Most kids tend to kick and scream at the sight of salad and will put up a fight if they are asked to eat it. What do most parents do in this situation? They end up giving their children mac and cheese, french fries, fast food, or some other unhealthy meal that hardly contains any nutrients. This is how people end up avoiding vegetables into adulthood.
Being an adult means that you have to do a lot of stuff you don’t want to do. Paying bills, washing dishes, and working are all aspects of adulthood. You know what else is? Eating your damn vegetables, people! Salads are filled with phytochemicals, essential antioxidants, and lots of fiber, which you need to promote healthy digestion.
We understand that everyone isn’t brought up the same and salads may not be regular meals in your diet. In order to help ease you into eating salads, follow the tips below.
Don’t Make Plain Salads
If you put spinach in a bowl and drizzle a little oil and vinegar over it, you cannot call that a salad. That is what you call boring. You have to combine flavors and textures to keep your taste buds craving more after the first couple bites. Don’t be afraid to mix in a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and some legumes.
Add Some Warmth
You can eat salads all year round, but it’s nice to add some warmth to them during the colder months. A warm salad??? A warm salad maintains the leafy green base, but you add warm additions for added flavors. Some of the best warm toppings include quinoa, sautéed asparagus, roasted bell peppers & onions, or grilled tomatoes.
Take Baby Steps
While superfood salads may be trending on health blogs, you don’t have to make a salad with all of them on your first go-around. Piling on kale, chard, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli stems, radicchio, and escarole on your plate will scare you away from salads. Start with romaine lettuce and spinach before you get fancy with arugula, dandelion greens, and purple kale. Tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and cucumbers are perfect beginner ingredients as well.
Chopping Your Greens Right
While greens don’t have to be the base of every salad, they are typically the go-to base. Chopping your greens to make them more manageable to eat is a key element of enjoying salads. If you are using kale or other greens with thick, fibrous, and bitter stems, you need to remove those stems and never put them in your salads. You’ll be immediately turned off from eating salads if you include them.
When you are assembling salads, make sure that you add a variety of textures. You need creamy (hummus and avocados), crunchy (nuts and seeds), and chewy (all of your veggies). Top all of this off with an amazing homemade dressing and you’re in business. If you need some salad and dressing inspiration, click here. If you are still hesitant about eating salads, you need to be an adult and eat your damn salads. Eat salads to survive because vegetables have nutrients that keep your body functioning like it should.
