The Ultimate Salad of Health

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Today, I'm sharing a crazy-good-for-you salad recipe. Justin and I make salad for lunch at work every day. This is one of our recent favorites.

Fat calories in this salad come almost exclusively from avocado. If you nix the avocado, you'd ring in at about 145 calories instead of 270 -- but, for someone who is active and working out, adding those healthy fats is a good thing (and a 145 calorie lunch just isn't enough, folks).

Items to incorporate into your salads (if you're not already doing it):

• Kale: Either raw or steamed, Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale also has at least two major chemicals (sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol) that are known as potent cancer-fighting and cancer-blocking chemicals. (Wiki for Kale)
• Scallions (Green Onion): High in fiber means Scallions will fight off bad cholesterol. They also score well on the fullness to nutrition scale (meaning they are high on the list for helping you feel full while also being high on the list for nutrition!). Scallions are also a strong anti-inflammatory, which helps for sore muscles! (Nutrition Data for Scallions)
• Spinach: As far as any salad base goes, Spinach is by far one of the most nutritious, while also being easy to handle and rip. Replacing iceberg or romaine lettuce with spinach for more vitamin C (an antioxidant), iron (helps prevent anemia), magnesium (can help protect against heart disease) and vitamin K (good for bones and blood). (The Tribune on Spinach vs Romaine)
• Egg Whites: Add some protein to your salad without overloading on calories! One hard boiled egg white packs 3.6 grams of protein in just 17 calories. Other awesome nutrients in an egg white: Selenium and Riboflavin! (LiveStrong on Egg Whites)

The Ultimate Salad of Health!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Chopped Spinach
• 1 stalk Chopped Scallions (Green Onions)
• 1 leaf Chopped Kale
• 3 rinsed and sliced strawberries (or other berries)
• 1 large Egg, hard boiled, egg whites only
• 1/2 Avocado, without skin or seeds
• 1 tablespoon Feta Cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon Diced Walnuts

Directions:

1. Combine
2. Toss with low-fat dressing (such as Newman's Own Asian Ginger)
3. Serve!