If you're getting bored with your salads then you'll love these 4 easy salad tips from our friend Danette May
How many times have you pledged to have a salad every day? And how many times have you given up midweek? Was it because you were just too hungry and your salads didn’t hold you?
A salad a day is a great weight loss tool but if it doesn’t have the power to fill you up, it can work against you.
Getting hungry between lunch and snack time (yes, I eat 5 to 6 times a day and so should you!) makes it more likely that you’ll eat the wrong things—high-fat processed foods, salty snacks, and sweet treats are that much more tempting.
The goal is to make sure you stay full until snack time and don’t indulge.
To do that you need to mix plenty of protein, fiber, carbs and healthy fats in with your greens.
This combo is the key to a salad that satisfies.
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Protein
Protein takes more energy for your body to digest, and that helps to keep you feeling full longer.
It also helps build and repair your cells, helping keep your muscles and skin strong and healthy. When you eat protein, your body makes a hormone called leptin that helps your brain know that you’re full.
Some of the healthiest protein choices for a salad include wild caught salmon, grass fed chicken, hard-boiled eggs or beans. You can also throw in some nuts or a dressing made from Greek yogurt.
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Fiber
Fiber helps your digestive tract moving, but you have to eat the right kind – your salad greens are not enough.
Soluble fiber soaks up liquid in your intestines, and this makes you feel full for hours.
Great add-ons for your salad include slices of apple, raspberries, beans, or artichoke hearts.
Complex Carbs
Complex carbs are loaded with minerals and amino acids which are great for your health.
They also take a long time to digest. That means they release their energy over hours, keeping you feeling full.
They’re also easy to add to salads. If you make a batch of quinoa or brown rice at the beginning of the week, you can mix it into your salad to give it staying power.
Fat
Fat always seems like it’s the wrong thing for a salad, but when you add just a bit it will send your brain a message that you’re full.
Great choices include nuts, seeds and oils, or treat yourself to a few delicious slices of avocado.
In a nutshell, the fiber helps to make you feel full right away while the protein keeps you feeling full longer. The carbs give you extra energy and the fat sends your body a message to stop eating. If you stop thinking of salads as nothing but lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers and start adding in these important elements, you’ll find yourself enjoying them much more, and even looking forward to them.
For an added flavor, slice up some fresh herbs like dill or basil, or mix in some chopped jalapeno to give your salad a dose of heat!
If you want some healthy recipes that aren't all salads all the time, you'll love all the quick and easy, super delicious recipes in my Bikini Body Recipes cookbook!
