6 Secrets to making super healthy salads taste great

Today's blog is dedicated to making super healthy salads. Let's be done permanently with stale iceberg lettuce, dried-out baby carrots, and drab tomato wedges topped with fabricated salty goo. Forever.

Here are our top 6 salad substitutions that result in super healthy salads that also taste amazing

1. Iceberg Lettuce Substitutions

Increasing your dark green leafy veggies is an incredibly easy way to create a foundation for super healthy salads. Mix it up! Although some varieties of greens are pricey - you can minimize cost by mixing them with less expensive greens (e.g. red leaf lettuce mixed with arugula and fresh chives). You can get many of these varieties at your local supermarket, farmers' markets, or at specialty grocers like Whole Foods. Of course, you can also grow your own.

• Red leaf lettuce
• Green leaf lettuce
• Spinach
• Romaine
• Mesclun (or baby greens)
• Arugula
• Endive
• Frisee
• Escarole
• Radicchio
• Fresh cilantro, parsley, or basil leaves
• Fresh chives or dill
• Mustard greens

2. Carrot Prep

Carrots are extremely nutritious and an excellent source of beta carotene, the plant's precursor to Vitamin A. Here's how to keep a carrot's flavor, texture, and nutritional value at its peak.

• Store in refrigerator in an airtight container vs. unsecured bag.
• Wash and peel your carrots. More mature carrots can have bitter peels.
• For maximum crispy sweetness and palatability, shred the peeled carrot.

3. Tomato Substitutions

Let's face it, if you live in most areas of the world, you don't get fresh tomatoes very often. Instead of paying top dollar for out-of-season tomatoes, why not substitute tomatoes with these other ingredients that are also good sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals?

• Sweet peppers: higher in vitamin C than tomatoes
• Beets: raw, peeled, and shredded
• Strawberries

4. Cucumber Substitutions

Find that cucumbers are hard to digest? Just peel them! You still get nutritional benefits from the seeds and plenty of fiber inside. Or if you just want something a little different - something moist and gently crispy with a little bite - try:

• Radishes: shredded or thinly sliced from different colors and varieties
• Celery: try dicing to help with a manageable texture
• Zucchini: no need to peel - just slice or chop

5. Crouton Substitutions

We like the crunchiness of croutons but bemoan the lack of texture and flavor of the lifeless, low-fat croutons on the market. These simple substitutions will help you increase your fiber intake and possibly lower sodium.

• Roasted chickpeas
• Roasted nuts
• Homemade whole-grain croutons
• Homemade whole wheat baked pita chips with olive oil and rosemary
• Leftover whole wheat pizza crust (save crust edge for a salad instead of throwing away)

6. Salad Dressing Substitutions

We typically think of salad dressing as the glue that binds everything together in the salad, but we also rely on it for flavor. Try tricking your taste buds into accepting these subs which will give you more nutrients for the calories compared to standard salad dressings.

• Hummus
• Guacamole
• Low-fat cottage cheese mixed with tahini (sesame paste)
• Nuts (e.g. pistachios, walnuts, almonds, or peanuts)
• Seeds (e.g. pumpkin, sunflower, or toasted sesame seeds).
• Low-fat tuna salad
• Low-fat chicken salad
• Balsamic vinegar & olive oil (find the best quality you can afford)
• Feta cheese
• Mozzarella cheese

Use your creativity to come up with your own combinations for super healthy salads!

Related content

How to build healthy main course salads for your weight loss plan
4 Healthy, refreshing, and super-easy summer salad recipes to use up all those veggies
Healthy lunch recipes for weight loss that take less than 15 minutes to prepare

Content was reviewed and updated by Brenda Braslow, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES on April 14, 2022.

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Foods & Recipes->Salads