WHAT A SALAD SHOULD BE

Salad has become such a polarizing food these days it can’t be discussed without also discussing various health and dietary ideologies along with it. Often used as a substitute for other foods when people on are restrictive diets, salad is (or can be) a very useful and delicious way to get the healthy nutrition we require as human beings.

I often see people on social media talk about how they try to be healthy by having a salad but then end up loading it with things they consider indulgent and then feel guilty for it—lots of cheese, or nuts, or eggs, and dressing—as if food is a necessary evil and not the very substance from which our bodies live. Salads should be calorie dense. That will keep you satiated and provide energy to go about your day, and prevent metabolic decline that leads to heart failure and premature aging.

Some people have even come to regard vegetables as unhealthy, and while there is some truth to this as discussed in my book, Fuck Portion Control, it does not mean we should avoid vegetables or that we can do so without suffering serious health side effects. For instance, vitamin K2 is one of the most important nutrients we require, and it is made by our native gut microbiome from foods high in vitamin K which in turn comes only from things like broccoli, spinach, or collard greens. The vitamin K is not only healthy for us but also for our native gut microbiome, which require it for their own health. Bacteria make more than a dozen forms of vitamin K2, and such nutrition cannot be replicated by supplements, in addition to all the other nutrients such foods contain.

A general rule when constructing salads is that, if a food is distasteful on its own without significant alteration it should not be eaten in that form. Raw kale for instance is so difficult to eat because it is high in antinutrients like phytic and oxalic acids, which bind to nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus and prevent their absorption during digestion. Forcing yourself to stomach things like raw kale is not discipline, and it will work against your efforts to be healthy in the long run. Foods like this must always be prepared properly, such as with cooking, where salads should always be made of ingredients which are indulgent and enjoyable.

The primary thing which makes salads unhealthy is the kinds of oils and fats used in dressing. It is unfortunately too common for salad dressings to be made with cheap, oxidized oils like soy and canola, and these fats are highly unstable and cause severe metabolic damage to the body. In fact, canola oil used to cause lesions in farm animals (and humans) until it was later hybridized to reduce the toxic fatty acid which caused the lesions, but which is still present in the rapeseed from which it is made albeit at lower levels.

Olive oil is unfortunately one of the most commonly counterfeit products in the world, usually cut with canola or sunflower oil, and as such much care should be taken to ensure high quality ingredients in such food. Olive oil should be expensive, slightly green (not yellow), and taste and smell a bit fruity, like olives. If the oil is yellow and has no flavor it is counterfeit.

Toxic agricultural chemicals of non-organic food will also completely undo any health benefits from salad, killing the gut microbiome and rendering us incapable of obtaining the nutrients within. When making a salad, as many ingredients as possible should be organic, and the dressing should be homemade from excellent quality olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil (not regular sunflower oil, which is not high in oleic acid). If these guidelines are followed, salad will strongly promote health and wellness. Two other salad recipes in my blog are Microgreens, Salad with Strawberries. or Carrot Salad.

BASIC VINAIGRETTE DRESSINGS

The word salad originates from a latin phrase which meant salted greens, and that is the most important culinary ingredient in salad, is the salt. But I find it most flavorful not to add it to the dressing, but after the dressing has been tossed in the salad. This allows the salt to remain somewhat intact rather than dissolving throughout the dressing, providing some interesting variation in flavor. Too much salt can ruin a salad, though. I typically add just two pinches of salt to a salad, but always test taste to revaluate, and add more if it’s not seasoned properly.

A vinaigrette is made by simply combining oil and acid, such as olive oil and lemon juice, and it can be that simple. Just add several tablespoons of olive oil or high-oleic acid sunflower oil to a bowl, then juice a whole lemon and whisk briefly. Done. You can also use vinegar instead of lemon.

Making your own dressings can also save money, and since most dressings are made with bad oils, learning to make your own dressing can be necessary to keep yourself and your family healthy. These can be made in advance in large quantities and kept in a bottle—the oil and acid do not spoil, or they can be made each time in less than a minute.

Any flavorings can be added to a vinaigrette—minced garlic and a teaspoon of mustard, fresh herbs like thyme, other vinegars like red wine or apple cider, or crushed fruit like strawberries or blueberries. Add these flavors at the same time as combining the oil and acid.

Sugar can and should often be added to vinaigrette if other flavors are used, to compliment or offset their flavors. Mustard for instance is usually too strong without some sugar added. But a basic lemon/olive oil vinaigrette doesn’t necessarily need sweetening. Usually 1 teaspoon of sugar is sufficient, but use more if making a sweet vinaigrette like strawberry.

GREENS

Salad does not always need to contain greens, but when using greens it’s a good idea to try and use those which also contain sulfur. The more sulfur we can get in our diets the more our bodies can make important endogenous antioxidants, detoxify toxic chemicals, and eliminate excess body fat. Examples of sulfurous greens are arugula, mustard, spinach, or cress. Mixed greens can be extremely delicious, diluting the strong sulfurous so it’s just pleasantly sharp. I typically buy a greens mix which has these included along with some more mild greens.

Always chop greens in a salad. It is not fancy to leave leaves whole—they are annoying and it makes it harder to chew the food. A quick, large chop is sufficient.

Add the greens first to the vinaigrette when assembling the salad, and toss. This makes it easy to coat all the ingredients with dressing. If you wait to do this after you might not have much room in your bowl and it will be harder to do. Then salt the greens with one or two pinches of good salt (a pinch is how much you can hold between your index and thumb), careful not to over salt it.

OTHER INGREDIENTS

A well-balanced mix of different foods can make the difference between a filling salad and one which just leaves you more hungry than when you started.

Cheese is always a great way to add calories and flavor.

Shredding carrot can add important dietary carotene—always peel carrots as the peel has phytic acid and as such is bitter.

Radishes can be sliced or shredded into a salad as well, and add even more delicious dietary sulfur. In fact, using salads as a delivery mechanism for radishes can be a very effective wellness strategy.

Nuts add a salty crunch. I will often use sunflower seeds because they are very high in vitamin E and are perfectly sized for a salad. Chopped, sliced, or slivered almonds work very well too.

Frying eggs and topping a salad with a warm, drippy egg is extremely delicious. To fry an egg (or several) heat olive oil or coconut oil in a pan over medium heat, then crack the eggs into the oil. As the bottoms cook, spoon the hot oil over the top of the eggs. Salt and pepper these, then when the edges start to brown and the tops are no longer uncooked spoon over top a prepared salad. Meats too like chicken, steak, or shrimp can also increase the caloric and protein content of salads. I love to use leftover fried chicken on salads (if there are any leftovers).

Cube leftover bread and let it dry out completely, then cook in a pan in some more olive oil and thyme for delicious homemade croutons.

Pepper is always a good finishing spice for salads, and a salad without pepper to me always feels like something is missing.