Fiber is the main health benefit of lettuce and other vegetables in salads.Salads are usually packed with nutrient fiber, but they’re not for you! Fiber is real food for your microbiome., Trillions of bacteria that live in your gut. Dietary fiber is also key to metabolic health. Bacteria in the gut convert fiber into short-chain fatty acids, which regulate immune function and reduce inflammation.
For more fiber in leafy green salads, add a variety of vegetables such as broccoli and bell peppers, along with beans and lentils.
However, the healthiest salads also contain plenty of other good-for-you ingredients, such as antioxidants. Your liver needs these antioxidants to perform this magical trick.
For antioxidants, try chopped brightly colored vegetables (the darker the better), chopped fresh fruit, herbs (fresh or dried), and spices. Then add proteins like free-range eggs, free-range beef, fish, chicken, tofu, beans, and lentils.
Add Fats and Fermented Foods to Salads
Then layer in whole food fats like avocados, olives, nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds (such as chia seeds and walnuts) are rich in the anti-inflammatory alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
For other sources of omega-3, try small fish such as anchovies (commonly found in Caesar salads). You can also include other wild-caught fish (sardines, salmon, mackerel) or chicken (free-range and pastured chicken has less antibiotics)..
Cheese is a great addition because it contains odd-chain fatty acids that protect against diabetes and heart disease. We’ve been taught to avoid fat because it’s high in calories, but dairy fatty acids are unique in that they have specific phospholipids at their ends that prevent inflammation. Do not use. Instead, try varieties such as feta, cotilla, parmesan, and mozzarella.
Bonus points are cruciferous vegetables like kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, which increase the body’s natural production of antioxidants and stimulate the production of detoxification enzymes in the liver. Another bonus: fresh tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that supports eye function and prevents cataracts.
Adding fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut can give you a gut-friendly boost, as can homemade dressings made with natural, unsweetened yogurt. .
Avoid store-bought salad dressings
all right.Now let’s talk about salad dressing. To make a great homemade dressing, look out for ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, tahini, vinegar, Dijon, herbs, spices, and low-sugar citrus juices (lemon, lime, grapefruit).
Oleic acid contained in olive oil produces a factor that activates the liver and promotes metabolism. The acetic acid in vinegar inhibits the enzymes that break down starch in your mouth, reducing the amount of glucose in your bloodstream. Some homemade dressings get extra antioxidants from spices and seasonings like ginger, garlic, turmeric, thyme and oregano.
However, the same cannot be said for most store-bought dressings.The store-bought versions are often made with canola and soybean oils. These are chock-full of linoleic acid, an inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid.
You can also sneak in large amounts of fructose (sugar molecules) in the form of cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or honey. This harms the mitochondria, the energy-producing factories that power each cell. When your mitochondria aren’t functioning properly, your blood sugar and insulin spike, and your liver has no choice but to turn fructose into fat. It promotes fatty liver and insulin resistance and may increase your risk of developing heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
You might be surprised that bottled dressings are often laced with sugar. For example, high fructose corn syrup is his second ingredient in Kraft’s Creamy French His Dressing, which has 5 grams of added sugar. Also, pay attention to fat-free dressings. For example, Ken’s Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette has he added 12 grams of added sugar.
Commercial dressings can also contain ingredients that are bad for your gut and the trillions of bacteria that live there. If you don’t feed the bacteria, they will actually start feeding on you, stripping your intestinal cells of their protective layer of mucin. It can lead to changes in intestinal permeability that people in the department call “leaky gut.” It can also cause inflammation throughout the body.
Commercial dressings often contain emulsifiers such as: Carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate-80, or carrageenan can prevent fat and water from separating and dissolve the protective mucin layer in the gut. It can cause gastrointestinal upset, gas, bloating, diarrhea and inflammation.
croutons and crispy
But that doesn’t mean you should skip the dressing. , choosing the right ingredients and ideally making your own dressing at home.
It’s also a good idea to avoid anything “crispy” like fried onions or tortilla strips. These are often fried in seed oil at high temperatures, risking the formation of trans fats and acrylamide, known carcinogens. It is also recommended to be careful with dried fruits. Some varieties and brands coat them in sugar to make them sweeter and tastier.
And finally, watch out for processed bread. A Caesar salad isn’t a Caesar salad without croutons, but store-bought croutons are usually packed with preservatives, sodium, and vegetable oil. Bake your own croutons or serve salads with sourdough bread. But don’t eat the fried tortilla bowl.
Robert H. Lustig Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco,Metabolism: processed foods, nutrition, the charms and lies of modern medicine“
