Anyway to make salads more appetizing??

LifeLight91

Hello guys!

So I basically hate eating salads but I want to start cause let's be honest they are a healthy food item.

I eat salads after adding some kind of dressing but most of the dressing are just extra calories. So what tricks do you use to make salads more appetizing or are there some dressing you can recommend?

Thanks!!

CharityGC

If you have a favorite salsa, use it as a topping. They are generally super low in calories.

Phaedra2014

Don't force yourself to eat something you don't like. There are several other foods that are nutritious and delicious. Discover them. Food is meant to be enjoyed not forced down.

P.S. Lettuce really doesn't have much nutrition; it's mostly water so you're not missing out on anything magical.

That said, I LOVE salads! I eat a big one twice a day but only because I love the taste of vegetables. I only use olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a dash of salt, pepper and some dried basil.

cabrerva

I recently started dressing my simple side salads with a bit of lemon juice. It gives them a nice kick.

I also love Taco style salads, so chopped tomatos, cucumbers, a FEW sprinkles of low fat shredded cheese and peppers could help.

I would also recommend trying Kale, it's very nutritious and it actually tastes good, I prefer kale over regular salads anytime!

brandnewsnickerpuss

I like to change it up by adding things like dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, nuts, sesame seeds, etc. Measure all these, of course, as they can really add to the calories. But it does make the old chicken and lettuce a little more appealing, hah!

mockchoc

It's good to have some healthy fats in your diet so your hormones aren't affected so add some avocado, nuts or extra virgin olive oil/vinegar/lemon or lime juice dressing. A teaspoon of oil is not that many calories and you need the fats so enjoy!

Nadia222222

I Also LOVE Salads!!!!

akosaurus

I love chipotle's burrito bowls, so I'll sometimes do a variation on that: corn (canned or roasted), sweet peppers, sauteed onions, avocado, etc etc. If you mix up the textures and flavors of your ingredients, your mouth will be much happier! Salsa's a great idea, also.

shutyourpieholeandsquat

Railr0aderTony

My favorite dressing by far. Plus I love meat on my salad. Tuna,beef,chicken. Add cheese or hard boiled eggs. Mix it up a bit. Good luck.

sarafischbach9

You could always try the low calorie Italian dressing. It has anywhere between 15 to 25 calories.

I had a salad today that was about 200 calories. It had kale and spinach, Italian cheeses, and croutons. I put fat free Italian dressing on it.

I find salads taste really good with the darker leaves: spinach, kale, romaine, etc etc. You could also cut carrots and broccoli to put in the salad as well.

Chicken and/or nuts/dried fruit/seeds can be put on a salad to make it taste really good, but these do add calories. So if you're worried about calories, use these one at a time. Like one day maybe have chicken on your salad with cheese, or one day a salad with a sprinkle of dried cranberries or seeds.

33Freya

Fresh Berries! Nuts, sliced apples or pears, pineapple, cheese (sparingly), cranberries, fresh herbs, seafood like salmon, smoked salmon, or scallops, beans, corn, salsa, carrots, cucumbers, avacado, chopped veggies cooked with curry, and on And on.

Get creative and experement sometimes I use what I have (the other day it was hummus and turned out delightful).

Look at the salad menus of fancy restaurants for ideas too. Most of them can be found online. :flowerforyou:

lisalsd1

Lean meat, salsa, gauc, greek yogurt, sun dried tomatoes, flavored tuna packets, sunflower seeds, olives...etc. All sorts of choices.

Railr0aderTony

QFT, how could I forget Bacon.

Safiyandi

Blueberries or mandarin orange wedges with goat cheese and a light raspberry vinaigrette if I want something sweet.

If not, I'll go for kalamata olive slices, banana pepper rings, cherry tomatoes, and turkey pepperonis or chicken with italian dressing or light ranch. Nomnomnom!

SoDamnHungry

I toss mine in a small amount of dressing and add sunflower seeds and shredded cheese. Mmm.

Akimajuktuq

Fat is a necessary macro. So is protein. I add all kinds of nutrient dense foods to my salads: eggs, bacon, avocado, any kind of meat, and lots and lots of homemade salad dressings (no canola, soy or other toxic oils). Yes I add lots of calories and NUTRIENTS because my body needs them and it makes my salads very appetizing indeed.

_TastySnoBalls_

Eating salad is not a requirement to reach you goals. And you used the word "hate" so must despise eating them. Don't.

sharifit53

I like to use cottage cheese instead of salad dressing. It's a better food than dressing and it does the job.... moisten the salad. I happen to love cottage cheese anyway. Also if you are going to have salad, add some good sources of protein such as beans or chickpeas.

lynn_glenmont

Don't force yourself to eat something you don't like. There are several other foods that are nutritious and delicious. Discover them. Food is meant to be enjoyed not forced down.

P.S. Lettuce really doesn't have much nutrition; it's mostly water so you're not missing out on anything magical.

That said, I LOVE salads! I eat a big one twice a day but only because I love the taste of vegetables. I only use olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a dash of salt, pepper and some dried basil.

