Salads: What We Add For Nutrition And Taste (Plus Recipes!)

Amp up the nutrition of your salads with our suggestions

Happy Friday! Today, we are sharing our ways to spice up your salads! Salads don’t need to be boring (or a “chore,” as one of our teammates’ partners calls them!). We like to think of salads as a healthy and delicious way to get plenty of antioxidant-rich produce in your diet. Start with a base of thoroughly washed greens (in light of recent outbreaks, we suggest buying whole heads, removing the outer layers, and washing 2-3 times), then top with (healthy) ingredients you truly enjoy, and you get the best of both worlds.

Read on for our favorite salad add-ins, try our salad recipes, and learn more about why including specific salad ingredients can help promote an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.

And if you missed our previous posts this week, we covered:

• How to get electrolytes into your diet to stay hydrated

• Diana’s updated take on breastmilk versus formula

• Okra water: what is it and should you be drinking it?

Coming up next week, we have a 5-day, 10-ingredient anti-inflammatory lunch plan, Diana on addressing restless legs while pregnant (or anytime!), our latest Questions From The Corner series where we cover how to lower high A1C levels and is canned tuna safe, and we celebrate National Fajita Day with bell pepper insight and recipes!

Forward this post to anyone you know who may be interested in our healthy kitchen recommendations and anti-inflammatory Food As Medicine series and recipes!

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Food as Medicine: Our Favorite Salad Add Ins

Dr. Weil’s Favorite Salad Add-Ins

I like basic salads. I start with lettuce - usually romaine. This might seem surprising, but I also really enjoy high-quality organic iceberg lettuce, too. From there, I like to add sliced red bell pepper, cucumber, radishes, and yellow onion. If I have Belgian endive on hand, I like to include that too. (It’s slightly bitter.)

As for dressing, I usually just do a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar (sometimes with a squeeze of fresh lemon), and a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.

If I’m out, I do like a well-done wedge salad, minus the bacon and hard-boiled egg. I also like a good Caesar salad (I’ve had some great ones and some really horrible ones), and a proper Caesar should be made with romaine lettuce, not mixed greens, and while anchovies belong in the dressing, I don’t enjoy whole anchovies served on top.

Diana’s Favorite Salad Add-Ins

We eat a salad just about every night, and I like to keep them pretty simple. Where I have fun or switch things up is with the dressing.

Most nights, our salad is just romaine lettuce, sliced cucumber, bell pepper, and onion. Sometimes I’ll add cherry tomatoes, and if I’m feeling a little fancy, I’ll top it with some finely shredded, high-quality Parmesan cheese.

Lately, I’ve been on a Greek salad kick, so I’ve been adding olives and feta as well. Another simple summer salad I love is shredded carrots and shredded beets tossed with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. It’s really fresh and colorful, and great in the summer.

While I do appreciate a big, elaborate salad, I just don’t have the energy to cook a full dinner and also make a complex salad. So salads stay pretty simple for me.

For us, salads are a starter rather than the main course. If I eat a salad as my entrée, I don’t usually feel satisfied or satiated and find myself looking for something else afterward. Because of that, I’m mindful of loading it up with calorie-dense toppings like lots of cheese, nuts, and croutons. There’s nothing wrong with those foods - I just prefer to enjoy them as part of my main meal instead.

If you love salads as a main course, adding a source of protein and healthy fats can make them much more satisfying. I like roasted chickpeas, sliced avocado, pumpkin seeds, feta, fresh mozzarella balls, or blue cheese crumbles.

Try our WEIL Nutrition Corner® Salad Dressing Guide: Healthy, anti-inflammatory dressings you can make at home!

Anti-Inflammatory Salad Recipes To Try

The following recipes are healthy, filling and provide plenty of protein, antioxidants and fiber. Enjoy these recipes:

• Barley Salad

• Chilled Soba Noodle Salad

• Peach and Fennel Salad

• Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

• Summer Veggie Tahini Pasta Salad

• Mediterranean Salmon Pasta Salad

Some the the recipes below are for our WEIL Nutrition Corner® VIPs - upgrade today and save 45% on annual subscriptions with our summer sale!

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