believer in eating salad everyday too! The health benefits of salads are pretty much endless but I love them for a few key reasons:
They are a great source of fiber- Most Americans don’t consume nearly enough fiber and that can cause a ton of digestive issues. I’ve noticed that when I eat a salad daily, i’m more regular and my digestion is better throughout the day.
Raw vegetables provide a ton of nutrients- Cooked veggies are great but when heating fruits/veggies, you lose some of the nutrients. By eating raw veggies everyday, you are getting as much nutrients as possible.
Protects against heart disease- Studies show that eating at least 1-2 cups of leafy greens daily will help to protect against heart disease. The antioxidants and nutrients in salads just can’t be beat!
Here’s how I like to make my salads:
Greens- I like to use a mixture of spinach, mixed romaine, kale, and arugula!
Cooked Protein- my protein of choice for salads is either sautéed tofu or roasted chickpeas but you can definitely add a meat option in there as well. I like to include a cooked ingredient to my salad because it keeps the entire meal from being cold.
Healthy fat- nothing Beats 1/2 of an avocado in your salad! Thats my favorite way to incorporate a healthy fat but you can also use nuts/seeds.
Citrus- I love squeezing 1/2 of lemon into my homemade dressing for my daily salad.
Toppings- I love adding chopped carrots and cherry tomatoes to the top!
Obviously you can add whatever you would like to your salads but these are just my go-to’s. I try to keep these ingredients in hand at all times so I can whip up a yummy salad quickly and without much thought. I also make my own salad dressing weekly to keep costs down and to avoid all the additive in store-bought dressing. Here is my go-to recipe for salad dressing:
Everyday Salad Dressing
14 cup avocado or olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbs lemon juice
2 cloves raw garlic
salt & pepper to taste
I hope this inspires you to add more salads into your daily diet! I’d love to see what salads you create! If you make one, take a picture and tag me on insta @livewellwithlo !
