Piling a plate high with salad greens and fresh veggies is one of the simplest ways to get a jumpstart on the day’s vegetable requirements. Plus, a salad is low in calories if you don’t cover it with cheese and soak it in a creamy dressing. On the other hand, salads aren’t always filling. Fortunately, you can make a salad “stick to your ribs” by adding some of these healthy and satisfying ingredients to your salad plate.
Top Your Salad Off with Pine Nuts
What’s so special about pine nuts? They contain pinolenic acid a compound found in the oily part of the nut that stimulates the release of CCK (cholecystokinin) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide). These two hormones help to turn off appetite. They’re also a healthier alternative to salad toppers like croutons and tortilla strips that taste crunchy but have little nutritional value. Bite into some pine nuts instead, and you’ll feel more satisfied afterwards.
Use an Olive-Oil Based Dressing
To make a salad more filling, skip the creamy dressings, and make your own simple dressing by mixing three parts oil with one part vinegar. Then add your favorite spices. Why olive oil? It contains oleic acid, a compound that’s converted to OEA, an appetite-suppressing hormone, in the small intestines. Olive oil is also a good source of monounsaturated fats that protect against heart disease, but don’t go overboard. It still has calories. To reduce the calories, get a gourmet oil mister and lightly spray your salad dressing on.
Add Some Lean Protein
Protein-rich foods boost levels of PPY, a gut hormone that suppresses appetite. Foods high in protein require more energy to process, so you burn a few more calories after eating them. Hold the greasy bacon and bacon bits, and choose grilled chicken strips, chunks of turkey, steamed shrimp, steamed scallops, salmon or egg whites instead. The extra protein in these foods quickly turns a green garden salad into a satisfying meal.
Sprinkle on Some Beans
Beans not only have modest amounts of appetite-suppressing protein, they’re also high in fiber, another appetite-suppressor. All beans are worthy of gracing your salad, but black beans and kidney beans win extra points because they’re the highest in cell protective anti-oxidants. Beans are also a good source of slow-burning, complex carbohydrates that stabilize blood sugar levels. If you buy canned ones, make sure they’re not too high in salt.
Enjoy It with a Bowl of Soup
Have a bowl of broth-based soup with your salad. Foods with a high water content like soup fill you up without adding a lot of calories. A salad and a bowl of soup complement one another and make a complete meal. Good soup choices are lentil soup (good source of protein), tomato soup (loaded with lycopenes), vegetable soup (who couldn’t use more veggies?) and any type of bean soup.
The Bottom Line?
A salad can be a filling and satisfying meal when you add the right ingredients. Plus, you can be happy knowing you got your veggies.
References:
Cell Metabolism, Volume 8, Issue 4, 281-288, 8 October 2008.
Obesity 19, 522-527 (March 2011) | doi:10.1038/oby.2010.258.
