Out-of-the-Box Salad Ingredients

Salad Toppings Can Make or Break a Salad

Is it often that you top your healthy salad with croutons, bacon and cheese? The toppings that you choose decide on the health quotient of your salad. Given here are the scoop on five unexpected toppings that will boost the flavor and make the salad healthier.

Florets in your Salads
Have you ever imagined of adding flowers to your salad? Why not try it out when the salad has greens, veggies and even fruits. Edible flowers like marigold, violets, roses and pansies have eye-catchy color and flavor in them, which are essential for your salad. But be sure to use flowers that are labeled as edible as many blooms are grown using dangerous pesticides or some blooms may be toxic. For further details on edible blooms and their use in salads, please visit the website www.firsteatright.com.

Registered dietitian nutritionists reason out that phytonutrients give flowers their beautiful colors. Though eating flowers does not assure better health to a person, the main purpose of adding blooms to the salad is just for the eye-catchy effect of the salad. It is generally proved that food that looks appetizing and tastes great provides an individual with more meal satisfaction.

Go Green with Butter Fruit
The debates over avocado (butter fruit) are never ending.  Avocados are high on fats where most of it is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. These fruits contain the hard-to-get vitamin E and are abundant in fiber where consuming a quarter portion of the fruit supplies the body with around 3.5 grams of fiber. (The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 for men).

These healthy fats from avocado are helpful in yet another way: carotenoids, a type of antioxidant present in many salad veggies like carrots or spinach, are better absorbed in people who consume this fruit.

There’s more to Herbs than Flavor
Herbs are generally used for added flavor with nutritional nothings. But research proves that herbs contain more phytonutrients than typical salad veggies with the ability to lower blood pressure and control blood cholesterol levels.

RDNs suggest adding both fresh and dried herbs like parsley, garlic, oregano, basil, chives, rosemary, chives, thymes and others for a great taste. Herbs are simple to use: sprinkle them on your salad or add them to a vinaigrette made using olive oil.

Dress It Up
Full-fat salad dressings are generally avoided. Studies reveal that oil in salad dressings aids in absorbing the carotenoids in the salads, like avocados. Fats in avocados or salad dressings are useful to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Finally, one or two tablespoons of fat can help us feel full and more satisfied.
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Go Different
Most of us have used berries, apples, oranges and pears in our salads. We have even added dried cherries, dried apricots or raisins to our greens. But the latest trend is to splurge on non-traditional fruits like watermelon, pomegranate seeds, nectarines or peaches, which are packed with vitamins, phytonutrients and fiber. You can also try the non-dried versions of dried favorites — fresh cherries, grapes and apricots which are lower in calories than their dried counterparts.

Here is a Simple Recipe of an Avocado Dressing
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Ingredients
1 avocado
¾ cup water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
¼ teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Blend everything in a blender. 
2. Store in a plastic squeeze bottle in the fridge.
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Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Serves 8
Calories: 45; Total fat: 3.5g; Saturated fat 0.5g; Cholesterol: 0; Sodium: 80mg; Carbohydrates: 3g; Fiber: 2g; Sugars: 0; Protein: 1g