QFT
Also, a salad doesn't even have to have lettuce. You can base it on other veggies. When tomatoes are at their best in the summer, I'll just chop up a big one, add fresh herbs like basil, add some balsamic and salt, and chow down. Today I had a huge plate of roasted beets dressed with white wine vinegar, a little warm bacon fat, Dijon mustard, smoked sea salt, black pepper, and a little grated ricotta salata. My appetizer was the beet greens, cooked in a little water with bacon fat, dressed with white wine vinegar and Tabasco.

Once you get used to homemade dressings, I predict you'll never want to go back to commercial dressings. Just start with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and fresh or dried herbs. You can add a little mustard or mayo as an emulsifier (so the oil and vinegar won't separate), but lots of times I don't bother. Later you can experiment with other oils (e.g., nut oils) and other kinds of vinegar, or try lemon juice instead of vinegar (goes well with lots of pepper). You can add a little anchovy paste and grated parmesan for a Caesar style dressing.

Beyond dressing, things like cheese, nuts, olives, bacon, and avocado (it doesn't take much) and fresh or dried herbs can add flavor. You actually need to have some fat so that your body can make use of the vitamins you're getting.

geebusuk

Salads are generally low in macro nutrients but high in micro nutrients.

If you are missing the micronutrients they provide, yes they are 'healthy' for you.

If you are not, then it's not going to do much - you don't get super-healthy by just having more vitamins and minerals, whatever the adverts or current fad woo suggests!

I would start by adding some meat - grilled chicken, lean ham or similar.
Mmmmm, meat.

Then sprinkle over some garlic, salt, pepper and others herbs and spices.
A little extra-extra-light mayo mixed with light ketchup is harldy any calories and makes a nice 'dressing'.

singer201

Basic dinner salad for me (in addition to a protein entree) is chopped romaine, tomato, avocado, and mushrooms. If I add half a chopped mandarin orange, a quarter of a chopped pear or apple, or chopped pickled beets, I don't even need to use dressing. Something about the little bit of healthy sweetness raises the taste from hum-drum, boring salad.

lynn_glenmont

I like to use cottage cheese instead of salad dressing. It's a better food than dressing and it does the job.... moisten the salad. I happen to love cottage cheese anyway. Also if you are going to have salad, add some good sources of protein such as beans or chickpeas.

Oh, yes, both of these are good. And if you want your cottage cheese to seem more like dressing, you can puree it a little in the blender and thin it just a little with milk, kefir, buttermilk, whey drained from your yogurt, etc. Add a little salt and fresh or dried herbs if you want to make it extra tasty.

ETA: fried or poached eggs are another great non-dressing salad moistener. I prefer them on salads with grains or hearty vegetables like beets or potatoes, but they work nicely with bitter salad greens, especially frisee. You break the yolk and it spreads all warm and yummy over the salad. I wish I weren't so full from my beet salad, so I could go have a potato salad with a poached egg right now.

Athena53

Variety. I have a salad (brought from home) every day for my lunch at work. I make sure to keep several types of lettuce (rarely iceberg- BORING) and whatever is reasonably-priced at the grocery- carrots, radishes, cucumber, etc. You can also sauté more fibrous veggies with nonstick spray or steam them. That might include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower. Add some garlic salt and chopped fresh garlic when you sauté or steam. If I really want to splurge I buy arugula- I love arugula from our local farmer's market during warm weather, but right now you have to buy it at the grocery store and it's not cheap.

rayonrainbows

you could look into making homemade salad dressings....

vinagre & spice variations
cucumber & yogurt in blender (add avocado & some garlic for a different but delicious taste)
zucchini "hummus"
etc

just mix it up. mix up your greens (mm kale & arugula), mix up your toppings (mexican, mediterranean, etc)
and most importantly, enjoy it! if you don't enjoy it, there are a lot of other ways to get the nutrients of veggies-- yummy stir-fries, roasted/grilled, use your imagination (and/or the internet)

0somuchbetter0

2 questions:

1. Why force yourself to eat something you hate?

2. When you say you hate salads, what part of the salad do you hate, exactly? There are so many varieties of salad, I can't imagine what you're referring to.

MizzQuizz

The OXO Salad chopper. It's weird, but it seems to make salads more palatable to me. It comes with a huge, heavy duty plastic bowl, and a twin bladed cutter. You add your greens, veggies, etc to the bowl, then CHOP it to bits! I call them my 'spoon salads', because everything is chopped so fine, you can eat it with a spoon. I'm not sure why it makes salad taste so much better, but its the best $25 I've ever spent on Amazon.com. If you do instagram, just search the hashtag #BAS (stands for Big *kitten* Salad). ENJOY!

lfcutie

I make taco salad with salsa...or just salad chicken and salsa, you can top it with those shredded tortilla chips they sell by the croutons. I also make my salad with just the cabbage coleslaw mix bag and add avocado. I like the lite Newman dressings they are good.

livingleanlivingclean

i love salads. I love salad dressing made with homemade evoo mayo and apple cider vinegar.

you need good fat so why scrimp on salad dressing when you can make the salad more appetising with something you need? it'll make the meal more satisfying and you wont be hungry 2 minutes later.

makingamiracle

Fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, red pepper flake, a little salt, and freshly cracked pepper. I could eat a meadow prepared that way.

toddis

If you are talking salad made with lettuce...you can always try different lettuce.

Which specific part of salad do you dislike?