Every salad lover needs a collection of ingredients in their kitchen to make a healthy salad. The beauty of salads is that they are not only healthy, but they are satisfying as well. Also, you do not have to spend much on your salad recipe and they are quick to fix. Therefore, make your salad measure up to par by having the necessary ingredients in your pantry. In this way, you will have various options to make a quick fix recipe. Try new recipes from a better coleslaw recipe to an enriched fruit salad recipe. In this 8 Easy Ingredients to Have for A Healthy Salad article, you will learn of must have easy ingredients for a healthy salad that will bring out the salad lover in you.
8 Easy Ingredients to Have for A Healthy Salad
- Seeds
If you love a crunchy salad, adding seeds to it will help with the crunchiness. The common seeds are flax seeds or sunflowers seeds that you sprinkle on your salad recipe. They are not only added for the crunchy element but the nutrients they provide to the body. Sunflower seeds have the selenium mineral, while the flaxseed has omega-3 fatty acid. Also, these two seeds provide fiber and vitamin E and have also shown to inhibit cancer-cell growth. Almonds are other seeds that most people think are fruits that you can add to your salad. It also has vitamin E that helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.
- Herbs
Herbs for your salads is one best way to add flavor to your salad. Whether they are dried or chopped. Adding them to your salad not only makes it flavorful but healthier too. There is no limit to the herbs you can add to your salad. It all depends on your favorite choice of herbs and those you wish to try. Some common herbs to try are chives, parsley, basil, thyme, dill among others. More importantly, since many salad dressings are made of herbs and some kind of oil. If you are watching your calories and fat count of your salad. Use fresh herbs as your salad dressing and eliminate the need of adding any oil.
- Oils
Extra virgin olive oil is the go-to oil for most salad recipes. It is amazingly healthy hence the best dressing base for your salads. However, olive oil is not the only oil you can use for your salads. Others offer similar nutritional benefits that you can try. For instance, avocado oil is rich in heart-healthy fats that will help improve your cholesterol and keep off hunger. This oil is ideal for your fruit salad to give your dish a new twist. Flaxseed oil is a good one as well, as it has ALA that aids weight maintenance among other benefits. Add it to your tuna salad if you do not have olive oil or mayo.
- Lettuce or spinach
Lettuce or spinach are great and you can use them alternatively. The red leaf lettuce is the best as it contains vitamin K, antioxidants, vitamin A, potassium, and carotenoid lutein. The lettuce helps fight hypertension, osteoporosis, weight gain, and macular degeneration. Spinach is a great alternative to lettuce due to the folate nutrients it provides. As you consume more of the folate in the spinach you reduce the risk of having a stroke. Add either lettuce or spinach to your salad or both of them and you will love your rich salad.
- Carrots
Carrots are an amazing addition to salads and they also add rich color to it. They have the richest source of Provitamin A that function as antioxidants. Vitamin A is beneficial to bone growth, helps improve vision, decreases the risk of lung cancer, and helps regulate the immune system. Consume carrots in your salads also for vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin K. Enjoy this for better eye health and lower cholesterol levels. The disease-fighting power that they also have are for osteoporosis, weight gain, and hypertension.
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