If you’re anything like us, as the days get longer and warmer, you’re no longer craving the heavy comfort foods of winter. You’re looking for delicious and light morsels that won’t weigh you down.
Enter the salad.
Long considered something you have alongside a meal, the humble salad is actually a great meal in itself. With a few little additions, this healthy and light meal can keep you filled up for just as long as your usual lunchtime sandwich – and be much better for you!
Add some protein.
Make sure there is some protein in your salad to fill you up. We love lightly seasoned and grilled chicken, cut into strips and tossed into the salad. But you can also try tuna and hard boiled eggs for your own tuna nicoise, salmon, steak or even tofu.
Get some nuts
Nuts add an interesting texture to your salad and are full of goodness. Almonds make an interesting addition, as do walnuts and cashews. They are full of essential fatty acids, so are really good for you. They are best raw, so chop up a small handful – go easy, they can be calorific! – and sprinkle them over your salad.
Go raw.
Raw vegetables are packed full of nutrients and a salad is the perfect place to show them off. While protein and nuts are great additions to your salad, the majority of it should be made up for leaves – spinach, watercress, rocket – and vegetables. Try and get in as many colours as possible with onions, peppers and even pomegranate. This is the best and easiest way to achieve your five-a-day.
Ditch the dressing.
Dressings, while delicious, can really bump up the calorie content of your otherwise super healthy salad. The Caesar dressing in a chicken Caesar salad is the biggest offender, but there are few truly ‘light’ dressings as the light versions are often full of added sugar to boost the flavour. Try going without the dressing and enhancing the flavour with more juicy veg!
If you want more advice on a healthy diet this summer, give us a call on 020 8332 6184 to see when Julie Deeks is available.
