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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 19 June 2016

Sujata Din, a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Certified Professional Cancer Coach based in Singapore shares two recipes of satisfying lunchtime salads that keep you full.  

Salads are an excellent option for a main meal; they are jam packed with nutrients as made with lots of vegetables.  However, having a salad for lunch can at times leave you feeling hungry. The main reason a healthy salad meal leaves the stomach rumbling is because it lacks sufficient protein, fibre or healthy fats.

This can be an issue when eating out, as cafes and restaurants serve a big bowl of leafy greens with a small portion of protein.  If you are rummaging through the pantry or hitting the coffee shop within 2 hours of your lunch, you probably need to add more healthy protein, fibre and healthy fat to your salads.

Related Reading: Are Snacks Between Meals Sabotaging Your Diet?

Some good protein options to include when preparing your salad are skinless grilled chicken meat, cottage cheese, pre-cooked prawns or salmon.  Vegetarians can add in tofu, tempeh, cooked beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, lima beans, sprouted mung, black beans, edamame, etc) and also nuts and seeds.

Sharing 2 simple recipes for you to try out.  I am not one to count calories, but have included an estimated nutritional content. 

Check out the fat, protein and fibre.  Even though the bean salad has more calories, it contains the most fibre.  To keep it simple, I am using the same dressing but you can vary it; can use balsamic vinegar, miso or  English mustard.  

Egg and Feta Salad (pic above)

2 boiled eggs

2 cups kale, loosely packed

1/2 cup cucumber slices

1/8 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup avocado cubes

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

5 small olives

20 grams feta cheese

Salad dressing:

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all these ingredients in a glass container, until well emulsified

Boil the eggs and once cooled cut them and place around the edge of the serving plate.  Place the kale leaves in the middle and layer the other ingredients over.  Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.

Nutritional content is approximately (Source USDA Food Content):

391 calories, 20 grams protein, 28 grams fat, 7 grams fiber

Tip: To reduce the fat skip the avocado 

Mixed Bean Salad

1 cup cooked mixed beans

1/2 avocado, cubes

1 small carrot, grated

2 cups kale, loosely packed

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1/8 cup pumpkin seeds

Salad dressing:

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all these ingredients in a glass container, until well emulsified

Use any beans that you like, I used mixed beans that were soaked overnight and then cooked in a pressure cooker.  Wash and dry the kale leaves, then place on a serving plate.  Over this layer all the other ingredients and pour dressing over.  

Tip: If you find beans difficult to digest, soak them overnight and discard the water.  Then either cook in a pressure cooker or boil until soft.  Smaller beans like mung and adzuki are easier to digest than the larger beans. 

Some people avoid beans as they are high in carbohydrates and calories, however, do remember we need all our macronutrients and as seen this salad is high in fibre, essential for a healthy gut.  

Nutritional Content is approximately:

472 calories, 21 grams protein, 18 grams fat, 25 grams fiber

To reduce calories and fat use only 1/4 cup cubed avocado instead of 1/2 cup cubed avocado

Sujata Din assists clients worldwide via individual consultations, skype, phone and email. She offers individual health and nutrition consultations, leads workshops on nutrition, cooking demonstrations and pantry overhauls.

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