Do you know a delicious, nutritious, colorful and refreshing dish that is suitable for a meal at home, in the office or in a restaurant? A dish that can be part of the meal or a complete and balanced meal? In an era of fast food and ultra-processed food, the road to a healthy and tasty meal sometimes seems long and complicated. But there is a dish that fits easily into the Israeli menu, is suitable for all seasons and meets all the criteria of taste, nutritional quality, freshness and usually quick and easy preparation.
Salad is a dish that stars in Israel in the home kitchen and in restaurants, and that’s a good thing. The salad is rich in vitamins and minerals that are important for the proper functioning of the body’s systems, help protect the cells and slow down their aging. Salad is an excellent source of dietary fiber, which helps with proper digestion, satisfies for a long time and contributes to balancing blood sugar and lipid levels.
It is better to cut the vegetables roughly (as in a Greek salad, as opposed to chopped-chopped salad), in order to reduce the surface area, reduce the loss of vitamins exposed to light and damage the nutritional fibers less. It is also recommended not to peel. The skin of most vegetables contains many nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. One of the most prominent examples of this is the cucumber, most of its nutritional value is found in the skin.
Five colors: A colorful salad looks prettier, more appetizing and of course richer in taste. But it also has nutritional benefits. Each color characterizes different nutrients. By combining vegetables of different colors, you can increase the variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the menu. It is customary to divide the fruits and vegetables according to five main colors. Here are the nutritional benefits of vegetables in five different colors:
greens: rich in chlorophyll, iron, calcium, magnesium. Contains vitamins E, C and K and folic acid, and are a good source of lutein (good for eye health).
green vegetables: Lettuce, spinach, cabbage, basil, parsley, coriander, mint.
Reds: Contains lycopene (strong antioxidant), rich in vitamin C.
Red vegetables: Tomato, shrimp, red pepper.
Orange-yellow: Rich in beta-carotene (source of vitamin A), contain vitamin C and folic acid.
Oranges are common in Israeli cuisine: Carrot, orange pepper, yellow pepper and also pumpkin and sweet potato.
Violets: Contains anthocyanins (strong antioxidants), rich in vitamin C and manganese. Since we usually consume less of the purple ones, It is important to prefer Purple onion over white, combine purple lettuce and add purple cabbage and beets.
whites: Mainly garlic and onions, which contain allicin – which has anti-inflammatory properties. Cauliflower, mushrooms and garlic will enrich the salad with additional ingredients.
Not only fresh vegetables: Some believe that fresh vegetables are the best vegetables and do not compromise. The lack of compromise can sometimes cause a reduction in the amount of vegetables eaten, since these are not always available. We are in favor of eating a variety of vegetables in different preparation methods – fresh, canned, steamed, baked in the oven or frozen. The main thing is to add vegetables.
From the moment the vegetables are picked until they reach the plate at home, they go through, sometimes, an arduous journey (transportation and storage) that lasts days and even weeks. The journey does not always take place under ideal conditions (especially in the summer), which affects the vitamin and antioxidant content, which is decreasing.
Perhaps surprising, but in frozen vegetables, which underwent rapid infusion and freezing near the time of picking, the properties of the fresh vegetable are preserved as they were at the time of picking. The same goes for vegetables in a vacuum and some of the canned vegetables. When consuming canned vegetables it is important to check and compare the amount of sodium between the different products.
Salad meal: A salad can be part of a meal, alongside a protein and carbohydrate portion, or a stand-alone meal. In order for the salad to be a balanced meal, in addition to the vegetables, proteins such as egg, tuna, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, white beans), cheeses and carbohydrates derived from potato, sweet potato, corn or bulgur should be added.
Feeling of fullness and satiety: A large meal, regardless of its caloric composition, temporarily expands the walls of the stomach, increases its volume, and therefore causes a feeling of fullness in the stomach. The nerves found in the walls of the stomach send a signal to the brain that the stomach is full, which translates into a feeling of satiety. The physiological swelling together with the central nervous system’s signals of satiety can help reduce the amount of food.
However, some people use it as a manipulation on the digestive system. For example, you eat a large meal of low-calorie salad alongside a carbonated drink with no caloric value – and feel temporarily full. But this is a fake feeling of satiety. After about an hour there is a high chance that they will feel hungry again. Therefore, it is recommended to enjoy a balanced meal in composition and quantity, containing vegetables (in the amount of about half a plate) along with additions of protein and carbohydrates.
What is more and what is less? Enriching the salad with olive oil, avocado, tahini, peanuts or nuts is welcome, as it adds essential fatty acids to the salad. It is better to prepare homemade sauces and control the amounts of sugar and salt than to season with ultra-processed sauces, which are rich in sugar and sodium or croutons.
But who will prepare the salad? Those looking for ways to simplify the process of cutting and preparing salads can use pre-cut vegetables such as cabbage, carrots or washed lettuce, which can definitely save work time. Or prepare a large amount of cut vegetables and store in a sealed box in the refrigerator. You can equip yourself with friendly cutting machines at popular prices, which help to cut and chop vegetables quickly.