Better Nutrition July 2020

ASK THE NUTRITIONIST *
QDo you have a favorite
meal that you rely on—
something that is quick to
fix, requires little effort, is
healthy, and tastes good?
Particularly during the hot summer
season, my go-to meal is, without a
doubt, a main-course salad. It’s so simple
to fix that I encourage you to make it
your staple meal too.
I’m not talking about a boring bowl
of iceberg lettuce with dressing poured
on it. Instead, you can quickly combine
assorted greens, chopped vegetables,
cooked meat or seafood pieces, cheese,
40 • JULY 2020
answers to your food questions
The Go-To Meal for Summer
Try 12 varieties of this delicious, versatile, nutritious, no-cook fast food.
BY MELISSA DIANE SMITH
beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, and dressing
in an almost endless variety of tasty
mixtures. Plus, you can have fun doing
it—and create a well-balanced meal
at a fraction of the price of buying a
take-out or restaurant salad! If you plan
ahead by having meat or fish leftovers
or by buying appropriate ready-to-use
ingredients for the type of salad you
want to make, you can often prepare
the salad in as little as 5 minutes.
A main-dish salad is fast food that
doesn’t require any cooking. It’s also
healthy food that provides a nice mix of
slow-burning carbs, protein, and fat that
promotes steady blood sugar and energy
levels. When you change up items from
different food groups, each combination
of ingredients provides a wide array of
vitamins and minerals that promote health.
To create a super salad, my best advice
is to follow your intuition to creatively
pull together ingredients—including
leftovers—in salad form. You also can
use this guide to 12 basic types of salads
for ideas. Try to buy the appropriate
ingredients ahead of time, but don’t
worry if you don’t have all of them. Half
the fun is trying different ingredients and
substitutions. Just by using whatever you
have on hand, you can make a healthy
and delicious salad anytime.
Photo: adobestock.com