21 Jul Easy Healthy Salads for Weight Loss – Veg Indian Diet
Hello Friends, I am Seema and I lost 28 Kilo weight naturally. You can view my weight loss Journey and Diet here.
Today we will talk about most effective Weight Loss Salads.
We have always been nudged by our mothers to eat vegetables and fruits on a regular basis. Even if we deny doing so, they secretly try to combine them in our daily meals, for us to gain the maximum nutrition. According to many studies, Salads are considered to be one of the healthiest and nutritious food options for weight loss and other health benefits. Be it a green salad, a mixed fruit salad or one with sprouts or beans, it is highly recommended to add a portion of salad in your everyday meals, all around the world.
How Salads Help in Weight Loss?
So I have talked of adding salads in our everyday meals and that they help in weight loss, but I haven’t mentioned the “why” behind it. How exactly do salads help in losing weight?
Full of Fiber
Vegetables are packed with insoluble fiber which is helpful for keeping your digestive system healthy. Fiber rich food items also help you feel full for a longer period of time, which eventually helps you eat less. Consuming fiber in abundance can also help you eliminate the risk of heart problems in the later stage of your life.
Low in Calories
Salads including green vegetables and sprouts amount to be just around 100-150 calories per 1-2 cups. Adding salads as a snacking meal in between can help you overcome your hunger craving, and can also help you keep full. You can also add salads as a first course during your main meals, which will help you eat less in the rest of the meal, hence saving you calories and keeping you full.
Rich in Antioxidants
Multiple numbers of vegetables and fruits contain antioxidants, which help in cleansing your body of the accumulated toxins. Detoxification helps a great deal in losing weight. It helps to makes your digestive system healthy and cleans the inner organs. Some vegetables and fruits contain essential vitamins in the form of antioxidant carotenoids, which not only provide nutrition but also help in losing weight.
Good source of Protein
Vegetarians often face a problem of not meeting their daily requirement of protein. Protein is essential for building muscles, which helps in burning fat and thus lose weight. Tones muscles provide a leaner and fitter body image. High protein intake is obtained from meat and fish, hence vegetarians should add more green vegetables, nuts and pulses in their diet which provide protein.
High Water Content
Many vegetables and fruits contain high water content, which help in keeping you full for a longer period of time. These vegetables and fruits also contain low calories, such as celery, watermelon, tomatoes and cucumbers, which keep you full and do not let you exceed your daily caloric value.
Salad Recipes for Weight Loss- Easy, Quick and Tasty
Salads are simple to make and take less time as compared to any other snack or meal. Here I have put down some simple salad recipes for you to prepare, pretty mucheasy and on the go. We have a mixture of vegetables, fruits, nuts, sprouts and other ingredients which are healthy and nutritious. Also you can add Salad Dressing to enhance its taste, I listed Salad Dressing below too 🙂
Vegetable Salad Recipes for Weight Loss
We shall now discuss the various recipes used for losing weight.
Spinach and Vegetable Salad
Spinach is one of the most healthy food items which should be included in a salad. Paired with other vegetables, this salad recipe boasts of nutrition and is low in calories, hence being helpful for weight loss.
You will need: ½ bunch of regular or baby spinach, 1 capsicum, 1 medium sized tomato, 1 medium sized cucumber, ½ cup shredded cabbage, ½ cup chopped spring onions, 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
- Chop the baby spinach in fine shreds. You can also boil the spinach for 2 to 3 mins in water if you do not want to consume it raw.
- Similarly, chop the other vegetables in small shreds or pieces.
- Mix them well and add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Best time to eat this salad: You can have this salad as a filling breakfast or as an evening snack.
Amount to be consumed: You can help yourself with 2 servings or bowls of this salad at a time.
EASY Cucumber tomato salad
This is one of the most preferred salads by dieticians as well as for those who are trying to lose weight. With two simple ingredients, this salad forms for a healthy and tasty salad.
You will need: 1 medium sized tomato, 1 medium sized cucumber, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
- Chop the tomato and cucumber into thin slices.
- Add lemon juice and mix well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Best time to eat this salad: You can eat this salad before a main meal, which will keep you full and make you consume fewer calories during your main meals. You can also eat this salad as a dinner meal.
Amount to be consumed: You can help yourself with 2 to 3 bowls of this salad.
Watermelon and cucumber salad
A mix of a fruit and a vegetable, this salad is one of the lightest and freshest recipes of all. Consume this salad daily to shed those extra pounds.
You will need: 1 cup diced watermelon, 2 cups of cucumber, 1 cup sliced onions, 3-4 tablespoons of pomegranate juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
- Remove all the seeds from the watermelon.
- Mix the watermelon, cucumber and onions well.
- Add pomegranate juice, salt and pepper.
