I love eating salads in warmer months. My salads are not wimpy and are rich in nutrients, protein and flavor. The summer provides so many fresh ingredients!! Here is a picture of our “salad bar” at home. On Sunday I prepare all the ingredients, hard boil the eggs, chop the veggies, etc.. Then at night when we are making lunches for the next day we pull them all out to make our salad.
The biggest mistakes my menopausal clients make with salads...
1) Too few toppers, wimpy salads make for weak workouts
2) Not enough protein, double up to be optimal
3) Skipping the dressing which makes it harder to absorb the phytonutrients and antioxidants
Lettuce – go green! The darker the better. Aim for 3 cups.
Raw veggie toppers – grated beet, carrot, sliced radish, bell peppers, scallions, cucumbers, avocado, celery.
Something sweet – berries, dried fruit, avocado, brown rice, quinoa, chopped tomato, roasted beets, sweet potato
Fun crunchy toppers – roasted garbanzo beans, coconut chips, croutons, nuts or seeds, olives, cocoa nibs
Combine two High-Protein foods– baked tofu, beans, hard boiled egg, light canned tuna, wild planet sardine, vital choice salmon, grilled chicken, turkey meat
Salad dressings – Look at salad dressings with olive oil or avocado oil whenever possible. Braggs vinaigrette, Primal Kitchen, Foods Alive, Chosen foods all flavors
Make your own vegan ranch dressing.
*If you have challenged digestion, go for kale or spinach you can heat up and opt for cooked veggie toppers like roasted sweet potato, roasted bell peppers etc.
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