Some say salads aren’t cool, but if you can figure them out, they will help you live your life

Because lunch too often was a large Big Mac meal that made it nearly impossible to keep my head off my desk past 3 pm, I’ve had to figure out diet hacks to not only keep my blood pressure and weight down, but also remain a productive member of society and the newsroom through the afternoon and into the evening.

Through years of trial and error, much like establishing a consistent running habit, one of the the biggest keys to turning things around for me has been the almighty salad.

I lived through the Five Dollar Footlong era, when we thought eating a loaf of bread laced with processed meat, was the way. Then the wrap fad. But the low-carb, high-nutrient, high-fiber salad is the only thing that consistently keeps my blood sugar and energy level steady till dinner.

Most people will tell you to throw a handful of spinach and kale in a bowl, toss with olive oil and lemon juice and have at it.

That would be awesome if that worked but it doesn’t for me. And I have a feeling it’s not realistic for most people.

Here’s how to make the almighty salad work for you:

1. Experiment with different greens and different mixes.

Growing up in a fiscally conservative middle class home attending public school, I thought iceberg was the only option.

Then I read that spinach and kale — uber dense in micronutrients and antioxidants — are all you should consider. But kale’s a little bitter and rough, and spinach can be a bit leathery.

Unless you mix them up and mix in a little romaine.

The ideal mix for me is a little spring mix and a little spinach, topped with some romaine, which for me is one of the more palatable greens.

There’s also arugula and all kinds of leaf lettuce. But only you know what’s right for you.

Getting a little spinach in your life will go a long way, but if all you’re willing to stomach is iceberg, and you’re topping it with other veggies, all instead of cold pizza, then that’s a win. 

2. Find your toppings.

Like pizza, toppings can make or break a salad.

Figs, feta and olive and you’ve got a nice Mediterranean treat. Chicken, cheese and hard-boiled egg and you’ve got a nice protein mix.

Celery is good for recovery, dried cranberry can bring some sweetness and it’s hard to go wrong with chopped carrot.

I worry about putting too much sugar in my salad — i.e. dried fruit, fresh fruit, candied nuts — and tend to stick to basics like carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions and peppers, but again, if it’s helping get leafy greens into your bloodstream, then you should probably do it.

For example, I have to have dressing on my salad, and I get pretty bummed out when I forget the croutons. They’re not the healthiest part of my salad bowl, but they provide the flavor and crunch that make me willing to chomp down a salad every day. 

Why are leafy greens so important?

For someone looking to lose weight, they’re virtually calorie free. There are fewer than 10 calories in a cup of spinach, which means, if you wanted to, you could eat it all day. They’re also so packed full of vitamins that make them a huge boost to brain, heart and immune health and more.

3 . Keep it simple

I don’t know that the goal should be to eat a salad every day, or every work day, but it works for me. And part of that is keeping it simple.

I gotta make my salad, get my kids to school, and get a run in before I can even start my day. I can’t spend all morning chopping vegetables.

I tend to throw some spring mix/spinach in one of my trusty lunch containers, top with some romaine, then chop up three vegetables. The most common are carrots, peppers and tomatoes. But pickled peppers, onions, and olives often also make the cut. Then throw on some croutons. Virtually every vegetable you add is adding new nutrients, and these ones work for me. 

4. Dressing

Dressing is also a key. If you find yourself not falling into a rhythm with your salad, or slowly losing interest, head to the dressing aisle. There are a million options, and each one adds a new dimension to the meal. I try to stick with low-calories and low-fat options, but sometimes, when I’m feeling in a funk, I’ll pick up that bacon ranch. And it works. Sometimes just eating the salad and finding some kind of enjoyment out of it is enough. And honestly, eating a salad with bacon ranch actually feels better than a big bready sandwich, or even a wrap. 

Be careful of serving sizes. Don’t douse your greens. Try measuring it out the first few times to get a feel for the serving size. And best practice is to not eat a bacon-based topping every day. But at the same time, I feel like you have to find a way to love your greens. 

5. Get some protein in there

For me, one of the most important effects of eating a salad is that I’m not hungry afterward. Struggling with weight for decades, after eating pizza, fries, sandwiches, etc., I’d either have trouble getting myself to stop eating, or very quickly I felt compelled to eat again.

Refined carbs shoot right into my bloodstream and satisfy metabolic needs very quickly, but also very temporarily. Your body shoots out insulin and starts storing energy as fat. And your body also loves that feeling of quick, easily accessible energy and will crave. It will tell you it needs calories even if you very clearly don’t.  It can feel like mild addiction.

Protein helps stop that. Protein and fat can slow the release of sugars into your blood, making most energy sources more sustainable.

Although spinach and most leafy greens are pretty slow burning fuels, carrots, tomatoes, croutons and most salad dressings surely have some sugars. 

I treat lunch like drinking. Instead of having a glass of milk and some bread to coat and prepare the stomach before heavy alcohol, hard boiled eggs and cottage cheese prepare my body for carbs.

For me, all of it has to be easy. Grilling chicken in big batches to throw on a salad is a great option, but hard boiled eggs and cottage cheese are just so much easier.

Hope this helps get salads into your lives.

It’s some of the cleanest fuel you can find, and the cleaner I eat, the better I run, the faster I recover, the happier and more balanced I am. And when all those things are true, I’m a much more pleasant and productive human.