Description

Eating salads is a great way to load up on veggies and stick to a healthy diet. But not all salads are created equal. After all, massive salads with high-calorie ingredients and dressings (the kind you typically find at a fast food restaurant) can easily derail your weight loss goals. On the other hand, skimpy salads that lack protein and satisfying ingredients will leave you feeling hungry.

What should you include in a salad to ensure it has the right mix of satisfying and healthy ingredients? Keep reading below to learn exactly what to include to create the perfect detox salad.  

A balanced salad base

To keep your detox salad healthy, choose greens as your base instead of pasta or potatoes, which contain more fat and calories. Select a few flavourful greens and then add mild, crispy greens to create extra volume (and a satisfying crunch). Here are some of our favourite options:

• Soft, flavourful greens: Spinach, chard, arugula, mustard greens, mache, watercress, and beet greens
• Mild, crispy greens: Bibb, romaine, iceberg, escarole, endive, radicchio, leaf lettuce, frisée, and cabbage

Healthy fat

A detox salad isn’t complete without a healthy fat. Check out these delicious examples:

• Avocado: 1–2 tablespoons
• Olive oil: 1–2 tablespoons
• Olives: 5–­­­­10 olives

Remember that because healthy fats contain calories, it’s important to add them in moderation.

Lean protein

Want your detox salad to be your main entrée? Be sure to add a lean source of protein that will fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied long after you finish eating it.

Here’s what we recommend when it comes to selecting a protein for your detox salad bowl:

• Meat: Grilled or marinated chicken or turkey, seasoned extra-lean ground turkey, lean steak, roast pork, and sliced deli roast beef
• Seafood: Salmon, canned or fresh tuna, shrimp, anchovies, and sardines
• Grains: Quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, and barley

Healthy flavour

Salads can be just as flavourful as any other meal. The key is adding flavour in the right ways. One of the best ways to add flavour to a detox salad bowl is to add fresh chopped herbs. Here are some excellent options:

• Basil
• Cilantro
• Tarragon
• Dill
• Chives
• Parsley

The right dressing

A salad isn’t complete without a tasty dressing. When adding dressing to your detox salad, measure out the quantity carefully. This will keep you from compromising the nutritional value of your salad by adding too much dressing.

Delicious ingredients

The best part of making a detox salad bowl is choosing all the fun, delicious ingredients that you get to add to it. Here are the top ingredients we include in our nutrient-packed detox salad bowl:

Arugula

An edible plant native to Greece, Italy, and Turkey, arugula is loaded with nutritional value. In particular, it contains antioxidants, detoxifying enzymes, fibre, folate, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin B6. Arugula enhances heart health by preventing cholesterol from sticking to arteries, improving blood vessel function, lowering blood pressure, and reducing inflammation. It also helps to keep your blood sugar under control.

Baked sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes don’t just taste good. They also have a range of benefits for your health. Here are some of the important ones:

• Science indicates that sweet potatoes may reduce low blood sugar and insulin resistance among people with diabetes.
• Sweet potatoes are high in potassium, which may help you regulate your blood sugar and improve your overall health. Indeed, researchers have found a link between eating lots of potassium and being 20% less likely to die from all causes.
• The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes may protect against both prostate cancer and colon cancer. Furthermore, it may boost your immunity.
• Loaded with fibre, sweet potatoes keep you regular. This prevents constipation and enhances digestive health.
• Present in sweet potatoes, choline supports learning, sleep, muscle movement, and memory.
• Because of its vitamin C and vitamin E content, sweet potatoes may maintain eye health and prevent degenerative damage.

Avocado

The fruit of the avocado tree (Persea americana), avocado is full of healthy, monounsaturated fat (considered a "good" fat) that gives it a creamy texture. It contains almost 20 key nutrients, including vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K1, copper, and potassium. Here’s how these nutrients benefit your health:

• Vitamin B6: Transforms food into energy.
• Folate (B9): Promotes normal cell function and tissue growth, particularly during pregnancy.
• Vitamin C: Boosts immunity and skin health.
• Vitamin E: has antioxidant effects.
• Vitamin K1: Supports blood clotting.
• Copper: May be important for heart health given that low copper intake is linked to adverse effects on the heart.
• Potassium: Keeps blood pressure and heart health in check.

Enjoy all of these ingredients in our filling detox salad bowl. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• chicken meat strips (marinated and baked)
• baked sweet potatoes
• arugula
• lettuce
• chopped basil or cilantro
• raw sauerkraut (optional)
• beets
• turnips
• cucumber
• tomatoes
• avocado

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together and add your preferred dressing.

Tips & Tricks

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