How to Build the Ultimate Salad

Just because it’s called a “salad” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy for you. In fact, salads from a restaurant often contain more fat than a burger with the amount of dressing they use. 

But, on the flip side, salads are a great way to consume your recommended amount of daily veggies, whole grains, and other key nutrients our bodies need.

The biggest problem most people have with salads is the size. If your salad is too small you’re going to be hungry soon after eating. Most days I eat a salad a day and I make them BIG!

The type of salad we’re going to be talking about is a great option for any meal. You can have a salad for dinner, salad for lunch, you could even have it for breakfast. (There’s no rule saying you have to save it for lunch or dinner.) 

Whatever meal you choose, you can make it larger or smaller and bolster it with more ingredients depending on your hunger.

What goes into a salad

People often ask, “Is a salad good for you?” And my answer is “Absolutely, yes – as long as you include the right ingredients.” 

So, what should you include in a salad? Let’s take a look at a few of the key ingredients every salad should have.

Key ingredients every salad should have:

Beans

Beans are a great source of fiber and promote good gut bacteria. Fiber helps you shed fat, lower blood sugar levels, and even strengthen your immune system.

Fiber is powerful and eating beans is an easy way to get your daily amount of fiber (38 grams per day for men, and 30 grams per day for women).

Below are a few of my favorite beans and the amount of fiber they contain:

Lentils

Fiber content: 15.6 grams per cup of cooked lentils

Kidney Beans

Fiber content: 11.3 grams per cup of cooked beans

Chickpeas

Fiber content: 12.5 grams per cup of cooked chickpeas

Black beans

Fiber content: 15 grams per cup 

Edamame

Fiber content: 8 grams per cup 

Lima beans

Fiber content: .8 grams per cup 

Greens

What’s a salad without greens, right? Greens are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. And guess what: they’re not calorie-dense. So you can eat a lot of them and still shed fat. 

So, load up that salad with as many greens as you want. If you’re tired of plain old lettuce, try something new. There are a lot of options to choose from: kale, spinach, cabbage, beet greens, Swiss chard, arugula, bok choy, and so many more. 

Vegetables

We all know we should be eating our vegetables. But do you know why? Well, in addition to being a good source of fiber, vegetables are a good source of flavones, a plant compound concentrated in herbs, vegetables, and fruits. 

Vinegar

Vinegar? Yes, I know what you’re thinking. But vinegar is such an easy thing to add to a salad and provides so much value. It helps regulate your weight and your blood sugar.

One study showed prediabetics who consumed two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar per day reduced fasting blood sugars an average of sixteen points within one week. Another study found that taking two daily tablespoons of any vinegar led to a loss of five pounds over one month. I love adding balsamic vinegar to my daily salads.

Things you should leave out of your salad

Before we get into the entire list of things you can add to your salad, there are a few things you should avoid adding to your salad. Salt, oils, heavy dressing, and anything fried should be kept off your salad.

Although they’re often added, these ingredients don’t provide any nutritional value. Yes, we need a small amount of sodium in our diet, but too much can lead to health problems and most of don’t struggle with not enough sodium.

Oils, heavy dressings, and fried toppings might taste good, but they can provide a lot of unneeded cholesterol in your diet.

How big should my salad be?

Here’s the thing: when you’re loading your salad with plant-based ingredients like beans, greens, whole grains, and vegetables, you don’t need to worry about the size. These foods are all loaded with key nutrients and contain very few calories. So no matter what your goal is, whether it’s to lose weight or just be healthy, your salad can be as big as you want it to be.

When it comes to the size of your salad I would actually encourage you to air on the side of making it larger. Since the type of salads we’re talking about are calorie-dilute, you will need a larger quantity to fill up. 

So you want to make sure it’s big enough so you’re not hungry right away.

Other common salad questions

Are salad dressings healthy?

Salad dressings are often loaded with fat, sugar, and preservatives. If you can, use vinegar instead or look for a plant-based option.

How do I keep my greens crisp?

The first thing to remember is most greens will only last 7 to 10 days.

Dry your greens completely after washing them. Moisture causes the leaves to wilt faster. But there is an exception to this: if you have room in your fridge, place hardy greens like kale upright in a cup of water to keep them ultra-fresh.

What type of greens should I use?

My answer is whatever sounds good to you. There are so many varieties to choose from. Most of them provide many key nutrients, vitamins, and minerals with the exception of iceberg lettuce. But even though it often gets a bad wrap, even iceberg lettuce is a good source of vitamins A and K.

Download How to Create the Ultimate Salad PDF

Want my go-to salad topping list to build your own salad at home? Click the link below to download your copy to build the ultimate salad so you can change your health one salad at a time.