What Should You Do to Lose Weight?

Whether you are looking for a New Year’s plan to drop some weight or a fresh idea to maintain your health, I have the answer for you:

EAT A SALAD FOR LUNCH MOST DAYS – AT LEAST 5 DAYS/WEEK.

Most people tend to eat sandwiches for lunch which are filled with man-made carbohydrates, processed lunch meat, and unhealthy fats. The majority of the working class eat their lunches out everyday. We all know that it is easy to make bad decisions at restaurants. Eating a hearty and healthy salad for lunch most days is the prefect solution.

Salad Dilemmas
Most people tell me they are not “Salad People” because of three different reasons:
1) “Salads do not fill me up”
2) “Salads are boring”
2) “It takes to long to make a salad for myself”

Proper Salad Combining that will Fulfill Your Appetite
Mealtime salads should be more than just vegetables. It is essential to add carbohydrates, protein, and good fat to your salads for good blood sugar control so you can feel satiated and energized. Most people tend to eliminate carbohydrates from their salads, but they are just as important as the rest of the ingredients. Just make sure to choose real or healthy carbohydrates. Note: garlic bread or croutons are not healthy carbohydrate options (sorry).
– Non-Starchy Vegetables: all your favorite salad veggies
– Carbohydrate Ideas: fresh fruit, dried fruit, beans, corn, peas, brown rice, quinoa, cous cous, beets, potato
– Protein Ideas: hard-boiled egg, nuts, seeds, fish, shellfish, edamame beans, cheese (limit to 1 oz), meat, poultry, tuna/egg/chicken salad
– Good Fat Ideas: vinaigrette dressings made with olive oil and minimal sugar, avocados, olives, and I consider the oils in nuts, seeds, edamame, and eggs to be healthy fat

Jazz-up Your Salads
When making your salad, make sure to include the ingredients that you love. I make salads almost everyday and some of my favorite ingredients are avocados, nuts, seeds, cranberries, hard-boiled eggs, olives, snap peas, green onions, and chopped cabbage for extra crunchiness.

Make Your Salad in Minutes
If you plan properly by following my easy steps and tips, it is simple to whip up a mealtime salad in minutes.
1) Food Shopping: Make sure to always stay stocked with your favorite veggies and salad ingredients. Make a staple list and always take with you to the market.
2) Supplies Shopping: If you do not have any salad or dressing containers, it is likely that you will not eat salads regularly. Ideally, have 4-5 salad and dressing containers (with lids) so you can make salads in bulk and eat them on the go.
3) Salad Prep: There are two salad routines that are easy to follow.
– Make a basic salad mixture for the week. Clean, chop, and dry vegetables thoroughly or buy pre-washed bagged veggies. In a large air tight container, store drier vegetables like greens, spinach, cabbage, grape tomatoes, sugar/snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, pepper, and tomatoes. Once you have your salad base, it is easy to grab a handful and add a few more ingredients to whip together a daily salad.
– Instead of making one salad, gather all your salad and dressing containers and make 4 or 5 for the week. It’s best to add your wetter ingredients the same day of consumption.

Make Your Own Salad Dressing
One of the keys to a healthy and yummy salad is the dressing. I have found that homemade dressing tastes worlds better than store bought dressing and is much healthier. If you are eating out, it is best to ask for olive oil and vinegar or lemon on the side. Typical restaurant dressings can ruin your healthy salad. If you are up for making your own dressing, here is a simple vinaigrette outline.
– Main Dressing Ingredients: 3:1 ratio of olive oil to vinegar of choice
– Optional Ingredients: pinch of salt, squeeze of lemon or lime, squirt of mustard, drizzle of agave or honey for a little sweetness, pinch of pepper, garlic or other spices
* Shake well in a glass container and store in the frig for weeks.

Here’s a yummy recipe for Mediterranean Salad

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