Most often than not, fast food and processed foods win the battle over healthy and nutritious dishes such as salads which are then relegated to becoming a side dish or as an appetizer.
While salads are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, they are often perceived to be tasteless. Once you unlock the secret to making your salads flavourful and visually appealing, you will never grow tired of salads. One can create so many mouthwatering options including fruit salads, leafy green salads, and vegetable salads.
Shruti Gladys, a popular food influencer from Bangalore, says, “My occupation as a food blogger gives me the opportunity to try a wide range of foods from diverse cuisines. I end up eating a lot of outside foods throughout the week. So, when I am home, I prepare a simple, refreshing, and healthy salad for myself to maintain a balanced diet. There are a lot of ingredients that you can add to make your salads colourful, healthy, and interesting, I personally love adding fruits to create some exciting and tasty salads. To ensure that my vegetables and fruits are safe for eating, I wash them with a 100% natural action fruit and vegetable wash like ITC Nimwash, which helps get rid of germs from my food and easily saves me a ton of time. Although I may not have the time to prepare elaborate meals, I can certainly prepare fantastic salads.”
Here are some delicious fruits to add to your salads:
• Mango
The sweet-sour taste of mangoes adds a zing to any salad. Pair it with cucumbers and red onions and drizzle with a dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey and ginger and top with peanuts for a refreshing salad. Mango is loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folates and helps boost your immunity.
• Apples
Apples can provide a lot of texture and a fantastic crunch to your salad. Compliment the crunchiness with lettuce, grapes, and celery. Apple can lower the cholesterol and protect against obesity, heart disease and cancer. Additionally, apples are also known to aid in weight loss.
Guavas
An unusual addition to salads, guava can be refreshing in the heat. Just combine them with cucumber and apples and toss in a simple dressing of lime juice, salt, and red chilli. Pink-coloured guavas contain ‘Lycopene’ which protects against UV rays.
Peach
Peach adds a unique freshness to a salad spread. Just coat the peaches with honey and a sprinkle of chopped basil leaves for a yummy salad. Vitamin A in peaches promotes both good vision and digestive health. Peaches also support blood sugar regulation and reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Grapes
Grapes have a great sweet and sour taste. Combine them with a little bit of olive oil, celery, and lime, this can heighten all the bursts of flavour in your salad bowl. Grapes are an excellent source of potassium, which helps your body balance fluids. Potassium can help lower high blood pressure and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Berries
All berries, whether they are blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, add wonderful flavours to the salad bowl and are also relatively nutritious. In a bowl of strawberries just add chopped spinach and sprinkle some toasted sunflower and sesame seeds for flavour. Berries are rich in fibre, prebiotics, vitamins C and K, potassium, magnesium, and fibre.
