A Template for the Best Salads
I created this salad template to help you create salad options that will keep you fuller for longer, support your energy levels and nourish your body with necessary nutrients and minerals. Because it is so versatile you won’t get stuck with the same salad every lunchtime! Try as many combos as possible and after a while you’ll be an expert in building delicious, nourishing and satisfying salads.
The template below is simply a guide for you to learn the basis of salad making. There are many more ingredients you can add to your salads and with practice you’ll find your favourite combos! Don’t forget that salads are not only a summer thing, they can be great nourishing options for the winter by simply switching summer vegetables with winter ones, and can be eaten warm.
Why you might feel hungry a few hours after your usual lunchtime salad?
Lettuce and low caloric vegetables are the main ingredient in your salad. Because they are voluminous foods, you’ll feel full right after eating your giant bowl of iceberg lettuce salad. However, coming 3pm, your stomach will be rumbling! Nothing wrong with iceberg lettuce, but because of its 96% water content, only 10kcal per cup and low vitamin and mineral profile, it is certainly not a very nourishing food. Don’t be afraid to add complex carbohydrate to your salads (such as pulses, root vegetables and whole grains), they are rich in fibre which mean they are digested more slowly keeping your fuller for longer while avoiding a spike in blood sugar.
Instead of iceberg lettuce prefer dark leafy greens, the darker the better (more fibre, vitamins and minerals). See options below.
The human body needs more than 40 nutrients to maintain normal physiological activities (namely carbohydrates, protein, fat and micronutrients), and a lack of micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) is defined by the World Health Organisation as “Hidden Hunger”. It refers to hunger symptoms caused by a deficiency in certain micronutrients due to a nutritionally imbalanced diet.
There is not enough protein in your salad. Protein needs to be a key component of your salads as it has been shown to have positive effects on appetite regulation and satiety by decreasing the release of ghrelin (the hunger signalling hormone) and by increasing the secretion of GLP-1, CCK, and PYY which signal satiety. Additionally, amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are essential for growth, repair, immune and hormone functions, collagen production, energy production, blood sugar balance and weight management.
Don’t overdo the proteins, a good portion for a meal would be a palm size amount of animal protein, 3/4 cup of cooked pulses or a handful of nuts/seeds. See options below.
There is no source of healthy fat in your salad. Healthy fats include Monounsaturated fats (Olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds such as almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkin and sesame seeds) and Polyunsaturated fats (Nuts, seeds, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil and oily fish (sardine, mackerel, anchovies, salmon and herring), they include your omega-3 and omega-6 which are essential (your body cannot make them). Healthy fats benefits include supporting optimal cholesterol levels, maintaining blood sugar levels, optimising brain functions and sleep, increasing satiety, flavour enhancement.
Don’t buy store bought dressing! They have a scary long list of ingredients, are filled with additive and sugar/sweeteners, have zero health benefits, and taste pretty bad. Instead make your own, I have added some of my favourite dressings below (with a good dose of healthy fat in all of them!).
Prepare your ingredients in advance for the week ahead.
Batch cook the whole grains, pulses and proteins in advance (on the weekend) and store them in glass containers in the fridge for the week ahead;
Wash the salad in advance and store in the fridge in a glass container with a paper towel to absorb excess water that will damage the leaves;
Prepare 1 or 2 dressings options on small glass jar to just pop them on the salad at lunchtime;
Alternate animal proteins and pulses for more diverse sources of amino acids, fibres and nutrients;
Chop vegetables and ingredients in advance so they can be added easily.
A word on cruciferous vegetables:
Cruciferous vegetables come from the ‘cruciferae’ plant family, also known as brassicas. Rich in vitamins (B’s, C, E, K), calcium, iron, potassium, fibre, flavonoids, indole-3-carbonol (I3C), sulphur compounds called glucosinolates which are:
Anti-inflammatory (due to antioxidants).
Supports liver detoxification (and hormone deactivation e.g. oestrogen metabolism using l3C).
