Is Your Salad Derailing you?

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Often times we get excited to start eating better and we turn to salad.

While salads are often a great alternative to any processed or fried food, can you guess the tops two things may be derailing your success?

1. One if the tops things to be aware of that raises caloric intake and does not promote good health is all the extra stuff that goes on top of the veggies.....

• cheese

• large portion of grilled protein

• fried protein

• crunchy toppers such as wonton strips, nuts, tortilla strips, etc...

• candied nuts

• dried fruit

2. The final addition to the salad is often the most troublesome - DRESSING! Store bought dressing is highly processed and often contains ingredients that do not support good health in our body. They can disrupt your digestion or microbiome, impact hormone levels, raise blood sugar, contribute to free radical damage in our bodies, add to bloat, discomfort, and inflammation, and may cause headaches or lack of energy. Dome of the ingredients to be mindful of:

• canola oil

• high fructose corn syrup

• rice syrup

• gluten

• sugar

• additives and preservatives

• titanium dioxide

• fillers and thickeners

So what are you to do?

#1 Be mindful of portions sizes

#2 Limit the toppers and choose wisely

#3 Load up on fresh vegetables and fruit

#4 Make your own dressing

Dressings are easy to whip up in the kitchen in just a few minutes. Here is a quick and easy dressing the can be satisfying to most. If you are ordering out - tend try just olive oil and vinegar.

The more discerning you are about what you keep in your house, the better they will be for your health. Quality matters. Here are some of the brands I prefer to use on the regular. Order some of these ingredients to have on hand for an easy dinnertime addition. Here are Amazon links to the ingredients and tools you need:

Dressing Shaker

Measuring Spoons

Citrus Juicer

Apple Cider Vinegar

Dijon Mustard

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Liquid Stevia

Happy salad days are ahead! Keep your eye out for new and tasty salad dressing recipes to make at home and avoid the junk. If you are in a hurry and need to purchase at the store - check out Tessamae or Primal Kitchen brands.