Spring salads are healthy and tasty but it’s easy to get stuck in a salad routine and ditch this wholesome meal. I love spring salads and always try to make them more delicious and fun so that I never get bored of eating them. Eating the same salad each day won’t help you meet your health and weight loss goals. Salads are chock-full of powerful antioxidants and essential nutrients. Including them in your eating plan boosts your metabolism, increases your energy levels and has a positive impact on your well-being. Try out some of these easy ways to make your spring salad fun so you can enjoy its health benefits and jazz up your salad routine.
1. Add crunchy ingredients
Who doesn’t like crunchy salads? The perfect salad should definitely contain crunchy ingredients. The right balance of crunch helps you eat your salad for pleasure and health. Use cabbage, celery, apple, radishes, cucumber or romaine lettuce in your salads to add more crunch and texture.
2. Make it more filling
Whether you eat your salad for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s important to add some healthy fats and protein to it. A salad that has no healthy fat in it is not filling which means you will feel hungry within half an hour after eating. Avocado, nuts and seeds are all healthy fats. When using nuts and seeds in your salads, though, don’t overdo it. 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds and walnuts will be enough to make your spring salad more filling.
3. Choose protein over carbs
As I’ve already said that a salad is not filling without protein, by choosing carbs over protein you are making your salad too light to satisfy your hunger. Baked tofu, grilled chicken and hard boiled egg are all excellent choices. Protein is a more satiating macronutrient than carbs as well as healthier than fats.
4. Mix it up
There are so many wonderful kinds of greens that I don’t understand why people choose romaine or spinach only. You have have an absolutely different salad each day by mixing up your favorite greens. From Swiss chard, butter lettuce and baby spinach to arugula and dandelion greens, the choice is endless. Experimenting with greens is one of the easiest ways to make your spring salad fun.
5. Experiment with salad dressings
If you use jarred and bottled salad dressings, you may get bored with your spring salad rut in a week, not to mention you can wreck your diet and destroy your health. The thing is, these salad dressings are packed with refined oils and artificial ingredients which make your vegetable salad unhealthy rather than healthy. There are many wonderful homemade salad dressings you can create each day. From creamy key lime dressing and garlic salad dressing to cilantro salad dressing and ranch dressing, you will definitely find something for you.
Since I don’t use salt in my spring salads (you know, salt is bad for us) I love to make salt-free salad dressings. Look for them online and make your salad healthier and funner every single day.
6. Use whole grains
A grain-based salad is the perfect choice for dieters. However, it’s a healthy meal for everyone too. You can use quinoa, barley, bulgur, black rice, or buckwheat in your salad to make it fun and unusual. Have a grain-based salad for lunch to feel full until dinner.
7. Add your favorite fruit to it
Have you ever tried to add berries or any other fruit to a vegetable salad? Many of us love fruit salads but mixing fruit and vegetable salads up is a lot of fun and you can find some new tastes. Try using pineapple, mango, pears, apples, pomegranate seeds, oranges, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or any other berries you have in your freezer, in your vegetable salad. Fruits can brighten up any boring salad, not to mention they turn any bitter greens into a refreshing, sweet salad.
8. Top your salad with herbs
Topping your salad with herbs is a great way to fight acne, boost your immune system and prevent diseases. Consider using oregano, neem, cilantro, mint, sage, parsley, basil or dill in your salads to improve their taste and make it more delicious.
I’m a firm believer that salads make us healthier. Spring is just the beginning of the salad season so it’s smart to start experimenting with vegetables, fruits and salad dressings right now. If you force yourself to have a salad for lunch, these tricks can help you make a salad your favorite meal. What are your favorite spring salad recipes?