Salads restaurants and cafes are everywhere now.

It’s great to see everyone is getting on board and supporting the health and fitness of society. The problem with salads though is not everyone can afford them at these restaurants and cafes. Those who can afford it, usually end up with a small serve, leaving them hungry a few hours later.

So, what about the rest?

Luckily, there are a few ingredients at the grocery store that are economical and yet still deliver the goods when you need them the most.

First stop, salad station preparation! There’s a little secret to making salads. While they start off with lettuce, the next few salad components can make or break a healthy salad. Here are five essential salad components that every health buff chooses:

  1. Lettuce Lettuce is the foundation of a health buff salad. Lettuce brings in the healthy green and brown colors to the dish as well as the fibre and minerals found in its leaves.
  2. Carrots Carrots are the next best salad component to add into the dish. These vegetables bring in fibre and vitamin A to aid in vision. They also add a wonderful color to contrast the green and brown of the lettuce.
  3. Cucumber Cucumbers are great for adding texture and variety into the salad while also contributing a juicy source of potassium for your health. Potassium is good for nerve function.
  4. Red Bell peppers Red bell peppers or capsicums are also excellent for color and texture. Slice them up vertically to create sticks. Great for dips and contribute a sweet taste along with vitamin C which is a healthy antioxidant used in the body to protect it from free radicals.
  5. Roasted Almonds Roasted almonds are fantastic in contributing to salad dishes. They deliver some protein, fibre and good fats and are also wonderful for their taste as well. Fibre is good for bowel health and the good fats will help to improve your blood lipid profiles.

Ready, Set, Go Salad!

Don’t just sit there. Get to it! Choosing the right salad components is easy once you understand the foundations and why you choose certain foods over others. Try it out and you can be on your road to healthy eating in no time.