If you need to lose weight, or you are trying to eat a healthier diet, eating more salads and fruits can help. Choose your ingredients carefully to control your calories, stay full and improve the nutrition in your diet. Not all salads are healthy or low in calories, and a nutritionist can help you develop a balanced meal plan to meet your goals.
Basic Salad
For a low-calorie, filling salad, start with a base of greens, such as spinach, romaine lettuce or mixed spring greens. Add other fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, radishes, beets or carrots. Lean protein can make your salad more filling without adding too many calories, and high-quality sources include grilled chicken breast, fat-free cheese, canned light tuna, tofu and egg whites. Salad dressing mostly contains healthy, unsaturated fats, so add a small amount to increase the flavor in your salad.
Other Salads and Fruits
Make your diet more interesting by including a variety of side salads, which you can use to accompany a low-calorie main course, or even combine several of them to eat as your meal. Some ideas are sliced tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil with fresh basil; cucumbers with yogurt and dill; and three-bean salad with green beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and balsamic vinegar. Have fresh fruit for snacks to stave off hunger in between meals, and as lower-calorie substitutions for regular desserts. You can also make fruit salads.
Benefits
A diet with salads and fruits can help you lose weight without feeling too hungry because fruits and vegetables are mostly low in calories, and high in filling components such as water and dietary fiber, according to the University of Michigan. Adding lean proteins to your salads also helps suppress your hunger, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The diet might be high in other healthy nutrients, such as potassium and vitamins A and C from fruits and vegetables.
Tips
Many prepared salads are high in calories and fat, and your diet with salads and fruits should limit mayonnaise-based salads, such as egg, potato, tuna or chicken salad; fruit salads with cream; and some restaurant salads, such as taco salad with fatty beef and tostada shell bases. Beware of saturated or trans fats from toppings such as breaded chicken strips, full-fat cheeses or Italian meats, such as pepperoni or salami. Also, choose low-sodium salad dressings or make your own with herbs instead of salty seasonings.
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