How make a healthy salad: finding the right balance

Knowing how to make a healthy salad is a critical component when adopting an unprocessed plant forward (Clean & Colorful) diet. I know this might sound ridiculous…”A healthy salad.” Isn’t that repetitive? How could a salad, notorious for fresh veggies not be healthy? Well, pretty easily actually. Especially if you’re not paying attention to your nutrition to treat ratio.

How a salad can be unhealthy

You can cover up a bed of iceberg with bacon, egg, cheese and a quart of ranch dressing and call that a salad, but it won’t any healthier for you than a club sandwich. Even if it has a few shredded carrots on the side and a cherry tomato on top.

But it also does not mean you can’t pack in ton of goodness, flavor and a few treats to bring it all together and create the perfect healthy salad! I’m kind of notorious for my Kitchen Sink salads. In that, I never really have a plan, I just toss in whatever I have on hand…except the kitchen sink of course.

Watch your Nutrition to Treat Ratio

I love kitchen sink healthy salads because they are easy, usually full of things you love and when done right, packed with nutrition from across all the food groups. But there is a trick to making a good “kitchen sink” healthy salad. If you don’t balance your “nutrition:treat” ratio – you can end up with something like the equivalent to a cheeseburger on your hands or worse.

• By nutrition, I mean the things that should be the base of your salad. Fresh veggies, lean meats, beans, quinoa, got it?
• By treats, I mean little things that make the salad taste extra delicious, dressing, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, bacon, avocado, olives, cheese, croutons, corn, little fried onions, you get the picture right?

Note: Many of these treats are in fact healthy fats, like avocado, nuts, seeds, olives and so on. But they are still high in calories – so watch them if your watching your weight.

Your nutrition to treat ration should be at least 2:1, but obviously more nutrition to treats is better. So, if you’re going to use bacon and eggs on your salad, you best have at least 4 servings of veggies in there to balance out the nutrition:treat ratio. Make sense? So in addition to your lettuce or spinach, add some green peppers, carrots, tomatoes and you’re right on target to deliver a healthy salad!

Serving Size is Important

If you just want a simple spinach salad withe some nuts and cheese, that you order at your favorite restaurant, no problem. Just be sure to double up on the serving size of the spinach and add some fresh strawberries or roasted beets. Keep in mind that a serving of veggies is one cup raw, 1/2 cup cooked, and any small piece of fruit. For treats, it’s usually about a tablespoon.

Here’s What I’m Talking About Specifically

So here’s a Power Vegan Healthy Salad that is pretty good example of what I’m talking about. I’m not gonna lie, is pretty awesome. Because I keep cooked quinoa, cooked black beans and mini peppers in my fridge, this was super-uber easy.

Took about 5 min and is nutritionally packed with goodness and also kind on the planet.  If you find yourself in a craving a crunchy salad that is satisfying and will pump you full of energy, try this one out! This one has some roasted chicken in it, but that is not necessary as the quinoa and beans provide sufficient plant protein.

Kitchen Sink Healthy Salad Recipe

• 2 handfuls greens (spinach, romaine, kale) = 2 nutrition
• 1/3 cup Canned Black Beans = 1 nutrition
• 1/3 cup Cooked Quinoa = 1 nutrition
• 5 Mini Peppers = .5 nutrition
• 1/2 cup Diced Cucumbers = .5 nutrition
• 1/4 Avocado = 1 treat
• 1 T Olive Oil + 1 T Fresh Lime Juice = 1 treat
• Lemon Pepper and Garlic Salt to taste

Directions:  Add all ingredients to a bowl, toss and serve!

How make a healthy salad in Summary

Salads are excellent ways to live and eat Clean & Colorful! But not all salads are created equal so be mindful of your nutrition to treat ratio when you’re building your own perfect Kitchen Sink Salad. Remember, if you want to add nuts and cheese, you just need to add two hand fulls of greens and two cups of other fresh veggies!