Salads add interest and nutrients to a meal, and make it easy to get your 5 to 10 daily servings of vegetables and fruit. Whether served as a starter, side dish, light meal, or main course, you shouldn’t be bored with the wide range of healthy salad options available.

Where to begin? Building a salad is easy and fun. All that’s required are vegetables, fruit, and some imagination! The list of ingredients can be as long, or short, as you want. Fresh produce, canned beans, grain products, and leftovers of every variety are great choices. Use this assembly guide to get started.

Step 1 – Select greens
A good tossed salad begins with clean, crisp greens. Choose dark-leaf greens to get the most nutrients. Spinach, romaine lettuce, and various mixed greens are good choices. Did you know that spinach is a good source of folate, vitamin A, and fibre, and a source of vitamin C, iron, potassium, and calcium? Compare this to iceberg lettuce, which provides very little nutrition other than water!

Try a new green!
Arugula is tender, with a hot, spicy flavour and is a source of vitamin C. Mix with other greens such as romaine lettuce, endive and kale for a tasty and nutritious salad. Ask your produce manager for other ideas.

Step 2 – Add other vegetables or fruit
Try to add at least three different types of vegetables or fruit. Vegetables and fruit offer a wide range of health-promoting substances including phytochemicals, nutrients, and fibre. Be creative in your choices!

Vegetable ideas: artichokes, asparagus, bean sprouts, beets, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, mushrooms, scallions, shredded cabbage, snow peas, sweet peppers, zucchini.

Fruit ideas: apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, dried fruit (e.g. raisins, cranberries, apricots), grapes, mango, peaches, pears, plums, watermelon.

 
Food safety tip: Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water before and after handling fresh produce. Wash all fresh vegetables and fruit with cold water. Although packaged produce may be labeled as “washed”, it never hurts to repeat the process as an extra precaution.

Step 3 – Choose toppings
Enhance the flavour of your salad by adding cheese, nuts, or seeds, and a dressing. Shred or crumble lower-fat cheeses like mozzarella, feta or goat. A handful of slivered almonds, pine nuts, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds can jazz up a traditional salad. Low-fat salad dressings or vinaigrettes are the finishing touch. But remember, a little bit goes a long way! While a salad is generally a healthy choice, you do need to be careful to add flavour without adding excess fat and calories. Make smart choices and use oils cheese, nuts, and seeds in moderation. Avoid high-fat croutons, bacon bits, fried noodles, full-fat cheeses, and creamy dressings.

Dress lightly…
Try to choose a salad dressing with less than 2 grams of fat per serving and use sparingly! Adding too much dressing will overpower the flavour of the salad and significantly raise its calorie content. You can reduce the fat by mixing creamy dressings with fat-free yogurt or fat-free sour cream. Or, make your own dressing by using fresh herbs, healthy oils like olive or canola, flavoured vinegars (balsamic, rice wine, or cider vinegar), or fruit juices such as lemon, lime, tomato, or orange.

Step 4 – Choose a protein source

If the salad is the focus of your meal, you’ll want to add a source of protein to get a good balance of nutrients. Legumes (e.g. dried peas, beans, or lentils like chick peas and kidney beans), cooked eggs, tuna, grilled chicken, salmon, or tofu will help make the dish more complete. Try something new! Salads don’t have to be limited to the typical iceberg lettuce, tomato, and cucumber mix. Grain-based or legume salads are healthy options. Choose whole-grain pasta and rice, or try grains such as quinoa, bulgur wheat, and couscous. Or, start with black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, white beans, or lentils as a base. Add a variety of vegetables or fruit, a bit of seasoning, and you’re all set!

On the go and pressed for time…

• You can save time with the convenience of using bagged greens and precut or shredded vegetables in your salads. Other easy options are mini-carrots, grape tomatoes, and canned fruit.

• Salad bars can be tricky. Watch out for high-fat items like mayonnaise-based salads (e.g. macaroni, tuna, or potato), salads made with a lot of oil-based dressing (e.g. bean or pasta), and extras like dressings, croutons, cheese, or bacon bits. Load up on greens, vegetables, and fruit. Look for healthy protein choices (e.g. shredded chicken) and choose a low-fat dressing.
• Fast food restaurants now offer a variety of salad options. To make healthier choices, pick grilled chicken over fried chicken, choose vinaigrettes over creamy dressings (use only half the pouch), and leave the croutons or crispy noodles pack unopened. Always order the dressing on the side.