Salads are undoubtedly one of the star dishes of the summer, a time when we seek freshness on warm days. However, not all salads are healthy; they can contain many undesirable calories and nutrients in the daily diet. Therefore, we leave the keys to achieve a satisfying and nutritious salad, perfect for the summer.
Create your salad with food and not with products
The main key to achieving a quality salad is to base its preparation on real food, on fresh ingredients that are not labeled.
That is to say, we recommend above all to avoid poor quality and ultra-processed ones in our salad, since they can transform it into a totally unhealthy preparation and not advisable for a balanced diet.
Choose a fresh vegetable base
If we want freshness for hot days, without a doubt it is best to choose a fresh vegetable base for our summer salad.
In addition, the fruits and vegetables that we can use, preferably fresh, will provide water, fiber and volume to the plate without adding too many calories. This undoubtedly translates into more satiety and beneficial nutrients for the body.
We can use various green leaves as a base, or tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, carrot or other fresh vegetable ingredients and, if possible, seasonal.
Includes a lean protein source
Proteins are the nutrient that produces the most satiety in the body, therefore, they cannot be missing in our salad if it is going to constitute a single dish for a summer meal.
If we are omnivores we can go to lean meats such as cooked chicken or turkey breast and in pieces, we can even take advantage of leftovers from a previous meal in this case. We can also include various fish or seafood, as well as eggs and fresh cheeses in our salad to add protein to them.
Otherwise, we can go to legumes, seeds or nuts, sources of excellent vegetable proteins.
Add fiber and ingredients that require chewing
Fiber is, along with proteins, one of the nutrients that produces the most satiety in the body. Therefore, if we are looking for salads that effectively calm hunger, we cannot stop adding it.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are a source of fiber, but we can obtain even more of this nutrient by incorporating nuts, seeds, legumes or whole grains.
Likewise, these last ingredients demand chewing and the more we chew the more we get satiated. Therefore, if we want a nutritious but filling salad, fiber should not be lacking in it.
Dress your salads with healthy fats and homemade sauces
Fats are part of the macronutrients and are necessary in our body. However, it is essential to choose quality ingredients to incorporate into the salad.
The ideal is to add unsaturated fats beneficial for the human body, which we can obtain through vegetable oils, especially extra virgin olive oil, or from nuts, seeds, avocado, olives or fish.
If we are going to use a sauce, we recommend avoiding commercial options and instead preparing homemade dressings or sauces that can range from a classic vinaigrette to guacamole, lactonese, green goddess sauce or other preparations to season our salad.
With all these premises we can achieve a fresh, satisfying and nutritious dish to incorporate into the diet in summer, take care of health and effectively calm hunger with its consumption.