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When it comes to making meals out of salads, the first thing that comes to our mind is weight loss. But like any other food, you should also take note of the dos and don’ts of it to prepare a healthy version of salad. Before we begin to understand the do’s and don’ts of a salad, let us first discuss what a salad is because it is often misunderstood and hence, the purpose gets lost sometimes. We’ll tell you here how to prepare a healthy salad.
What is salad?
The term salad is derived from Salata, which means salted water or brine. Salad is supposed to be a dish containing natural ingredients which are natural and at least one of the vegetables has to be eaten raw. While there is no dearth of the types of salads available in today’s time – ranging from garden salads to main course salads to dessert salads – their main aim should be to provide fibre and vitamins and primarily act as roughage.
Let us discuss what is going wrong with salads these days and how to correct them.
What not to add to the salad:
Salads are inherently supposed to be healthy and not supposed to add unnecessary calories. Adding salad dressings on salads for taste and appearance is doing just the opposite. It has extra trans fats and other preservatives which negate the value of the healthy portions of the bowl.
Adding dairy products such as butter and cheese should be a no-no, as it adds to the fats and extra carbohydrates which is unhealthy.
Putting mayonnaise is a favourite activity even for the kids! But it is extremely unhealthy as they are high in fat content. So people who are on the lookout for weight control, should not include mayonnaise at any cost.
With fusion foods on the rise, meat is being included in salads to address the protein aspects. Although supplementing it with certain pulses would be better, as not to risk the intake of extra calories.
Macaroni and pasta salads should not be even called salads, given the refined carbs present in the “healthy” bowl.
What should definitely be included in the salad:
Nuts! Yes, including dry fruits and nuts not only make the healthy bowl tastier but also provide an immense amount of fibre.
Try to include as many vegetables that can be eaten raw as possible. For example, beetroots not only add colour to the salad but are very rich in iron. Similarly, bell peppers!
Including fruits and honey act as natural sweeteners as well as enhance the nutritional value of the salad.
Including certain pulses, sprouts and beans instead of meat for proteins would do well too.
Adding seeds like pumpkin seeds adds to the crunch in the salad as well as nutrition!