Best time to eat this salad: Use this salad as a lunch meal or an evening snack.
Amount to be consumed: Since this is a light salad, you can easily consume 2-3 servings per meal, and can be consumed 1-2 times in a day.
Fruit Salads for Weight Loss
You can also add pure fruit salads in your everyday meal to lose weight. We can consume them as a replacement for snacks as well. I have talked about some of the simple and healthy fruit salad recipes which can be consumed on a daily basis.
Apple, pear and orange salad
You will need: 1 small apple, 1 medium pear, 1 medium sized orange, 1 tbsp pomegranate seeds and 2 tbsp lemon juice.
Method:
- Cut the apple and pear into small cubes.
- Keep one orange aside. Peel the remaining oranges and cut them into small cubes as well.
- Take the whole orange and squeeze fresh juice from it.
- Mix the apple, pear and orange cubes along with the pomegranate seeds. Add the orange juice and lemon juice to it.
Keep it in the fridge to chill. This salad tastes best when chilled.
Best time to eat this salad: Have this salad in the morning to kick start your day with freshness.
Amount to be consumed: Since this salad a high amount of citrus in it, you should consume this salad just once in a day, with 1-2 servings per meal.
Pineapple, Pomegranate and apple salad
Pomegranate and pineapple are rich in nutrients as well, and are useful in losing weight. Combined with the rich nutrition of apples, they keep you full for a longer time.
You will need: ½ cup diced pineapple, 1 cup of diced apple and 1 cup of pomegranate seeds
Method: You just need to mix the above mentioned ingredients in a bowl. You can add 2 tbsp of fresh pineapple juice to enhance the taste of the salad.
Best time to eat this salad: You can snack on this salad as an evening snack or you can have it in the morning for breakfast as well.
Amount to be consumed: Since pineapple is high in sugar content, you should not consume this salad for more than once or maximum twice in a day.
Protein Salad
Let us now discuss some of the vegetarian salads which are rich in protein content.
Moong sprouts salad
You will need: 2 cups of moong sprouts, 1 tomato, 1 onion, 1 tbsp lemon juice, green chilies, ½ tsp chat masala, salt or black salt to taste.
Method:
- Soak the sprouts in water and leave them overnight.
- Steam or boil them in the morning to completely cook them.
- Strain water from it.
- Chop the tomato, onion and chilies in the required and size and amount.
- Mix the vegetables with the sprouts and add lemon juice, chat masala and salt according to taste.
You can also use any other sprout as a substitute.
Kidney beans salad
You will need: 2 cups kidney beans, 2 medium sized tomatoes, 1 onion, 2 pieces of sliced sweet lime, 1 medium sized capsicum, 1 raw mango (optional), 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp honey (optional), 3 tbsp coriander, 2 green chilies, salt and pepper.
Method:
- Finely chop the tomatoes, onion, chilies, capsicum, mango and coriander.
- Let the beans be tender under boiling water.
- Make a puree out of the mango (optional).
- Add the sweet lime juice or pieces to the cooked beans.
- Mix the raw mango puree (optional), olive oil, honey (optional), coriander and green chilies to make a dressing.
- Add the tomatoes, capsicum, onion and dressing to the cooked beans.
- Serve chilled.
You can also use any other beans as a substitute.
Peanut/ Roasted chana salad
Boiled chana are good Protein source and helps much in reducing weight.
You will need: 1 cup chana, 1 capsicum, 1 tomato, 3-5 garlic cloves, 2-3 tbsp olive oil, 2 red chilies, 2 tbsp lemon juice and salt to taste.
Method:
- Soak the chana in water and leave it overnight.
- Boil it in salt water in the morning.
- Chop the capsicum and tomatoes in cubes or pieces.
- Take a pan and put 1-2 tbsp of olive oil on it.
- Crush the garlic cloves and simmer them on the pan.
- Add the chopped vegetables and chilies.
- Sprinkle some salt on it.
- Mix the roasted vegetables with the cooked chana in a bowl and add lemon juice to it.
- Add salt if required.
You can also use any other chana as a substitute.
Vegetable Raita with Low Fat Yogurt
Raita is another popular savory salad consumed as a side dish in main meals by Indians. It is also a healthy option and can be added in your daily meals to gain health benefits. We can substitute the curd used in making vegetable raita with low fat yogurt for those who are watching their weight.
To make vegetable raita with low fat yogurt, you will need:
1 cup low fat yogurt, 1 capsicum, 1 carrot, 1 cucumber, 1 tomato, 1 onion, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder and salt to taste.
Cumin Power in Low fat yogurt helps you to decrease belly size, view more here.
Method:
- Finely chop the vegetables and mix them well.
- Add them to the yogurt.
