What’s In Your Salad?

In my practice, clients often admit to replacing favorite dishes with salads to help lose body weight. I typically respond with asking them, what’s in your salad? Salads vary in flavors, textures, and colors.  

Some of the best ingredients to include in a salad are flavorful herbs and spices, such as fennel, basil, parsley, thyme, or mint; to name a few. Salads should also include some healthy fats, such as olive oil and avocado which are mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Be sure to go easy on fat servings as fats are high in calories, and healthy fats are best in small amounts. Fiber in salads is vital to gut health and dark green leafy lettuce is not only high in fiber but also high in vitamins A, C, and K. Adding fresh fruit to your salad not only increases your fiber intake, it also adds additional vitamins that all together help support immune response, maintain healthy skin, and respond to protein synthesis and bone metabolism. For a balanced lunch meal and dinner meal, add 1 cup of your favorite high fiber and heart-healthy salad or double the portions with a serving of protein as a main meal.  

Give your lunch and dinner a boost of balanced energy today! Check out the recipe below.

Till next time, stay healthy and be well. 

Link to recipe below:  https://oldwayspt.org/recipes/blood-orange-fennel-saladutm_source=subscribers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FreshFridays&utm_term=072922

BLOOD ORANGE FENNEL SALAD

Active Time:  10 min

Total time: 10 min

Yield:  6 servings 

Serving size:  1/6 of recipe

INGREDIENTS

Dressing
1 teaspoon olive oil

3 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salad
1 cup fennel, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

1 head of leafy lettuce, washed and torn into pieces

2 blood oranges, peeled and separated into segments

1 avocado, peeled and cubed

½ cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, mustard, and vinegar. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. 

2. To assemble the salad, combine the fennel, red pepper, and onion slices in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and allow the vegetables to soak in the dressing for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. 

3. In a large serving bowl or salad bowl, combine the lettuce, blood orange segments, and avocado. Remove the fennel, peppers, and onions from the dressing, and add them to the salad bowl with the lettuce. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad, sprinkle with the toasted walnuts, and serve immediately. 

Nutrition 

Calories:  180

 Total Fat:  11g 

Saturated Fat:  1g

Sodium:  250mg 

Carbohydrate:  18g 

 Fiber:  4g 

 Sugar:  12g (Added Sugar: 6g) 

Protein:   3g 

Yield:  6 servings 

Serving Size:  1/6 of recipe

Recipe and photo courtesy Meatless Monday