Salads - rabbit food or power-packed nutrition? Well, both, actually. If you're trying to lose body fat while getting the most vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein you can in your last meal of the day, it's hard to argue with the salad.But is a salad enough for you? It should be if you add a lean protein source and a little bit of fat.
Now, don't get confused about the difference between getting your blood sugar up quickly (which a soda or a plate of pasta will do beautifully) and getting enough nutrient-density, calories and food volume to satisfy you for the rest of the night. They're not the same things. Salad (especially with protein and fat) is a very low glycemic index (G.I.) meal that will take a while to address your hunger, but will hold you for a long time, provided you have enough. And it will do it with a lot more nutritional value than most other foods and at a much lower calorie count. That helps you reign in your calories for the day (making it easier to draw down your surplus - body fat) and get everything you need to recover optimally from your last workout at the same time.
Here are some easy variations (remember darker greens are more nutritious than pale varieties):
Butter leaf lettuce with sliced roast beef, cherry tomatoes and shredded carrots
Spinach salad with hard boiled egg (plus an additional white or two), peas, cranberries and Mandarin orange slices
Mixed baby greens with baked Teriyaki tofu, pecans and caramelized pear slices (put the pear slices in the toaster oven, brush with canola oil and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon)
Romain lettuce with Trader Joe's Cesar style "Just Chicken", a low fat Cesar dressing and shredded Parmesan cheese.
Fish like salmon and tuna is also great on salads. I sprinkle lemon juice and balsamic vinaigrette on drained canned tuna and then pile on the other produce for a colorful, delicious, healthy meal.
I also use a small amount of full-fat or low-fat dressing for flavor, rather than zero-fat dressings that sometimes have a bunch of additional sugar. I figure the meal on balance is still pretty low in fat, and I'm not trying to have a sub-10% fat diet. Neither should you.
If you mix it up and skip nights between salads, you'll enjoy them much more and keep them as a regular staple in your eating plan!
Here are some easy variations (remember darker greens are more nutritious than pale varieties):
Butter leaf lettuce with sliced roast beef, cherry tomatoes and shredded carrots
Spinach salad with hard boiled egg (plus an additional white or two), peas, cranberries and Mandarin orange slices
Mixed baby greens with baked Teriyaki tofu, pecans and caramelized pear slices (put the pear slices in the toaster oven, brush with canola oil and sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon)
Romain lettuce with Trader Joe's Cesar style "Just Chicken", a low fat Cesar dressing and shredded Parmesan cheese.
Fish like salmon and tuna is also great on salads. I sprinkle lemon juice and balsamic vinaigrette on drained canned tuna and then pile on the other produce for a colorful, delicious, healthy meal.
I also use a small amount of full-fat or low-fat dressing for flavor, rather than zero-fat dressings that sometimes have a bunch of additional sugar. I figure the meal on balance is still pretty low in fat, and I'm not trying to have a sub-10% fat diet. Neither should you.
If you mix it up and skip nights between salads, you'll enjoy them much more and keep them as a regular staple in your eating plan!
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