Is Salad Important In Weight Loss Meals?

Salads have actually been a part of our diet since ages. Remember “Koshimbir” Yes many of us might be tasted it. It’s a form of Salad. But as time passes the forms of salad kept on changing and today we have many different types of salad. Now, every person around you from your dietician to parents might be saying “Eat salads, they are healthy”. You might think “Why salads? I want to lose weight then why to add that extra food in our diet.” Also, most of us don’t find it tasty and we skip it. Now, the question that comes to our mind “Is salad really important in weight loss meals.”

WHY SALADS?

Low in Calorie

Salads are low in calorie, High in fiber and also rich in nutrients. The low calorie salad is a perfect addition to your weight loss meal since it does not increase your calorie count.
You can keep your salads in bigger portions as long as you are limiting dressings.

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Tip:- Keep the portions of Salad more and limit dressings and other fatty add-ons

Rich in Fibre

If you are on a weight loss diet. After carbs, protein, fats the other thing which comes into consideration is “Fibre”. A weight loss diet is generally high in fibre. Salads are high in fiber which enhances satiety (feeling of fullness). Once you are full naturally you will not overeat and in turn consume fewer calories. Additionally, a diet high in fiber can help you lower your cholesterol levels and prevent constipation.

Tip: – Include your fibers in form of salad daily in your main meals like Lunch and Dinner

Source of Healthy Fats

A salad with Healthy Fats like Monounsaturated Fatty Acids or MUFA found in olive oil, nuts, and avocado.  You can add a couple of roasted seeds like flaxseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. Adding a healthy fat to your diet will make it more satiating. We need fats even in our weight loss diet so why not to get the healthy fats? Including a small amount of healthy fat can control cravings longer between meals.

Tips: – Do include healthy fats but avoid heavy salad dressings.

Rich in Vitamins and Minerals

Salads with fruits and vegetables do contain vitamins and minerals. Henceforth they have an antioxidant property which makes your immunity stronger. Every diet should include macro as well as micro-nutrients. A weight loss diet also consists of the adequate amount of vitamins and minerals so do include “salads” in your diet.

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Builds Strong bones and Improves Muscle strength

The famous cartoon of 1990’s “Popeye” promoted spinach consumption. Spinach not only helps to build stronger bones but also provides energy thereby developing muscle strength. The more your muscle strength the lesser fat stores you have. So we just dealt with why we should include salads in our weight loss diet? Let’s try to find out how to have the salads and various healthy salad options we can have on our weight loss diet. Our traditional salads include carrot, cucumber, onion, tomato, beetroots. But let’s be creative with it. Try to give a healthy twist to our traditional salads by preparing them in a healthy and tasty way.

HOW TO PREPARE SALADS?

You can balance your salads by preparing it in a carbohydrate-protein combination. You can add brown rice or protein-rich options like Grilled chicken, paneer, sprouts, and quinoa to your salads.  Include other veggies like lettuce, cabbage leaves, broccoli, zucchini, different bell peppers. You can make your salads flavorful by adding herbs like basil, garlic, lemon juice or parsley which not only has flavors but also antioxidant property. You can avoid fatty dressing like Cheese, Cream rather include healthy fats like nuts, avocado, olive oil.

SALADS OPTIONS

Mixed sprouts salad, bean salad, vegetable salad, broccoli salad, fruit and vegetable salad, carrot salad, grilled chicken salad, herb salad, cucumber salad, tofu salad, three bean salad, egg salad, spinach salad, tricolor salad, beet salad, celery salad, paneer bean salad, fruit and veg salad. So there are lot many salad options you can choose from. The choice is yours. I hope till now you understood salads are an important part of a weight loss diet as well as in our routine diet. Salads are must. Make sure your lunch and dinner contains salad if not re-read this article. Let me know how you find this article. Also, you can comment any other healthy salad recipes you know.

“Salads are a Healthy Way to Healthy Lifestyle”

Bottom line

Anywhere and everywhere you go you will find people saying “I need to lose weight“.Some lose weight by exercising, some go on diets. Now there are different types of diets from crash diets to healthy diets. But 100% on a healthy diet Salads is a must. Not only it’s a must in weight loss but also an important part of our routine diet.

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