- Add black pepper powder, cumin powder and salt according to the required taste.
- Mix well.
This raita should be consumed fresh to gain its maximum taste and health benefits.
Salad Dressing to Increase Flavour and Increase Metabolism
Salad dressings are a vital part of the salads as well. While we always focus on the main elements of the salad, we should also pay equal attention to the dressing we are choosing. Also, another point to consider is to avoid market bought ready-to-use salad dressings and sauces, as these are packed with oil, sugar, artificial colors and preservatives. These simply take away the healthy essence of a salad.
You can use natural and home ingredients as salad dressings. For instance, you can sprinkle some black salt, pepper, use lemon juice, chili powder or add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. All these ingredients help to increase the flavor of the salad and promote health benefits as well. Chili powder helps in boosting metabolism, olive oil helps in absorbing the essential nutrients in the body and lemon helps in detoxification of the body.
We shall now learn a simple and quick salad dressing recipe.
You will need: ¾ cup olive oil, some chopped curry leaves, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tbsp honey, 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp minced ginger and 2 teaspoon red chili flakes.
Method:
You need to simply blend all these ingredients in a blender. Use 1 tablespoon of this dressing in your salad and store the rest for future use.
The three ingredients, garlic, chili and ginger boost metabolism and produce heat in the body, by which you can burn more calories. Olive oil has essential fat components which help in absorbing of the essential nutrients in the body. Honey and curry leaves are rich in antioxidants and hence detoxify the body. Apple cider vinegar helps you stimulate your digestive system.
How Much Salad Can I Eat?
Many people go on a strict salad diet to lose weight quickly and in a short period of time. While eating salads for up to 3 weeks works in losing weight quickly and cleansing your inner body, exceeding the duration can be harmful as well.
Our body requires certain amount of calories daily to get energy for its functioning. Consuming a low amount of calories can slow down your metabolism and increase hunger cravings, which will eventually build up body weight. Consuming salads for every meal and for more than 3 weeks can make you weak and unable to move.
Plan your meals according to your daily calorie deficit intake for weight loss, mostly people follow 1200 calorie plan. You can use salad in such a manner that they substitute one of your main meals for a salad, which will help you stay in your calorie limit and you can gain maximum health benefits. One serving of salad can have around 200-300 calories, which can be wisely included as 1 meal or 1 serving per day.
Also always count calories, below chart will help you.
Calorie Count
The above mentioned ingredients in the salads contain the following number of calories per 100 grams,
- Spinach: 23
- Cucumber: 16
- Beans: 333
- Apple: 52
- Banana: 89
- Pineapple: 50
- Pomegranate seeds: 83
- Olive oil: 884
- Tomato: 18
- Watermelon: 30
- Orange: 47
- Sweet corn: 86
- Capsicum: 40
- Spring onion: 32
- Carrot: 41
- Cabbage: 25
- Lentils: 116
- Cauliflower: 25
- Pear: 57
- Kiwi: 61
- Chana: 364
- Garlic: 149
- Low fat yogurt: 63
- Black pepper: 251
- Cumin powder: 375
- Salt: 0
Tips for Making a Good Weight Loss Salad
What makes a salad good? Not only the ingredients, but the way of preparation and the way of presentation as well. There are many more aspects to it as well. Find them out.
Make your salad colorful
It is said that you eat with your eyes first. Food that is unattractive to look at is unappetizing to eat as well. If you make your food look attractive and colorful, you have the craving to eat it heartily. Make sure that you add colorful ingredients in your salad such as a combination of green, red and yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, red cabbage, etc. to make it look colorful, attractive and healthy at the same time.
Wrap it up
You can wrap your salads in healthy baked rotis or tortillas using multi grain flour, which would only add to the nutrition. People who hate to touch the salads easily consume them if they come in wraps. There are a lot of options for salad wraps, which are tasty and healthy.
Add cheese
You might think that adding cheese to a salad is not a wise option due to its fatty components. Trust me, it’s not! Low fat cheese can sprinkled in moderation over the salads as it is rich in calcium and can help in releasing fat. It also reduces cravings and helps you keep full for a longer period of time.
Add protein
As we discussed earlier, protein is an important component to be consumed while you are trying to lose weight. Add healthy and protein rich options in your salads such as tofu, lentils and certain nuts to increase your daily protein intake.
Olive oil
Olive oil has certain good fat components which are essential for the absorption of essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Therefore, it is essential for you to add a small amount of olive oil as a dressing component, which will also enhance the overall flavor of the salad.
Also Read – EASY AND EFFECTIVE TIPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
NOTE - Friends, I am not dietitian or Doctor, I write information here on the basis of my own 25 kilo weight loss experience and sometimes from online research. Please take doctor advice before applying any tip, as each and every human body is different.
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