Cancer prevention (DNA protection and repair).
Anti-viral / bacterial, anti-catarrhal (thins respiratory mucus).
Many cruciferous vegetables are in season during autumn and winter making them a great option for winter salads and ideal for respiratory congestion.
SALAD TEMPLATE
Simply choose ONE of each category of ingredients and toss them in a salad bowl with your dressing of choice:
1. Salad base (2 handfuls): rocket, kale, dandelion greens, endives, collard green, baby spinach, watercress, lamb lettuce.
2. Cruciferous vegetables (1 cup steamed, oven roasted or lightly cooked in a pan with extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil): broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage (red or white), kale, brussels sprout, Bok choy.
3. Cooked whole grains (1/2 cup): brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, wholewheat pasta, barley, wholewheat soba noodles. AND/OR roasted/raw root vegetables (1 cup): sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnips, swede.
4. Cooked pulses (3/4 cup): chickpeas, lentils, lentil pasta, black beans, butter beans, kidney beans, edamame, peas, fava beans. OR Cooked animal protein (1 palm size): chicken, turkey, oily fish (sardine, mackerel, salmon, anchovies, herring), 2 eggs – chose organic and free range if possible.
5. Nuts or seeds unsalted (1 tbsp): pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, hempseeds, walnuts, cashew nuts, almonds
Add to taste:
Fresh herbs (1 tbsp chopped): basil, parsley, chives, coriander, thyme, rosemary, spring onions
Fresh garlic (1 clove minced) or red onion or shallots (1 tbsp chopped)
Any other vegetable you like: courgettes, aubergines, peppers, carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beetroot, cucumber, snap peas. You can eat them raw if suitable (grated carrot, beetroot for example) or you can chop them and roast them in the oven at 180˚C with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, rosemary or Italian herbs or paprika powder or cumin powder or garlic, etc.
Other: 6 olives, 1/3 avocado, 2 sundried tomato slices, seaweeds (such as nori sprinkle), 1 tbsp crumbled feta cheese, ½ mozzarella ball, 1 tbsp fresh goat cheese, 1 tbsp sauerkraut, 1 tbsp kimchi.
Salad dressing ideas (each make 4 servings – each serving is 2 tbsp):
Green goddess: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat), 1 cup lightly packed fresh herbs (tender stems are fine): use cilantro, parsley, dill, basil and/or mint, with up to ¼ cup chives or green onion (sliced into ½″ segments), 1 medium clove garlic, roughly chopped, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper, to taste – put all the ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth and green.
Tahini yogurt: 4 Tbsp tahini, 4 Tbsp Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat), 1/2 lemon, juiced, 1½ tsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 or 2 clove garlic (crushed), ¼ tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp paprika powder, 1 pinch (0.4 g) salt
Simple vinaigrette: ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (“with the mother” – unless pregnant), 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste, freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Asian dressing: ⅓ cup reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce, just be sure it’s reduced sodium or it will taste too salty), ¼ cup toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime), 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (scale back or omit if sensitive to spice)
Miso dressing: 1 ½ tbsp miso paste, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 ¼ tbsp honey or maple syrup, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 ½ tsp lime (or lemon) juice, 1 tsp lightly toasted sesame seeds
I hope you will enjoy this salad template and find it useful! I would love if you’d share with me your feedbacks, creations and ideas.
References:
Kris-Etherton, P.M. Hecker, K.D. and Binkoski, A.E. (2004). ‘Polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular health’, Nutrition Reviews, 62 (11), pp. 414-426.
Moon, J and Koh, G (2020). ‘Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss’, Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, 29 (3), pp. 166–173.
Zhao, X. Zhu, M. Ren, X. et al. (2022). ‘A New Technique for Determining Micronutrient Nutritional Quality in Fruits and Vegetables Based on the Entropy Weight Method and Fuzzy Recognition Method’, Foods, 11 (23), pp. 3844.
www.healthline.com
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