Supercharge Your Summer Salads

Liz Weiss wrote . . . . . . . . .

Salads can be so much more than a simple bowl of lettuce with a few veggies tossed in. They offer a world of nutrient-rich mealtime possibilities where interesting flavor, texture, color, and ingredient combinations can shine. When temperatures rise and produce is at its peak, assembling summer salads that require less time hovering over a hot stove and more time enjoying leisure activities outdoors, may be especially appealing.

Dietitians who work in multiple settings recognize that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to good nutrition. Nutrient needs differ tremendously based on age, gender, activity level, preexisting conditions, and genetics. In addition, food likes and dislikes, cultural foodways, budgets, and access to nourishing foods can vary. Therefore, when talking to clients and patients about easy and healthful mealtime solutions, now is the ideal time for RDs to suggest creative summer salads tailored to their unique, individualized needs.

When building star-studded summer salads, start with a bed of greens. While iceberg is always an option, this pale-green lettuce is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of possibilities (pun intended). Today, most supermarkets stock an array of other colorful, nutrient-dense lettuce and leafy green varieties, including romaine, red and green leaf lettuce, radicchio, arugula, spinach, kale, Bibb, and endive. Once the foundation has been set, continue with your choice of seasonal fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, raspberries, watermelon, sliced peaches, shredded carrot, sliced radishes, roasted beets, and sliced cucumber, as well as grilled or sautéed zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, corn, and more.

“Salads are such a fabulous way for summer produce to shine,” says San Francisco-based cookbook author and food writer, Katie Morford, MS, RDN, from MomsKitchenHandbook.com. “There’s nothing I love better than to go to a summer farmstand without a game plan and just see what looks good. I’ll bring it all home and turn it into a bright, fresh salad for lunch or a light supper.”

While these crave-worthy salads made with interesting greens and seasonal produce are delectable, there’s no reason to stop there. Dietitians can also encourage clients to make their salads more substantial by adding grain foods, including quinoa, rice, bulgur, barley, or farro; toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or other flavorful nuts and seeds; and foods like chicken, beans, and seafood that bring satisfying protein to each bowl.

Main dish summer salads can offer supercharged and customized nutrition in a single bowl. For example, when planned appropriately, salads can help your clients reach their daily fiber requirement, which can be a challenge for many people; consume adequate protein throughout the day; stay well hydrated; and fine-tune their diets with a specific health goal in mind, such as brain health.

Fiber Fueled

More than 90% of women and 97% of men don’t meet the daily fiber intake recommendations of 25 g for women and 31 g for men. Steering clients toward summer salads made with fiber-rich foods, including avocados (1/2 cup: 5 g), raspberries (1/2 cup: 4 g), sunflower seeds (1 oz: 3 g), pistachios (1 oz: 3 g), cooked lentils (1/2 cup: 7.8 g), and cooked chickpeas (1/2 cup: 6.3 g) to name a few, can help to fill in the fiber gap.

“Beans are one of the easiest things that you can add to a meal like a salad to bulk up on fiber. A half cup of cooked white beans alone provides about 6 g fiber, so adding a full can to a salad along with other vegetables helps to add valuable grams of fiber that support digestive health and provides more satiety to a meal,” says Catherine Perez, MS, RD, LDN, founder of the plantbasedrdblog.com in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

Protein Packed

Salad skeptics may think of salads as “rabbit food,” but when topped with grilled or rotisserie chicken, grilled salmon or shrimp, beans and nuts, or hard-boiled eggs, a salad made with lettuce and fresh veggies can quickly become a hearty main meal for lunch or dinner complete with high-quality protein. Within the protein category, there’s also room for plenty of flexibility. For clients who may prefer chicken over fish or a vegan option of beans vs eggs, swaps can easily be made.

Topping It Off

Salad dressings come in a variety of options, offering the opportunity to enhance the natural flavors of ingredients already present. The classic mix of olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice is low in added sugar and simple to put together on your own. Other creative low-sugar choices might include homemade poppyseed dressing made with plain Greek yogurt, vinegar, and a drizzle of honey; a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic or shallot; and a blended green dressing with light mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped leafy herbs such as basil and/or parsley, and garlic.

Brain Health

Research shows that consuming the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet can support brain health. Moderate to strict adherence to the MIND diet has been shown to reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk by 35% to 53% respectively and preserve brain function. Dietitians should offer clients various ways to incorporate the nine food groups featured in the MIND diet into colorful summer salads. (See sidebar.)

Hydration

Staying well-hydrated is important for overall good health. It helps regulate body temperature, deliver nutrients to cells, facilitate removal of cellular waste products, prevent infections, prevent and relieve constipation, and may also help to improve cognition and mood, to name just some of the benefits. Drinking plenty of water, especially during the heat of summer, is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when discussing hydration with clients, but summer produce with high water content, including watermelon, berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and celery can also be recommended for a thirst-quenching dish.

Source: Today’s Dietitian