The 4-Step Guide to The Perfect Salad

Be honest, what’s the first food that comes to your mind when you think of healthy eating?

Our guess is salad, and we’re pretty sure yours is too. As far as foods go, salad is the poster child for beneficial eating choices, as it is nutritious, virtuous, easy to make and filling without forcing you into a food-induced afternoon slump.

We have spent several hours thinking about and debating what the perfect salad looks like, the kind that fills you just enough without putting you to sleeping in your 5 pm meeting and satisfies you without leaving your hungry and prepped for useless snacking.

So here is The Glow Paradise’s 4-step guide to building the perfect salad.

• Begin with at least 150g of leafy green vegetables as a base:

If you establish this as a rule to be applied to your daily diet, you will notice immense change in the way you look and feel. These fibrous, sulfur-containing plants will do wonders to the good bacteria in your gut. They will feed them so they can produce essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Eventually as this bacteria becomes healthier, it will mirror the state of your body beginning with your immune system, your hormones, how well you sleep, your mood and your digestion. Treat your microbiome well, and it will treat you well.

• Eat the rainbow:

Fill your plate with as much color as possible! Not only does this make eating an overall more pleasant experience, but also each color in plants and food is an indicator of certain specific health benefits, antioxidants and minerals that can enhance vitality. Some of the benefits of a Technicolor diet include a strengthened immunity, floods of phytonutrients, which are messengers to the cells and protection against heart and lung disease thanks to the carotenoids in red and pink ingredients. Your body naturally craves a visual feast because it innately understands that each color provides its own set of powerful nutrients.

• Incorporate superfoods: 

In their essence, superfoods feed our muscles, sustain our gut bacteria and provide us with immense health benefits. Superfoods like camu camu or turmeric offers ample antioxidants and are well recognized for being immune system and brain boosters. Purslane has strong anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. All of these results are subtle and cumulative, so stick with it and you may soon notice energy without the need for caffeine and a more focused and clear mind.

• Fats are your friends:

Listen to us; healthy fats are not the enemy! There might have been a time in the past where eating healthy was all about avoiding fat, but as it turns out it is not the key to being fit because science taught us it’s actually essential to thriving. Unsaturated fats actually feed our brains and enable our bodies to absorb nutrients better. A good quality olive oil, nuts, seeds or avocados are ideal. Trust us on this one, and don’t be afraid to indulge.