Eating a large bowl of salad every day will go a long way to putting lots of nutrients into your body. You don't have to eat it all in one go; you can make a big bowl in the morning and add it to your meals during the day or eat it as a snack between meals. If like me you enjoy a 2nd breakfast I feel this is an ideal place to put a salad bowl because it’s setting the scene for the rest of the day. I hear this lot; people eat one thing that it classed as naughty and then that’s it, the whole day has been put down as a bad day and then food choices are based upon this sentiment. 

When most people think of a salad the think lettuce, tomato and cucumber and if you are lucky a bit of pepper too!

So what do I put in my salads?  I start with greens such as spinach, romaine lettuce, kale, cabbage. Then I add something starchy such as potatoes, rice or quinoa. Next I add vegetables such as peppers, mushrooms, radish, tomatoes, cooked butternut squash or sweet potatoes, sweet corn, onions so lots of colour and different textures. No salad is complete without beans or lentils. I always use a mixture such as black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, soy beans, butter beans, green lentils etc. I usually have about 150grams of mixed beans. Sometimes I blend them into a hummus that I flavour with different combinations of flavours so maybe a Mexican or Indian mix of spices.  

Salad dressings can sometimes contain more calories that the salad its self so usually I choose to top my salad with home-made tofu sour cream or mayonnaise that comes in at 30kcal per serving verses traditional mayonnaise at 90kcal per serving or I sprinkle some nutritional yeast, chilli powder or dulse on. 

Where are you eating your salad? 

This will depend on how your prep your meal. I usually eat my salad bowl at my desk between clients therefore i chop everything up and  mix it together so that i can eat it with a fork in one hand and the tub in the other. If you are lucky enough to have time and space to sit then serve it on a plate so you can eat with a knife and fork

The overall message is JUST EAT THE SALAD!