Limp mixed greens, begone! It’s time to load up your salad with delicious superfoods if you want to make a meal out of it.
Its name basically says it all — superfoods are usually richer than other foods in beneficial compounds such as antioxidants, fibre or fatty acids¹. From spices and herbs, there is an endless variety of possible mix-ins! These little additions can make a big difference in the nutritional profile of your salad.
Get started with this guide to the 5 superfoods you should be tossing into your next salad. Recommendations for complementary health supplements will be provided too, if any!
If you’re looking to turn up the heat and lose some weight, sprinkle some paprika! A spice ground from the dried varieties of peppers, paprika contains potentially appetite-suppressing compounds called capsaicin and xanthophylls. This duo fires up your metabolism and helps to reduce abdominal fat and body mass index (BMI)² more effectively.
Flavour: It ranges from sweet to hot in intensity. Some varieties of paprika may even have a smoky taste.
You’ll find it in paprika in the dressing of this Feel Slim Pulled-Pork Salad — every mouthful will have you feeling lighter on your feet!
What you’ll need:
– 1 large handful Baby Spinach
– 1 Big Tomato (cubed)
– 100g Grilled/Steamed Pork Lean Meat (shredded)
– 1 tbsp Toasted Almond Nuts
– 1 tbsp Toasted Cashew Nuts
– 2 tbsp Almond Nut Butter
– 2 tbsp Orange Juice
– ½ tsp Paprika
– ½ tsp Dried Basil
– A dash of salt, black pepper & paprika to taste
What you’ll need to do: Blend all the ingredients into a dressing (except the fruits, vegetables, pork & nuts). Toss the fruits, vegetables and pork in the dressing, top with nuts, seeds and serve.
Supplement recommendation: Here’s one for the ladies! Whether you’re looking to shed some weight or boost your overall well-being, a multivitamin is perfect to have after this salad to supplement your diet for good health everyday.
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Hear us out before you stop reading: yes, you can eat miso paste without cooking it³! Miso paste can be used directly from the container with no need for further processing. It’s a great source of protein and polyunsaturated fats, including iron, calcium, potassium, and other important B vitamins⁴.
Ease into the taste of miso paste! When added raw into the dressing, it adds a creamy “umami” taste to this simple Go Nuts on Immunity Pasta Salad.
Prep time: 30 mins
What you’ll need:
– 1 cup Wholemeal Spiral Pasta, boiled in salted water till cooked & drained
– 1 Hard-Boiled Egg (sliced)
– 1 cup Small Broccoli Florets (lightly boiled)
– 1 Carrot (grated)
– 1 tbsp Sundried Tomato
– 1 Small Bunch Parsley (chopped)
– 2 tbsp Toasted Pine Nuts
– 2 tbsp Toasted Cashew Nuts
– 1 Large Avocado (peeled & pitted)
– 1 tsp Miso Paste
– 1 tbsp Tahini
– 1 tbsp Cashew Butter
– ½ tsp Garlic Powder
– 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
– 2 tbsp Orange Juice
– Salt & pepper, to taste
What you’ll need to do: Blend the miso paste, tahini, cashew butter, garlic powder, lemon juice & orange juice into a dressing. Toss the vegetable, pasta, nuts & seeds in the dressing. Top with sliced eggs. Serve.
Supplement recommendation: Miso paste is also rich in probiotics. Probiotics can be consumed together with Vitamin C to help strengthen your immune and gut health.
Effervescent tablets are a great place to start. The benefit of effervescent tablets is that they dissolve completely and evenly in a liquid like water. They also tend to taste better and cause less irritation!
Dill (“Anethum graveolens”) has a strong, tangy flavour that makes for an appetising addition to any salad. It possesses medicinal properties derived from compounds called monoterpenes and also contains beneficial flavonoids, minerals, and amino acids⁵. Dried dill is particularly great at helping to lower blood lipid⁶ and cholesterol levels.
Topped with dried dill, this Slimming Tahini Butter Slaw takes only 15 minutes to throw together. Beef it up with a protein if you prefer.
What you’ll need:
– 1 Kiwi (cubed)
– ½ small head Purple Cabbage (shredded finely)
– ½ small head Green Cabbage (shredded finely)
– 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs (chopped)
– 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
– 1 tbsp Cashew Nuts
– 3 tbsp Tahini Butter
– 1 tsp Dried Dill
– 1 tsp Orange Juice
– 2 tbsp Unsweetened Soy Bean Milk (fortified with calcium and Vitamin D)
– 1 tsp Manuka Honey
– ½ tsp Paprika
– A dash of sea salt and black pepper to taste
What you’ll need to do: Blend all the ingredients into a dressing (except the vegetables, eggs, nuts & seeds). Toss the vegetables and eggs in the dressing, topped with nuts, seeds and serve.
Supplement recommendation: Here’s one for the men! This moreish salad will refuel you after an intense pump session at the gym. It complements a multivitamin tablet, particularly one containing 29 carefully selected ingredients to maintain good health everyday.
