Most of us would agree that broccoli, spinach, and avocado are all foods that are great sources of nutrition and excellent choices to include in a meal. Each of these foods are carbohydrates (carbs) so the focus on no-carb or low-carb diets that we're bombarded with in marketing ads is misleading and confusing. It's not carbs that are "bad", it's the kind of carbs we choose to eat that are either nutrient dense or mostly an added "burden" on our digestive tract and a source of inflammation. All vegetables and fruits are carbohydrates but they are WHOLE carbs.
Legumes (beans), whole grains, vegetables, and fruits all fit in the carbohydrate category. Most of us would agree that the majority of these foods are overall healthy choices. The carbs that are a "burden" to the body and overall provide minimal nutrition fit into the "refined" carbohydrate category: sugary drinks (yes, most pumpkin spice lattes), most breads, breakfast cereals, pasta, pastries, cookies, candies, chips, crackers, etc etc etc. We know these foods well and these are some of the "addictive" sugary foods. Some of these foods may not contain a cup of granulated sugar but these refined carbs are quickly turned to sugar by the body. They rapidly raise the blood sugar level and at the same time they provide minimal nutrition. They truly are empty carbs and a heavy digestive burden!
Unlike the "addictive" refined carbohydrates, it would be rare that someone is addicted to WHOLE carbohydrates contained in broccoli, spinach, or any other vegetable. Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal......and our bodies need LOTS of carbs! We just need to choose wisely. One of the wisest choices is to refrain from bringing those refined carbohydrates into our homes. Fleeing temptation often means not putting temptation within our easy reach!
Foods fit into three basic categories: carbohydrates, protein, or fat. To feed our bodies well, they require a combination of foods from these three categories. The majority of foods consumed should come from the whole carbohydrate category but we need foods from all three categories for our bodies to be satiated (meaning our bodies are satisfied or full). When we don't include enough protein and fat in our meal, our body is generally not satiated. That's when we're hungry shortly after eating a meal or we're craving something sweet trying to get to that place of satisfaction. Good sources of adequate fat are often the missing foods when we're not satiated.
Recently, I've paid a lot of attention to what a salad looks like in most restaurants. It's usually a base of iceberg or possibly romaine lettuce, a few specks of carrot, maybe a bit of red cabbage, a few cucumber slices, a few grape tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, croutons, and plenty of salad dressing made with inflammatory hydrogenated canola or vegetable oil. I recognize that salad well because that's the kind of salad I prepared and served my family for years.
Note: For more information about omega 3s and hydrogenated oils, you might check out my blog, "It's Time for an Oil Change" which was posted 7/1/19. For additional information about omega 3s, you might check out my blog, "He fed them fish!" which was posted on 12/24/18.
Now when I make a salad for a meal, it looks far different than what I generally see served in restaurants when eating out. I'd like to give you some ideas for building a nutrient dense salad that will be very satisfying to your body and something you can pack and take with you for lunch or put on a plate for dinner within 10 minutes of walking through the door. No "fast food" restaurant or pizza delivery can turn out dinner that fast! And salad assembled in the steps below can be customized to each person's taste buds. Of course, someplace during the week, you'll need to spend some time prepping food. A few hours of prep reaps a bonus of many very quick, satisfying, nutrient dense meals!
Every week your salad options will be different depending on the season and the variety of produce available. In each season, God gives us a beautiful variety of vegetables to choose from. As we move through the fall toward winter, our bodies are longing for more cooked (think roasted or sauteed in coconut oil) vegetables as opposed to raw vegetables.
-Step 1: Start with a bed of greens. Depending on the season, this could be a very small handful or a generous mound on the plate. On Saturdays, I buy a variety of greens at the Farmers Market but you can buy from a grocery a variety of organic kale, spinach, spring mix, arugula, Swiss chard, etc. I wash these greens and put them in a large glass bowl that's ready every day in the refrigerator.
-Step 2: Buy a variety of vegetables. Wash, chop if required, and put them in a large glass container or individual glass bowls. Every meal you can eat a different salad because you're choosing from all the possibilities. Eg. cucumbers, carrots, shredded beets, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, bok choy, radishes, green onions, tomatoes, micro greens, broccoli florets, cauliflower, yellow squash, zucchini, etc.
-Step 3: When you buy and wash vegetables, then roast some. Roasted veggies on a salad are sweet and delicious along with being more easily digested than eating all raw vegetables. Roast the vegetables that are in season right now. Since we've moved into fall, the winter squash are now in season. Put these roasted vegetables in glass bowls so you can choose a few for variety. Eg. sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, Japanese sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, etc.
-Step 4: Now that you have a beautiful base of vegetables on your plate, you could sprinkle on some beans, lentils, or some quinoa. These complex carbs will keep you full much longer than just a salad containing vegetables. It takes longer for the body to break down these complex carbs and use them for energy.
-Step 5: Choose different seeds to sprinkle on the salad. Seeds are a powerhouse of nutrition because they contain all the necessary essentials to grow that particular plant. Think of the size of a pumpkin or sunflower and realize that the necessary essentials are in that tiny seed. God has packed huge nutrition into seeds. They are great sources of fiber and healthy fats along with containing many beneficial antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. These are the seeds I have stored in glass Ball jars so it's convenient to choose a few: chia, hemp, poppy, raw pumpkin (pepitas), sesame (both white & black), and raw sunflower. Flax seeds should be ground and kept in the refrigerator because they will go rancid if they are kept at room temperature. A sprinkle of ground flax seed is a great salad addition.
-Step 6: You can add a few raw nuts for protein and good fats. Eg. raw walnuts, coarsely chopped raw almonds, raw pecans, Brazil nuts, macadamia, pistachio, etc.
If this salad will be eaten away from home, it's time to stop, cover the salad, store it in the refrigerator overnight or pack it in a lunch bag. You'll want to include some additional protein and fat sources when you're ready to eat the salad. The steps below are additional foods you may want to take and add to your salad when it's mealtime.
-Step 7: Possible protein sources: hard boiled egg, can of sardines or a can of cold water wild caught salmon (Wild Planet is my favorite brand for wild pink salmon or wild sardines), cooked chopped chicken, cooked beef, a spoonful of hummus, etc. When chicken, beef, or pork are grass fed to the end then these sources of protein are also sources of omega 3s that our bodies long for. Eggs that come from pasture raised chickens are also a good source of omega 3s. Of course, the salmon and sardines are good sources of omega 3s.
-Step 8: Last but not least is the important fat that our bodies long for. Fat increases our metabolism and satisfies our bodies. Several of the food categories listed above are also healthy sources of fat: nuts, seeds, egg yolks, and fatty fish like sardines, anchovies, and salmon. Additional excellent fat sources are: avocado, coconut, and extra virgin olive oil.
Now that we've built a nutritious salad that will satisfy, it's time to pour on a salad dressing that compliments this meal. Below are two salad dressings that I make. Unlike most salad dressing that is served in restaurants and sold in grocery stores, the recipes below are loaded with nutrient dense real food......not junk! These salad dressings will help your body break down the fat and aid in digestion while contributing additional nutrition. And these dressings contain extra virgin olive oil instead of the hydrogenated oils (canola, vegetable, soybean, safflower, corn, etc) that are in most store bought salad dressings. A beautiful, nutrient dense salad deserves a nutrient dense salad dressing!
The "Mock" Caesar Salad Dressing is my favorite. When I make a batch, I regularly make a double batch. I hope you enjoy it, too!
