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Tired of having the same old salad every day?  Here are 5 ways to jazz it up taste-wise while still keeping it healthy.

Baby Spinach:
Swap out the lettuce and replace it with baby spinach.  You’ll get a different range of vitamins and minerals, many of them in larger amounts.  Baby spinach is more flavourful than lettuce, but mild enough that it works well in salads without tasting bitter.

Protein – Fish, Eggs, or Dairy:
Bump up the protein in your salad by adding some canned tuna, pink salmon, or a chopped hard-boiled egg.  For a vegetarian source of protein, try adding some cheese:  feta or goat cheese work especially well in salads, both in terms of taste and texture.

Radicchio:
Add some colour to your salad with radicchio.  This bold-flavoured, maroon-coloured leafy vegetable provides a range of B vitamins:  thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, and folic acid.  Everyone needs these vitamins as they help to replenish the body.  They also help to metabolize fat, protein and carbohydrates so your body can absorb those macronutrients.

Fruit:
Feeling adventurous?  Try adding some fruit to your salad like chopped avocado, diced apples or pears, berries, or grapes.  Skip the dried fruits, though.  Because they’ve been dehydrated, dried fruits have much higher concentrations of sugar and calories, both of which can become a problem when consumed in excess.

Chickpeas:
Boost the protein and fibre content of your salad with chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans.  The starch found in chickpeas is digested slowly, which helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, making them a “good carb” and a good option for anyone trying to avoid blood sugar spikes.

 

Susan Knight
Author: Susan Knight

Susan Knight is a freelance writer who writes on many topics, but specializes in covering all things related to health and wellness. She loves to see people get the information and tools they need to make changes and live healthier, happier lives. Susan is also a certified holistic nutrition and wellness coach and frequently draws on that background in her health writing. Learn more about her freelance services at www.skfreelance.com.

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