Salad Template (dairy-free, Paleo, Keto)
Having a large salad almost every day ought to be a fundamental part of your meal planning. It is so satisfying to sit down and eat a well-made nutrient-dense salad that has a great range of vegetables, includes a quality protein source, and ample amounts of satiating fats. This guide is just the beginning; there are truly endless possibilities.
Salads are one of the best ways to increase your fiber intake. With a focus on low-starch green vegetables, you are getting a day’s worth of nutrients with very few net carbohydrates. Green vegetables are full of micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium, selenium, potassium, antioxidants, and polyphenols. Upping your intake of low-starch green vegetables also increases your alkalinity, which is essential for proper balance throughout your body. In my plant-heavy Pure Keto program, I lead people away from a typical Ketogenic diet. The typical Ketogenic diet is often void of enough fiber, and green vegetables, and has a low emphasis on food quality. This diet sometimes referred to as “Dirty Keto” ends up being quite an acidic diet and habitually results in more problems and frustrations than benefits and goal triumphs. If you are curious to learn the difference you can read about my Pure Keto program –> here.
Of course, with most anything there is a reason to be careful; for some people, lots of raw vegetables will cause bloating, distention, and gas. This is a sign of an imbalanced microbiome. It can be a permeable gut, an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, SIBO (small intestine bacterial disorder), or other pathogenic concerns.
In these situations, fiber may have to be removed from the diet completely but just temporarily to decrease inflammation and restore balance in the gut. I stress temporarily because the ultimate goal is to increase fiber intake, increase alkaline green vegetables and help to feed our beneficial bacteria so that they can continue to make the essential short-chain fatty acids, B vitamins, and other supportive nutrients.
Salad Template
Ingredients
- 3 cups greens like romaine, leaf lettuces, spinach, baby kale, butter leaf, Asian greens
- 1-1 ½ cups vegetables chopped. Like cabbages, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers, and snap peas raw, or see below for sautéing option
- 3 Tbsp. homemade dressing with olive oil or avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and spices – see below for ideas
- 2-4 ounces of meat or fish cooked
- 1-2 tbsp. seeds or nuts chopped
- 1/4 - 1/2 avocado
- 1-2 Tbsp. olives optional
Instructions
- Arrange all the ingredients on a large plate or in a bowl.
- Sit down, relax.
- Enjoy. Remember to chew slowly.
Notes
Sautéed Vegetable option put 1 Tbsp. of ghee (coconut oil, avocado oil) in a small sauté pan and warm over medium heat. Add the 1-1/2 cups of vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, snap peas, celery, peppers, etc.) Add ¼ tsp sea salt and cook for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile add all the fresh vegetables, a protein of choice, any seeds, nuts, olives, etc. to a plate or bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables to your salad bowl or plate, top with your homemade dressing, and enjoy.
Protein options Make a practice of cooking enough meat to have leftovers so you can use whatever leftover meat you have on hand. If you don’t have any leftovers you can top your salad with quality salami and pepperoni (without nitrates), wild smoked salmon, low-mercury skipjack tuna, sardines, anchovies, and canned salmon or oysters.
Nuts and Seed options Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped macadamia nuts, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, and slivered almonds are all great choices
Salad Dressing ideas Try my Salad Dressing Template or Drizzle with ample amounts of olive oil, then add some MCT Oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, or sesame oil for flavor.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
270Fat
12Sat. Fat
2Carbs
13Fiber
5Net carbs
9Sugar
3Protein
26Sodium
364Cholesterol
54