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Ginger powder is extracted from the root of ginger (“Zingiber officinale”), a native Asian plant⁷. It has a pungent flavour and aroma with a slightly off-white or brownish colour. Like paprika, it has potent “warming” and anti-inflammatory properties that may help to fend off infections⁸.
Give ginger powder a shot with the dressing in this Heat On Immune Salad! It’s a sure-fire way to boost your immunity in a single serving.
Prep time: 20 mins
What you’ll need:
– 1 cup Cauliflower Florets (lightly steamed)
– 1 tbsp Sundried Tomato
– 1 Hard-Boiled Egg (chopped)
– 1 handful Toasted Almonds
– 1 tsp Miso Paste
– 1 tsp Almond Butter
– ½ tsp Garlic Powder
– ½ tsp Ginger Powder
– 1 tsp Lemon or Orange Juice
– Salt & pepper, to taste
What you’ll need to do: Blend the miso paste, almond butter, garlic powder, ginger powder & juice into a dressing. Toss vegetables and egg in the dressing. Top with almonds. Serve.
Supplement recommendation: This one’s for all the wise men out there! The benefits of ginger powder in this salad can be paired with a multivitamin specially designed for men above the age of 50.
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Available at your nearest Unity store
Cashew nuts have a high fat content and these are mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids⁹. These healthy fats are usually associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. They prove it by working in tandem to manage total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in the blood¹⁰. What a power couple!
Note: Like most nuts, the high fat content still means that cashew nuts are generally higher in calories. This is why it’s still important to eat everything in moderation — too much of a good thing can be a bad thing!
You can start with just a handful of cashew nuts¹¹ in your salad, particularly in this Immune Triple C Cashew Butter Slaw recipe. It contains the benefits of cashew nuts and its milky cousin, cashew nut milk!
Prep time: 15 mins
What you’ll need:
– 2 Carrots (finely shredded)
– ½ head Small Purple Cabbage (finely shredded)
– ½ head Small Green Cabbage (finely shredded)
– 1 Hard-Boiled Egg (chopped)
– 1 handful Toasted Cashew Nuts
– 1 tbsp Cashew Butter
– 2 tbsp Tahini
– 1 tsp Lemon Juice
– 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cashew Nut Milk
– 2 tsp Manuka Honey
– 1 tsp Dried Coriander
– Salt & pepper, to taste
What you’ll need to do: Blend the cashew butter, tahini, lemon juice, cashew milk, manuka honey & coriander into a dressing. Toss the vegetables and egg in the dressing. Top with cashew nuts. Serve.
Supplement recommendation: The health benefits of cashew nuts will complement supplements that are just as rich in essential fatty acids¹². As a dietary supplement, take one or two capsules of cod liver oil once a day or as directed by a health professional.
Available at your nearest Unity store here
Note: Always speak to your friendly Unity pharmacist for further advice on the consumption of health supplements.
We hope that you’ve gotten an idea of the other superfoods you should be tossing into your next salad, and the health benefits that can be strengthened through supplement recommendations.
Shop for all the supplements you need for your overall well-being everyday here!
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References:
¹ University of California, Davis, What makes a superfood so super?, viewed 9 February 2022
² Brennan, D MD 2020, Health benefits of paprika, Nourish by WebMD, viewed 9 February 2022
³ Nusselder, J 2021, Can you eat miso raw without cooking it?, Bite My Bun, viewed 9 February 2022
⁴ Lovitt, M 2020, 3 secret healing benefits of miso, mindbodygreen, viewed 9 February 2022
⁵ Nagdeve. M 2021, 11 health benefits of dill, Organic Facts, viewed 9 February 2022
⁶ Royeshgar Co., Benefits of dried dill, Ehyagaran Ghalb Sanaat Asia, viewed 10 February 2022
⁷ Prasad, S & K. Tyagi, A 2015, Ginger and its constituents: role in prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer, Gastroenterology Research and Practice, Hindawi, viewed 10 February 2022
⁸ Rana, S 2018, 6 ginger powder benefits: from treating morning sickness to boosting your metabolism, NDTV Convergence, viewed 10 February 2022
⁹ HealthHub 2021, Are nuts a healthy food to eat?, Health Promotion Board, Ministry of Health Singapore, viewed 10 February 2022
¹⁰ Mah E, Schulz JA, Kaden VN, Lawless AL, Rotor J, Mantilla LB, Liska DJ, Cashew consumption reduces total and LDL cholesterol: a randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding trial, Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 May;105(5):1070-1078. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.150037. Epub 2017 Mar 29. PMID: 28356271.
¹¹ Singapore Heart Foundation 2022, Nuts for life, viewed 14 February 2022
¹² Peggy Trowbridge Filippone 2021, What is a cashew nut?,The Spruce Eats, viewed 14 February 2022